Issues with heating?

[makenzie71]

Never done it for more than a few minutes to cure some glue, but am considering throwing a bow in the oven to help dry it out after setting recurve.  It'd be in at 350*f.  I don't have any particular set amount of time...10 minutes is all I've done before to set glue.  I was thinking maybe an hour?

Any opinions?

[Tom Leemans]

What kind of bow? If it's wood, I believe I'd have it clamped to a form. I don't think it needs to be that hot to "dry it out" though. That's my opinion anyway. I'm sure someone else will chime in here that maybe has more experience.

[Okie]

You've either got a small bow or a BIG oven. How wet is the wood? I'd think it would check drying it that fast. I usually dry mine in a heat box at 100*F with a small fan circulating the air.

[makenzie71]

Big oven

I might try it on a scrap piece of wood just for the sake of experimentation.  Hopefully there won't be any checking since the wood really isn't that wet, but dunno.

[makenzie71]

What kind of bow? If it's wood, I believe I'd have it clamped to a form. I don't think it needs to be that hot to "dry it out" though. That's my opinion anyway. I'm sure someone else will chime in here that maybe has more experience.

Whoops didn't see your reply.

To start with, red oak.  I'll be trying a few different kinds, though, and the bows will be clamped to the proper forms while in the over.  It's not that I think it needs to be that hot...it's that the ovens' job requires them to be that hot and adjusting that measurement is a long, complicated process.

[Dano]

If your working with boards purchased at a lumber yard, the lumber has all ready been dried. What moisture it has now depends on the humidity and temperature it's kept at. It only takes 80 to 90 degrees to keep wood dry, or drive down the MC. Keep in mind too little moisture is more dangerous for the wood. Patience man, bow building is not a race, and cannot be forced.

[makenzie71]

It would be for helping the ends of a recurve set, not "curing" the wood.  I have to get the ends wet to bend them.

[Dano]

Just trying to help, good luck!!

[Tom Leemans]

A few years back, JD Jones did a build along on a static recurve. I think he heated his curving jig (which had aluminum pressure strips) prior to clamping and a little bit after the clamps were tight. If I remember correctly, he said the tips hold their shape a bit better when he did that. (kept the heat in the wood longer) I wouldn't worry about needing to drive moisture out. It sounds like maybe you're boiling the tips to bend them? They're not getting soaked through and through. Most of that is surface moisture. Just leave them a bit thick before ya bend them. Good luck on the bow!

[kayakfisher]

I would becarefull myself thats not heating wood thats bakeing wood.
                                                                           Dennis

[bob the boywer]

Hey makenzie1, your mamma bakes wood too.


No really, she was watching Emeral cook some seasoned steak on a cedar plank, she decided to try it. I did not get to try any but is sounded good.

[Marc St Louis]

If you use dry heat after steam bending much of the recurve will come out

[Pat B]

You would be better off(IMO) to seal the tips first to avoid moisture getting into the dry wood. Like Tom said, it won't be soaked through and through but only a thin layer at the surfaces.  You can seal the area to be steamed with shellac. Shellac can handle the heat and moisture but will keep the wood from absorbing the moisture.   By putting the steamed wood into high heat and a very dry environment(the oven) the surface of the wood will dry quicker than the inside and the wood will check do to the uneven drying.
  With osage I use a heat gun and oil. I will heat the oiled wood until it bends easily, bend it and clamp it to a form and do another heating of the recurves then let it sit overnight. Most of the time you will have to reheat the recurves later to make adjustments but as long as you let the wood rehydrate before stressing it the curves should remain just slightly less than the bent in shape.

[makenzie71]

Hey makenzie1, your mamma bakes wood too.

I could say the same about you! 

Marc, Pat, I appreciate the input and will keep it in mind.  I'm rtying something just a bit different, though, at the moment, but I believe when I make my next oak bow I'll do it with oil and a heat gun as you suggest.

I'm running with a suggestion I got yesterday from a friend...not a bowyer but a hobbiest carpenter.  His guidence is to soak the limbs in water over night.  He's said he's never used such high heat before, so he's suggested that I not leave the limbs in the oven for more than 15 minutes, then to pull them and either douse them in water or spray them with WD40/mineral oil/etc to rehydrate the surface.

I'm not working with a full bow. The limbs are separate and are 1/4" X 2" red oak slats.  My buddy has even reassured me that if it were bigger than 1/2" they would split.

We'll see!

[Pat B]

Your experimentation is great. We aren't telling you you can't do that but relaying our experiences. None of us would be where we are in wood bow building if it weren't for experimentation so go for it and keep us informed about the results.
   In the description of my recurving method I specifically said OSAGE. That is the wood I use mostly. Other woods have other bending methods that work better for them so use the correct method for the wood used.