RedBud Stave

[PeteDavis]

Today I sawed out a redbud stave. These trees are always so irregular and knotty. I have been clearing off a few acres, and cut at least a dozen redbud with rot and every malformation imaginable.

The stave I cut today appears to be an exception. it is over 100" long, I sawed it from a 6" d. log. no real blems, a little deflex, sawed 4" w x 3" d.

It's up in a snowbank right now as I want to take a pic tomorrow at the site. Rings are 3/16ths.

Do I need to remove the bark from this piece? I plan to lather it with water base poly to slow the drying. Any other advice? I'll wait a few years to work this. Bright yellow wood, looks like locust sorta. Pics tomorrow.

PD

[FlintWalker]

Redbud is beautiful wood, but I noticed you said you sawed the stave out. It might work OK for a bow, but redbud is generaly twisted pretty badly. If you do get one that's straight they like to twist as they dry.
  The point is...If it was twisted, and you sawed it out, you may have some serious grain violations
 Good luck with it.  I hope it makes a good bow because I've been wanting to see one from redbud.

[PeteDavis]

That's why I sawed it wide. I can stay inside the grain definitions side to side. No real twist in the raw state. Should I take the bark off the back?

[jthompson1995]

I've seen quite a few pieces of redbud with borer tracks/damage. i would take off the bark and seal the back real good to minimize checking and eliminate the possibility of there being dormant borer eggs that will hatch and ruin you nice stave.