Think i might have wasted 2 days

[Kitsu]

I split a pretty  big HHB, ended up giving my about 3 8' staves, (could prolly get 5 if i split the bigger ones but ide rather not atm) they are straight, and thats a rare find in itself,) and about 6 5 footers, all perfectly straight, i say it again, its rare for a hhb....

well... i ran out of my glue, and i only managed to put a thin coat on all of them, i have them in my basement for the time being, i turned my dehumidifyer down, and the wood is across the basement, i am hoping it doesnt dry too fast , i have heard that even if the ends are sealed with the best glues, itll still split down the middle if it dries too quick.

if i do not get a reply, i will cover them with a sheet and maybe hold in more moisture, i will be putting them back in the garage tomorrow, now that i have read the post, i would rather not risk all that effort on them....


What humidity level is best for drying HHB and should i be worried since it is down in the basement, and is there any way i can leave it in the basement, without having it check/split on me

[Phil Rees]

 Hawkeyes...
....I'm sorry for sounding a little dumb.... but what do you mean by HHB?

[Dean Marlow]

HHB is great bow wood. One of my favorite whitewood. Also you are lucky to have some straight ones. It should be fine in your basement. Make sure the ends are sealed real good. The best thing you could do is tie them down to something while they are drying. They will want to warp or twist on you a little while they are drying. Dean

[sailordad]

hawkeyes, i have slit several hhb logs
mine too were rare for the most part
straight,i couldnt believe it
i never seal my hhb,but my logs are always 8"ers
they do/will split a little on the ends like this,but with 8' staves theres room to cut the ends off anyhow
as far as twisiting goes,they may twist a little but respond very well to heat to get them straight again
i store all my fresh wood in the garage rafters untill its needed(usually about a year later),then i put them in the basement with the
dehumidifier going,set at 40-45%,then after a few weeks in the basement i make a bow,or i try too 

good luck,and your gonna like that wood

[xin]

HHB      Hop Hornbeam

[PatM]

 As long as the bark is left on for initial drying HHB isn't prone to checking more than a couple of inches on the ends.

[Kitsu]

As long as the bark is left on for initial drying HHB isn't prone to checking more than a couple of inches on the ends.

x.x now i feel really stupid, because as of last night, i ended up taking all of it off after reading a post here, which is why i was worried, and now my worry is back, i put it in a more moist section in my basement, its still fairly dry there, but i am hoping i can let it stay, 

here is the original reply and a link to the other post that worried me,

Hello MarkInEngland,

I managed to get a drying crack the whole length of the heart wood in my split HHB.
What I did was; seal the ends, split it half (Lengthwise), and then I just laid it under the basement stairs where it's nice and dry. - So, don't do that!

I suggest you seal the ends, split it, then remove the bark.  And store it in, perhaps, your garage, or where the moisture levels is not so dramatically low.  You can leave it in there for a month or two, while it looses moisture more slowly - then move it to the basement. 
(but, if you put it in a garage, or an open-air barn of sort, you might want to spray it down with bug spray to keep the little nasties out of your staves.)

All the best,
Canoe

the original thread: http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,6251.msg86061/topicseen.html#msg86061

as you can see, i was nervous then, and after listening to that post (minus the bug spray and garage part, due to my basement having numerous diff moisture levels depending on where you are at, (my basement is 40'x40' and has 2 seperate "rooms" to it, those open cells still get dehumidified enough to prevent mold, but still pretty moist in there sometimes,

my worries are still there, and its gotten worse now that i read what you posted, well.....  i ran to the store today to get more glue, figured i am going to need it anyway, and i resealed the ends, making this the 4th coat of the stuff, pretty sure i went overboard, but i am scared.... my back is still killing me from hauling this thing, i pray for the best but i am expecting the worst, i have pictures of them too, i am going to upload them, soon as possible,

[mullet]

 If you have a bucket of latex paint, just dip the ends in it.

[Kitsu]

If you have a bucket of latex paint, just dip the ends in it.

ill look around, i might have some, unless it was thrown out either way, i have the pictures , here ya go



although it is next to a bucket of water, that dark spot on the floor is not a puddle, its actually stained heh 



examples of the quality of it, note how straight it is, especially for hhb, i didnt do any "cheating" when splitting either
 

i can almost compare the quality of this to my maple staves, one big difference however...maple is easier to work, hhb  is a pain but will reward you more after,

[Badger]

I often wrap fresh cut staves in siran wrap and every few days add a few more slits for moisture to get out.

[Kitsu]

I often wrap fresh cut staves in siran wrap and every few days add a few more slits for moisture to get out.

hmm, how well does it work?

[sailordad]

nice looking stash
i love working this wood
it srcapes lovely,responds to heat
a lighter,in the hand,bow than some other woods.has a cool color,smell good whe working it
well worth the effort in splitting it and getting the bark off in my opinion

[Kitsu]

nice looking stash
i love working this wood
it srcapes lovely,responds to heat
a lighter,in the hand,bow than some other woods.has a cool color,smell good whe working it
well worth the effort in splitting it and getting the bark off in my opinion

i had one miracle, lets hope for another  now i just pray it doesnt check x3

[Badger]

  Plum is very bad about splitting and since I started using the sirhan wrap I haven't had any problem. I usually put 1" slits about 6" apart and about once a week or so I add another row of little slits. If I see it has a moiture build up I know I can add more slits. Usually in a couple months I remove the wrap. I don't really time it or anyting just kind of wing it. Steve

[Kitsu]

  Plum is very bad about splitting and since I started using the sirhan wrap I haven't had any problem. I usually put 1" slits about 6" apart and about once a week or so I add another row of little slits. If I see it has a moiture build up I know I can add more slits. Usually in a couple months I remove the wrap. I don't really time it or anyting just kind of wing it. Steve

do you leave the ends open or do you close them?
do you do all at once or do you do them one at a time?
do you wait a week before the first row of slits, or do you start with one?