black locust stave

[big-o]

I cut my stave today. I left it at almost 7 feet long. As was discussed here earlier it was suggested that i make the bow around 72" long. I sealed the ends with Elmer's glue.

the end are sealed

Leaning against the unused chicken house

This is where I will store it for a few months then debark and bring indoors.

Bert said hi

 

[luke the drifter]

hey big-o,

i hope it splits good for you.  every one that i ever split ends up propellor twisted.  i hate that.  perhaps if this happens to you, you might have pictures showing how to take care of this.  i have a devil of a time but my main fault is patience and perfection.  not enough of one and too much of the other.  i am anxious to see how it turns out for you

luke

[big-o]

I am also interested in how it turns out, this is my very first bow build.

[Kitsu]

I am also interested in how it turns out, this is my very first bow build.

by the way the bark looks, it looks like it has some good twist to it you might need to learn something about heat or steam bending when the time comes,

btw, besides the twisty look, it looks like there are some great staves in it, wish ya luck, have fun with it

[big-o]

Being a beginner I never thought about "reading the bark" I will take a look in the woods again. There are some Hickory and Locust that are about 6-8" in dia. Would the "The Traditional Bowyer's Bible" be a good first read for a beginner? Any suggestions will be well received.

[nugget]

split it and strap it to a straight tree to dry.

[Mark Smeltzer]

I would also spray the outside with a pesticide, boring bugs LOVE BL.

Mark

[luke the drifter]

could the propeller twist be roughed out to get to the straight part of the stave?  has this been tried with any success?

[Cacatch]

Luke, and Big-O

You can rough out some of the twist, but don't expect to rough it all out. Here is my advice (I love Black Locust and it's about all I work with) - let it dry whole for as long as you can stand to wait. At least a couple months. 3-6 would be best. This will help it to not twist and warp even more when split. Once you do split it, if there is some propeller to it, it ain't the end of the world. MOST of my bows have some twist. I'm working on an ugly little BL stave right now that is twisted real bad. But myself I just don't care as long as the tips line the string up with the handle. Good luck on it!

-CP

[ohma]

i to like locust makes a good bow. as said above, you best get it sprayed with an insecticide orit will get ate up.the cheap five dollar a gallon stuff at wally world works for me.comes with a hand pump and very easy to use.

[George Tsoukalas]

Twist in a log often appears worse than in the the spit stave. Anytime after letting settle a few weeks now you can spit that out. I usually leave the bark on. I try not to get in a big hurry with BL as it can check big time. Jawge