A question often asked by new people.
After reading several posts and trying to come up a good list of links to answer this for the new guys, I said, "HECK WITH IT, I'll just make a new post and answer this from memory".
Besides, all you smarty-pants out there will correct me, if I'm wrong, faster than a jack rabbit with a tail fire.
So, here's how I do it:
Where do I find FREE wood that I can cut?Public roadsides, under power lines, family/friends property, and the wood you grow yourself. For this last part, google the word "coppice". Coppicing should be the next thing you learn in this business right after the words "I love selfbows" and "That's a stave, don't touch it!".
Where do I find FREE wood that's already cut?Construction sites, tree trimmer trash heaps, dumpsters, craigslist, and public areas hit by storms and high winds. I'm sure there's more.
How do I keep my wood from getting eaten by bugs?Remove the bark.
But what if there are no signs of bugs anywhere?Remove the bark.
But what if I don't have time?Quit whining and remove the dam bark.
How do I keep the wood from cracking, checking, and warping?Staves:
Seal the ends and back with a good, un-thinned, transparent, sealer (shellac, polyurethane, or varnish). Seal the rest with a thinned down version of the same. Read the instructions to find out what solvents will thin down what finishes. Warping can be minimized by tying the stave to a strong, rigid object (like a straight tree truck or another large stave) while it dries. Some people, like me, use titebond to seal the ends of staves but it doesn't work for everyone. I've never had a problem with it.
Arrow Shoots:
Seal the ends (as above) and tie the shoots together in a bundle. If some of them check and crack and get PMS, get rid of those. Not all of them will do this.
Where do I store the wood? Can I use my car? How about outside under a tarp? How about on the roof of my house? Maybe the basement?I've heard these questions so many times that I almost feel like saying, "Just stick 'em where the sun don't ....", but I won't.
Just use common sense. You don't want the wood to get too hot, too cold, too dry, too humid, or get exposed to excessive breezes or drafts. I've found the best place is a closet or in the corner of an enclosed workshop.
How long does it take for the wood to dry out?This amount of time is different for each and every piece of wood. You can weigh the wood on a regular basis to see when it stops losing weight (that means it's dry) or you can use a moisture meter. Personally, I just wait a year. It's a lot less hassle.
What if I need good wood now? I need to make an archery set this weekend. Can I use wood that's already dead and dry? Like "dead standing" wood? How about drying the wood in a hot box?In all seriousness, if you are a new guy and need wood right away, I recommend buying it from a reputable dealer that sells seasoned wood staves and shoots. If you are an experienced woodworker, then you know how to quick dry wood and I don't need to get into the details. However, if you are not experienced, I don't recommend harvesting dead standing wood or drying wood in a hot box. There are just too many things that can go wrong.
What wood do I look for? What species should I harvest? What if it's winter and I can't identify the tree? I get very confused, panicky, and start to get dizzy if I can't identify what I'm looking at.Like a homeless dog, if it looks good enough to bring home, go for it. You'll find out everything you need to know about whether or not you want to keep it soon enough. Just don't leave it tied up out back and forget about it.
There are so many variations in trees and shrubs that you would need an entire library of books just to describe and identify the wood found in one state, let alone the entire country. Luckily, you don't have to learn the exact name for what you've found. If the wood works well, keep using it and get good at identifying it. Eventually you will find out what it's called.
If you've been told that osage is really good for bows, for example, and then you try to go out and find some, you have to do your homework. If you don't have a knowledgeable friend to go with you, you'll probably bring home a lot of junk and break a few bows before you are able to consistently find the good stuff. Some guys think this is all part of the fun. I agree.
