Kiln Drying or Seasoning?

[Jacob Parnell]

Your best bet to get you to building a bow is to buy a board. On the top of the "How To" thread page is George Tsoukalas' website. Read that! George explains everything you need to know about selecting the proper board and a step by step "how to" build a board bow. You should be able to buy a board big enough to build two bows for less than $20 and you might have enough left over to make a few arrows too.

Very cool, thanks sooo much.  I think we will build a board bow just to see if we like it.  Once we get better at it, we'll start with a tree.  Can you give me a link to that thread?

Thanks again

[Pat B]

http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/

[Jacob Parnell]

http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/

Thanks so much.  I'm gonna use a combination of George's and this guys tutorials:
http://poorfolkbows.com/oak.htm

Thanks Pat!

[bow101]

This issue of drying wood has come up quite a few times on this site.  Is there any diffrence between drying wood naturally over an extended period of say 2 years and Kiln dried.?
I would say it could be brittle either way.  The only way to know what is better would be to conduct Lab Tests showing various wood species under both drying conditions. Other than that I'am not confident that drying wood the slow way is any  better.   I need scientific lab proof.......!     

[Pat B]

Seasoned wood is more stable! Dry wood works but IMO seasoned wood works a lot better.

[bubby]

I did this buildfor guys wanting to get a good board bow, nothing against red oak but hard maple is a better choice imo, also you don't have to use the same equipment that I did, but the dimensions will work out the same http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,35312.0.html

[Marks]

I think it was Pearl Drums that helped that guy build a board bow a little while back. He walked him step by step thru the entire process and it took probly 15-20 pages. I don't have the link but if someone else does then that is a great thread for just starting out. It will help you to realize how much you have to slow down and take it step by step.

Keep your eye out for a tree to harvest and split even if you do the board bow because staves still take a long time to season and if you wait then you will be in the same position as you are now....wanting to build another bow and don't have any seasoned staves. You got to think in the present and for the future.

[Jacob Parnell]

I think it was Pearl Drums that helped that guy build a board bow a little while back. He walked him step by step thru the entire process and it took probly 15-20 pages. I don't have the link but if someone else does then that is a great thread for just starting out. It will help you to realize how much you have to slow down and take it step by step.

Keep your eye out for a tree to harvest and split even if you do the board bow because staves still take a long time to season and if you wait then you will be in the same position as you are now....wanting to build another bow and don't have any seasoned staves. You got to think in the present and for the future.

That's exactly how i have been thinking .  I probably will do that IF I can find a decent bow wood tree.  Would a tree LIMB work?

Thanks everyone!!!

[Pat B]

With hardwood I think you want to use the top half of the limb, the tension side.

[twisted hickory]

Do you have a friend that owns some land? I would suggest taking your hand saw for a walk in a buddy's wood lot. If ya cut a tree then make him a bow in trade for say 2 trees. I do that so I get like 10 staves for every one i make for someone. Never made a board bow so cannot help there.
Greg