Straightening Hazel

[Blayne]

So after much deliberation I have narrowed my wood choices down to hazel or OS for the kids bow building workshop this summer. These will be "survival" style and need not be heavy draws and will be long, so hopfully pretty resilient. I have roughed one out of hazel and it seems pretty easy to work. However I need to straighten it to get the string alignment right. I used dry heat a couple times and didn't have any luck with that, and I also tried steaming, which also didn't work. I want a wood that is easy to correct if needed with the kids, and if hazel is alway stubborn, maybe I would switch to OS. I don't have a lot of experience with either wood, so any help would be appreciated!

[Springbuck]

  I've only worked hazel a few times and didn't have the same problem straightening it with dry heat.  Mine came from Utah suburbs and coastal Oregon.   One 3 or 4" dia. stave had some weird front/back wiggles, but  I was able to match up the bends top and bottom limb, to make a slight setback handle and dead flat limbs just with clamps on a board and dry heat.   That was a bit of a trick because most of the bends had to be right in and just off the fade-out areas, so a critical spot and fairly thick.  But it stayed fine.

The only advice I think I can give you then is to get the bows as close to final dimensions as possible, over correct on whatever forms you use, use oil with the heat, and cook it good and golden.

Good luck, way to take care of the kids.

[DC]

I'm thinking the Hazel would be the best choice for kids. OS would be too hard for them to work. This is a bit of a guess because the piece of hazel you gave me is still standing in the corner What do you have for steaming? You want to find a wallpaper stripper or clothes steamer. I got this one a Value Village for $7. I got another one at the Sally Ann up here for $5. If you can't find one you can borrow one of these.

[Del the cat]

I've had no trouble steam bending Hazel, maybe it was too thick to bend?
Straightening a lateral bend can be tough... but there is normally enough straight Hazel.
This post from my blog shows strioghtening a wonky hazel bow, took me a few times to get it right, I think I used dry heat and oil.
http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/wonky-hazel-shoots-clean.html
Del

[Blayne]

Thanks for the feedback. I used a pot of boiling water and some foil over it and let it go for about 45 minutes. It didn't seem that hot or wet to me. Your method works really good Don. I need to go find one of those things. My other dilemma is that this program will probably be held where there is no power. So maybe my best bet is to be very picky on which staves I use with them so we don't have this problem. The stave I am using I cut before I had a more critical eye, about 18 months ago. I will give it another go with the heat gun and see if it will go. This stave is pretty well thinned out and floor tillering, so I wouldn't think it a problem. If it was yew it would be done and shooting by now!

[aaron]

When steaming- I also use the pot and foil method, and I have learned to make the tin foil into a dome shape so there is some air space above the bow. I also mold the foil around the bow where it exits the foil dome. I tell myself that this will get it hotter than if I didn't do these things. possibly, you'd have success if you combined these methods with a good solid hour under steam? Like you, I have also learned to cut straighter starting material.