Hickory in a dry climate

[Tahosa]

So I was working on a hickory bow and we are in a drought.  I left it sitting in my basement for about 2 months and it broke today when working on it (board stave).  I popped my cheap moisture meter into the broken part and it read at 2% (not sure if I trust the meter).  How do I keep the wood with more moisture in an area that is bone dry?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Pat B]

Hickory, of all the bow woods I know, loves to be dry but 5% or 6% is where it likes to be. At 2%, if your meter is good, would probably break any bow.
Being a board I wonder how the wood was cared for off the stump. If the trunk laid on the ground for a week or more in the summer and wasn't stored properly after that could be the cause. Healthy hickory is very difficult to break.
 Will you post pics of the break and where it is on the bow?

[loefflerchuck]

I'm in a dry desert that gets much drier in the winter with the heating system bringing RH down in the -10% range. Hickory is the only wood I would try to get as dry as possible. Never worried about it. Like Pat said, Probably  a deeper problem with the tree. I have a cheap moisture meter too. It often reads 0% when a stave is ready to become a bow.

[Tahosa]

20170902_211911 by Patrick King, on Flickr
20170902_211956 by Patrick King, on Flickr
20170902_211936 by Patrick King, on Flickr
20170902_211846 by Patrick King, on Flickr
Thanks for all the help guys, let me know if you need more info!

[Pat B]

I don't think dry wood was the problem. Looks to me like the transitions at the handle are too abrupt. Instead of sharp angles, a smoother, more flowing transition will work better.

[Tahosa]

Ahh that would make sense.  Off to try on another and adjust accordingly (hopefully I do not break the next one)!  Thank you so much for the help! 

[Hamish]

Ditto about the fades from the top, combined with side view  dips bending too much, because of the abrupt handle transition. With the wide pyramid design you don't want any bending happening in the dips/fades. Keep the first 1/8"-1/4" of limbs stiff to ensure the dips don't flex.

[Stick Bender]

One of the first couple bows I made before comming here was A pyrimid & pretty much had the same type faliure as yours , the culprit was like was said to much bending in that area I didn't  exstend my fades out far enough , I love really dry hickory I try to get it as dry as I can before working with it I  don't think being dry had any effect, you can learn a lot from forensic study of broken bows !

[George Tsoukalas]

Tahosa, if this is your first why not try a bend in the handle bow where the handle is the widest part. You can modify the directions on my site so that the board stave is 13/8" wide.

More complicated designs are fine for later on.

http://traditionalarchery101.com/boardbowbuildalong.html

Jawge

[Stick Bender]

Also the only moisture meter that I trust and only use it as a ruff base line is the non invasive type that shoots a RF signal into the wood and reads the resistence ,the pin type I never had any luck with paticualarly with hickory and osage !

[BowEd]

That abrupt of a width taper at the handle like that will work if it's done where the handle is at full thickness instead of at the thickness taper of the fade.In other words it's got to stop working before the width taper is done.Most times that will make a smaller or shorter grip then too though unless compensated for on the layout with a longer grip.
If I'm not mistaken but are those what look like post beetle holes on the 3rd from the top down picture underneath the broke off area.Those little fellas can ruin a bows' day too.

[Tahosa]

I wish I could blame it on beetles... that is the marks from the pins on the moisture meter after stabbing it in.  Thanks for all the advice guys, I really appreciate it! I have already started work on 2 more board bows of hickory and am gonna work on those fades and tapers!!