How dry is too dry?

[Mesophilic]

Just broke my newest and by fat most favorite bow last night.  First time I've been able to get a recurve to the shooting stage.

Osage static tip, 66 inches tip to tip, so I figured I had some safety  room.  Through the process the back and belly developed shallow cracks that ran parallel with the limbs.   I filled with CA and pushed forward. Shot between 300 and 400 arrows. 

Had a splinter lift a little, so I glued and sinew wrapped, shot another 100 or so arrows and the limb came apart.

I'm wondering if we're just too dry up here.  I've had more failures than I can shake a fist at.  Maybe I need to rethink materials and strategy?

Here's a pic of my moisure meter on the next stave.  How reliable do you think this read is?  Do I need to persue backings?

[bradsmith2010]

thats too dry,,

[DC]

I've never trusted moisture meters but when they say something that low I would at least pay attention.
 Last winter we had some dry outflow winds that made me concerned so I put all my bows in a box with a tray off soaking wet towels. I aimed a computer fan across the towels. The RH in the box was 30% or so. The box is quite well sealed and only 2'x2'x7'. I had to rewet the towels every day for two weeks before the RH in the box got to 50%. The only place for the water to go was into the bows or the box. The purpose of this story is to point out how long it takes to rehydrate a dried out bow or stave. Just putting it in a 50% RH room for a few days ain't going to cut it.

[Mesophilic]

Thanks for the input.

If I go the humidor route, omce a stave is completed to a fully functional broken in bow with oil/lacquer finish, would I still need to store in a humidor?  Because I don't see myself going thru a special storage regimen, I have a hard  enough time remembering to water plants so keeping tabs on watering a humidor  probably won't end well.

[SLIMBOB]

Ditto Brad, in that I don't believe they are accurate.  Maybe the outside skin is 3 percent, but who knows what it is 1/4 inch deep.  Still. if it says 3 percent, that is awfully low.  Use the graph that is available that calculates RH by temp and humidity and see what you get.
To be clear, it calculates moisture content by temp and RH.

[Pat B]

Hickory shines at 6%(maybe 5%) but most other woods will explode at that M/C. 9% to 11% is ideal for most other woods.

[bradsmith2010]

if you measure the inside of the bow that exploded, that should give you a decent reading,,or saw it into and measure the inside,

[DC]

Yeah, I would like to see that.

[George Tsoukalas]

Your stave may have developed drying cracks because the back was not sealed.

I've never seen that low of a reading. It is suspect. It may not be that dry towards the center.

I use my moisture meter all the time right down to the first stringing. When I  get a reading  I don't like I stop and let it dry.

I lik 6-8 % for hickory and 8-10% for other woods.

Jawge

[Mesophilic]

if you measure the inside of the bow that exploded, that should give you a decent reading,,or saw it into and measure the inside,

It splintered up something fierce, can't get enough surface area on the moisture sensor for a reading.

I can saw in to it tomorrow and see what it says.

[Mesophilic]

Your stave may have developed drying cracks because the back was not sealed.

I've never seen that low of a reading. It is suspect. It may not be that dry towards the center..

Jawge

I ended up with most if the crackkng around the thicker parts of the bow.  Several cracks on th back the riser, along the handle side of the riser  and down the fades, and on both sides of the static tips.  I think you may be right and it was still drying.

I have a heck of a time here, I think elevation plays a role in addition to our dry air.  I had a carpenter tell me that it ia like putting wood in a freeze deyer up here in the mountains.  Even well seasoned wood has to be further seasoned here.

[Mesophilic]

I cut down the middle of the broken limb, and just like before it is coming up 3%.

The meter might be off, but the wood is very dry and splintery.  Even if the meter is off by quite a bit this wood  still seems extremely dry.

[Badger]

What is your average humidity in the air.

[Bayou Ben]

I refer to this chart a lot.  I monitor temp/humidity in the place where my wood is stored and it corresponds to this chart pretty well.  Like DC mentions, I would estimate it takes a week of constant higher or lower humidity to make the MC change any noticeable amount. 

Your humidity would have to be around 15% to get down to 3% MC.

[DC]

I cut down the middle of the broken limb, and just like before it is coming up 3%.

The meter might be off, but the wood is very dry and splintery.  Even if the meter is off by quite a bit this wood  still seems extremely dry.

What does it say if you stick it into a damp towel or a green stick?