Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Scrub_buck on June 22, 2009, 01:42:36 pm

Title: New Hickory Staves ... PICS
Post by: Scrub_buck on June 22, 2009, 01:42:36 pm
Cut a good Hickory on my In-laws place this weekend. I got 4 pretty good 72 inch staves out of the butt cut.
Two have a little twist to them, the other two are fairly straight. I peeled the hide off them this morning and sealed them good with wood glue. I think there were 3 knots total in the log, and two of them were lined up perfectly in a split Now the waiting game begins!

BTW: I tried D. Torges method for splitting the log into quarters, using a skilsaw with a ripping blade. Worked like a charm, and very easy to accomplish!



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Title: Re: New Hickory Staves ... PICS
Post by: John K on June 22, 2009, 02:13:50 pm
Nice !
Title: Re: New Hickory Staves ... PICS
Post by: greenstick on June 22, 2009, 02:17:02 pm
Looks like you got a real good tree, nice and straight.you've been blessed!
Title: Re: New Hickory Staves ... PICS
Post by: Dauntless on June 22, 2009, 05:03:46 pm
You're sitting on pure gold there.
Title: Re: New Hickory Staves ... PICS
Post by: adb on June 22, 2009, 06:22:36 pm
Friggin' hell, those are great! If you can't make a bow from any of those, it's not the woods fault... those are pristine!
Title: Re: New Hickory Staves ... PICS
Post by: radius on June 22, 2009, 09:55:03 pm
you plan to reduce the staves some, so they lose moisture faster?
Title: Re: New Hickory Staves ... PICS
Post by: smokeu on June 22, 2009, 10:32:50 pm
Yea those are pretty and strait!! What type of hickory is that??

Mike
Title: Re: New Hickory Staves ... PICS
Post by: Scrub_buck on June 22, 2009, 11:43:37 pm
I do plan on reducing them some later on.  It was 97 degrees here today with 125% humidity here close to Montgomery, AL!  LOL!!!! I was leaking pretty profusely before I got all the staves split and sealed.

The staves are straight, but there is some twist in two of them.  I hope to be able to correct that when the time comes.  I am new at this, so any and all advice is welcome.

The wood is Mockernut Hickory.... a very common upland hickory in the norhtern 2/3rds of AL.  I found this one and knew it was a good one while still standing on the stump.  Very few knots and very straight. 

Free staves are good for practice!  I hope to get good at it, or at least good enough to produce a few good selfbows a year or so. 
Title: Re: New Hickory Staves ... PICS
Post by: sailordad on June 23, 2009, 12:36:00 am
  hey scrub buck,
dont worry about that little twist in them staves
i have made several hick slefbows that had"prop" twist to them,didnt seem to hurt performance at all
i am working on one right now that looks like a plane prop
all the twist has done so far,for me atleast on any of them,has made them a little trickier to tiller
but if you look at the bow from both sides while tillering it comes along real easy

good luck
Title: Re: New Hickory Staves ... PICS
Post by: Pappy on June 23, 2009, 05:35:17 am
Good looking staves.Nice job. :)
   Pappy
Title: Re: New Hickory Staves ... PICS
Post by: Josh on June 23, 2009, 01:13:27 pm
Nice staves!  I just cut a Shagbark Hickory tree down and have yet to de-bark it yet.  What was the diameter on that log?  I am just a little north of you and I know what you mean about our humidity right now.  Peace!     :)          -josh
Title: Re: New Hickory Staves ... PICS
Post by: Scrub_buck on June 23, 2009, 04:39:29 pm
I am a forester so calling Diamter at Breast Height is a knee-jerk for me.  It was very close to 11 inches in diameter at 4.5 feet.