Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: episaacs on June 08, 2007, 11:22:05 am

Title: checking between the growth rings
Post by: episaacs on June 08, 2007, 11:22:05 am
I have a few staves that have checking between the growth rings.  If this can't be avoided in the layout of the bow, what do you do to handle this problem?  The simplest solution would seem to be to glue them together with perhaps epoxy ???
Title: Re: checking between the growth rings
Post by: Pat B on June 08, 2007, 11:39:38 am
Sounds more like wind shakes than checking. That is a result of stresses in the live tree caused by heavy winds. I would be leery of the wood for bows. Someone else may have a different opinion.     Pat
Title: Re: checking between the growth rings
Post by: episaacs on June 08, 2007, 12:21:10 pm
These cracks only appeared after drying for some months.
Title: Re: checking between the growth rings
Post by: Pat B on June 08, 2007, 12:44:17 pm
The only time I've see this while wood was drying was on some locust I cut dead standing. After a drying period I began to make a bow but never got to the shooting stage before it went. I figured it was a fungi that had gotten into the early rings and deteriorated them.    Pat
Title: Re: checking between the growth rings
Post by: episaacs on June 08, 2007, 12:55:18 pm
Interesting!  I just had assumed they were drying checks, though numerous searches have turned up nothing about them ???
Title: Re: checking between the growth rings
Post by: tom sawyer on June 08, 2007, 01:35:04 pm
Probably not going to cause you a lot of trouble if they aren't large.  I'd suggest thin superglue and possibly heat the area so the glue is nice and thin as it seeps into the cracks.

Might well have been wind shakes, that only became apparent when the individual rings dried enough to shrink away from each other.
Title: Re: checking between the growth rings
Post by: Pat B on June 08, 2007, 01:42:17 pm
Will you post pics?   Pat
Title: Re: checking between the growth rings
Post by: episaacs on June 08, 2007, 02:36:53 pm
I'll try...
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a400/episaacs/shakes/DCP_0006.jpg)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a400/episaacs/shakes/DCP_0005.jpg)
Title: Re: checking between the growth rings
Post by: Pat B on June 08, 2007, 03:05:39 pm
Because of the coloration, I'd say they have been there for a while. They may have opened up a bit as they dried and that's why you didn't see them until then.   Pat
Title: Re: checking between the growth rings
Post by: Justin Snyder on June 08, 2007, 03:13:15 pm
Look for the dark lines when you split it.  I have had good wood check like that from drying.  Often if people send me wood and don't seal it, it will look like that when it shows up.  Justin
Title: Re: checking between the growth rings
Post by: Trapper on June 09, 2007, 04:19:21 pm
Ive had black Locust do this to me to, but the trees I cut had been pushed over with a dozer and I just figured it was the dozer that put to much stress on it as they pushed it cracked the only place it could.