25 yr old billets! PICS

[Dvshunter]

I know that feeling pearl. I have a stave from a friend of mine cut in 1938. Black as coal and hard as can be. I havent started on it yet, but its happining this coming year.

[blackhawk]

That looks like some nice firewood to me   ....ill take em off your hands in a couple weeks and properly dispose them

What's the dimensions on those? Length,width,depth? I guess you wont know what ya got till you start chasing. And how do the sides look? Any laminar seperations/checks? I have a couple 20+ year old staves that are still seasoning too ...and they got some issues too,but not that much. Have fun....not sure if I wanna taste that dish

[Jude]

Is the sapwood still discernable from the heartwood when they're that old?  Is it lighter once you cut past the surface wood?

[PEARL DRUMS]

They are of average billet size. 36" long, 3 x 3. The sapwood is long gone and the sides are solid as a rock. I have no idea how short they will have to be to get rid of end checks. I have plenty of depth to get a clean back. They are sister's if that matters after 25 years. They look like old fence posts to me, but I cant be sure. They will either be a bow in a month, or they wont be. I couldnt burn osage that old if it breaks. I would have to make knife scales and overlays with it.

[blackhawk]

Sounds like some great minds(everyone but me)will converge on em in a couple weeks. Try to hold off working on em till then,they waited 25 years so they can wait another two weeks it looks like you can cut a few inches off those checked ends and splice at those ends. But I don't know what the other ends look like. You can have a check coming up into the tip,you just use a wrapped overlay instead of side nocks. It looks like a great bow in the making there.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Trust me, Im not touching them until four or five of us can stare at them and figure out a good path to start on. It will be worth it in the end. This future bow's name could get interesting with all the guys involved? Hmmmmmmm?

[MWirwicki]

Drums:  There's a fine bow in there.  We'll make it happen!

[Eric Krewson]

I have my doubts about those billets, too many checks, hope you can prove me wrong.

Those billets remind me of the 4 flawless, knot free arrow straight staves I sealed with wood glue and put in an outside storage building during on particularly hot summer 15 years ago. When I checked on them a month later they looked about like your billets.

I read Dean's book"Hunting the Osage Bow", switched to shellac as a sealer and never had a problem with stave checking again.

[bcbull]

pearlie  i do see a bow in there  ur lookin like me haha always pickin the nsatyiest piece i can find lol you got ur work cut out for ya bro but i do see it go buy urslef a bunch a loc tite 498 ur gonna need it and some unwaxed sinew thread haha have fun bro brock

[bcbull]

dang forgt to mention i say make it a 2 piece take down cuz those checks are gonna cost ya some wood i think ya can keep one end with the checks incoprorated into the sleeves maybe trim it a bit but use a gap filling epoxey in the sleeve area and then glue the take down s on  just a seggustion bro but thats what im seein i wouldnt splice it brock

[artcher1]

Those billets look a sight better than the last set I used. Got 'em out to make firewood, but not having anything else to work on, decided to give'em a go. Turned out to be the fastest  and one of the finest bows I've made. So you never know until you dig into 'em Pearly. That's advice #1. Holler back if'n you need more ............Art

[PEARL DRUMS]

Eric was right. One billet was so-so and the other was of zero good. It had checks through in both directions the full 40". My buddy Marty asked what I was doing with "those" things. I told him trying to get a bow out of them. 5 minutes later he shows up with a set of billets that have perfectly flipped natural tips already and told me to work on them rather! What a gift!

[soy]

That's a bummer man well good luck on the new ones

[toomanyknots]

The moisture content of any wood will change as the R/H does. The resins, etc have a chance to chrystalize in the wood cells after years of seasoning. I don't know the rate or if 10year old is as good/bad as 25 year old wood but I'd rather use a 2-3 y o piece over a 1 y o piece and a 10 y o piece over a 2-3 y o piece. Maybe it is a maturity thing...in the wood that is!  .
  Pearlie, this will be fun to watch. Keep us posted.  Take your time and I'm sure you will produce a great bow with this special wood. 

Alot musicians say the same thing about wooden instruments. I've heard alot of people say that they believe over the years the resin's crystallize and make for a more resonant instrument.

[Gus]

Yes Sir...

My Pappy has always Said, "The Older the Wood, The Sweeter The Music"...

But he never built a bow that I know of...

I'm sure they'll hum a fine tune one y'all get her strung.
Can't wait to watch it come together.

-gus