Thank you for the reply, would you say the staves you worked were worse than mine? I found some last fall that I think are better if my memory serves me correctly. When the river goes down enough to get to them and get one or two out maybe I can send you a stave. I worked on one of the smaller logs today, did not split but worked the belly down to near the center, I definitely think that there is a bow in there, it seems hard for fresh cut wood. it seems to be drying quickly and after only a few minutes in our warm, dry, breezy air I can tell it is getting hard. I have not peeled the bark from the back yet but am anxious to see what is under there. I am tempted to narrow the limbs but think best to leave full width to stabilize warpage. I am storing the stave in a giant plastic bag (fire wood pellet cover) and in the shade to slow drying. No drying checks yet.
