Roughing out a green stave

[razorback]

I cut a stave last weekend and split it this week. I believe it is Beech. I have removed the bark, shortened it to 72", narrowed the stave to 2" and thinned the limbs down to 1" at the tips and most of their length. My question is will the thicker handle area dry out much slower than the limbs, how long will it likely take, how can I speed it up and what other issues could I expect. I have sealed the back and ends.

I want to get started on this bow as soon as possible and the others that are still hidden in the rest of the stave.

[DVSHUNTER]

I sometimes run into trouble when i rough out green staves.  My osage seems to want to check in the handle areas faster than the other areas.  I just cover my handle in shellac on the belly side and try to let all the moisture escape through the sides of the stave.
You can speed up the drying process by steaming the bow in a hot steam tube for about two hours.  After you take it out you can clamp it to a caul and remove some problems if you have any and also add a little reflex at the same time.  After the steam tube let it sit for about two weeks to stabilize and then put it in a hot box at around 80 degrees for a week.  Then 85 the next week then 90 then 95.  This will get you down safely in about three months from cut to ready to work.  Keep an eye on it for checks and remove it if you find any. Shellac those areas and lower your heat a bit and try again.

[George Tsoukalas]

It should be fine. I would lay it it near your heat source for your house. That's what I do. Tough to say how long but a guess would be a month may be 2. This winter  I worked a beech sapling to bow in 1 month. What I do is I keep working it  and checking with my moisture meter but I can tell you don't have one. You can check the weight on a scale such as a baby scale. When the weight is constant for a few days work it some more and keep checking. Jawge

[razorback]

Actually jawge, I do have a moisture scale somewhere in the work shop. I havn't used it in a while but should dig it up and give it a whirl. Thanks for the reminder. I have forced air in my place and I think i can get the stave into one of the ducts in my shop. That would probably work well at drying it out quicker, I would think.