Twisted stave

[razorback]

I am working on a stave I cut a little while ago. It is beech and about 6" in diameter. It was cut from a thicket on the side of a steep hill on the leeward side. It is very straight and the bark didn't look twisted. When I split it in half the day after it was cut, it twisted about 120 degrees. I have taken a second split and reduced this to bow shape over the last month and a half. It feels dry, seems to act dry and my moisture meter says it is dry. Meter said it started with 32% mc.

I have been trying to get the limbs to straighten out by heating and clamping to a caul, but am having very little success. It doesn't want to move very well in the first place and returns to pretty much where I started when I remove the clamps.

Any help or sugestions would be greatly appreciated.

     

[Art B]

Not all staves are even suitable for bows and you may just be working with something like that. But still, you can still learn a lot by giving it a go.

I think the best way to get twist out is by steaming. Trick is to twist way past what you want and let it relax back.

If you're determined to make a bow from your stave then here's how I would handle it. First I would remove any handle section (like in board form) so I could get some additional twist out there also. Then just glue a handle piece back on later. Good luck........Art

[razorback]

Thanks Art. The handle is very thick at the moment and I was considering reducing it down to help allow more movement throughout the length of the bow.
I may just have a long piece of firewood, but will give it a go and see what I come up with.

[hova]

i have read a bit about beech being steamable , but not really heat only.


give steam a try , or wait for people with actual experience...


-hov

[Art B]

If you had left it in stave form with a little extra length, you could have cut it in half and swapped one end, and could have taken out much of the twist by spicing the handle back  together..........Art

[razorback]

Still got enough of a log for 2-3 bows so I might give that a try on a future endeavour, if I don't burn it first of couse.

[George Tsoukalas]

How much twist and are we talking propellor twist? Jawge

[razorback]

Jawge,
The Wright brothers could have used this piece of wood. It is probably about 120 degree twist from end to end. It has improved a little with a couple of heatings but not much. I was going to remove more material to get closer to floor tiller and give it another go, also going to thin the handle done per Art's suggestion.

[Living_waters]

Just done  one as an experiment to see if I could do it. Reduced it to a rough bow. placed it in a vice and hung a quarts heater over the twisted limb. Let the wood get hot to the touch for several minutes then took a pipe clamp and clamped it to the end of limb. I hung a a bucket from the end of the pie and filled it with bolts until it twisted  the limb back in line with the rest of the bow. I left it in that position for 20 min with the heat on it then I removed the heat and allowed it to dry for a day. removed the weight and the limb held its shape. I then let it set in the corner for a few days to rehydrate. then began tillering.
When I hung the weight on it the bow was back to the ground also left it with a little more reflex. So far during tillering it is holding its reflex.

[Pat B]

I think I'd set that one aside until I had nothing else to work on! d;^)

[hova]

funny you say that . i have a piece of black locust about the same twist...that is going to be the swap bow...


-hov

[George Tsoukalas]

razorback, I've had a few staves do that. Sounds like you got great advice including Pat's. Merry Christmas! Jawge

[razorback]

I've seen some of the bows that Pat works on and if he would put it aside, maybe I should follow his advice. However I tend to be a bit stubborn about these things so will probably keep working on it. Whats the worst that could happen    

To quote many on here;
"if you ain't breakin, you ain't makin"

Merry Christmas all!!!

[Roy Steele]

As soon as you split it. Ruff out your bow and clamp in down to a caul. SAME DAY levae to season. I had to do the same thing to sasafrass never did a beech. Semms like a really soft wood. Likly it will deed backed if you don't leave the limb wide.2's plus. What do you have in mine.

[Pat B]

Most of my bows are made from osage and it reacts (or submits) well to heat. I've never worked beech so I have no knowledge of how it reacts to heat or whether it does best with wet or dry heat.

[razorback]

Pat.
Don't have a set up for steam heat, so will reduce more wood and try the dry heat some more. If I can get it straight and looking like a bow I will use this one as a donation to the YMCA camp where I got the wood, for their living history display. I have some Birch shafts that are nearly arrows and will try to get a stone head to add to the display. Hopefully I can get a shooter out of it but if it becomes a good display bow I will be happy. Thanks for the input.