Straightening Vine Maple???

[snag]

I have a roughed out vine maple stave that is well seasoned..2yrs! Very dry. Does vine maple take to heat treating to straighten? Thanks, David

[PEARL DRUMS]

Go ahead and send that to me David and I will send you a hackberry stave in return......you dont want to mess around with at ol' dried out stick of maple.

[snag]

Sure Pearl..will do! Nah, I think I'll mess around with it some more. Heat or steam? Don't know which yet.

[PEARL DRUMS]

If its 2 yrs dry, I suggest dry heat. But I have never bent Vine Maple either. I follow the basic rule: Green wood - steam, dry wood - dry heat.

[snag]

This wood is sure springy. Hope it takes a set to the form I want. I think it may have a mind of it's own though. We'll see, I'll let you know how it goes.

[inksoup]

definitely steam. lots of steam. dry wood needs to be softened / made wet (i don't know how to describe this) with steam otherwise you wil crack it.

made wet means: you have to fill the small meshes with hot water steam to make it softer.

sorry about poor description.

[Dale Sharp]

Dry vine maple can be bent using a modified microwave oven. And it can be tinkered with immediately after it cools; not like having to wait for the wood to dry again after being steam-heated.

[GREG IN MALAD]

Ok, how do you heat a stave in a microwave? I'm afraid this could resemble something from the Red-Green show.

[snag]

Maybe it's a "drive thru" microwave....

[Dale Sharp]

A friend's first model was great because it had a dial timer model that could be started with an extension cord at the outlet a good distance away, even around the corner if preferred.

But the newer models don't afford that safety; have to set the timer, press start and walk away from it until it stops. Could use a long stick to press the button, I reckon.

The first time I saw it was in Primitive Archer. The author stuffed a rag in the gap at each hole.

The holes are about four inches in diameter; one in the center of the door and one opposite it in the back.

When the oven stops the stave is quickly removed and the hot spot stuck into the crotch of a tree (or a wood vise), and then the stave is pulled like a lever to bend it slightly past the desired position if possible (because it will spring back some) and held until it cools, which happens pretty quickly. Holding it for a minute or two is enough time for the change to register. Set it aside and in about ten or fifteen minutes it will be completely cool, dry and ready to commence with tillering.

[Curt Brisky]

Hey Dale, now you're given away all of our trade secrets, heh, heh.  I  have a microwave oven also.  Works great.  I do prefer to steam vine maple and it is very easy and it takes steaming very well. Put a pot of water on to boil and use tin foil as a tent.  Have everything ready, C clamps, jig.  After about 45 minutes take the blank out of the steam tent and put it in your jig however you need to bend it and let it cool for 2 hrs before stringing.  The less wood you have on your blank the easier it is to bend.  Bending can be done by using your bench vise and some blocks under each end of the blank.  Vine Maple is a fantasic bow wood.  I use Yew, Osage and Vine Maple in that order.  Hornbeam is real close to Vine Maple.  I've made 70# bows from Vine Maple, no problems.  Have fun and let me know how it turns out.