Heat box/heating elements

[Cootling]

I have a well-insulated little Bradley smoker with a heating element that holds the temperatures really well in the range typically used for bows.  

It makes me think that a similar setup would be far better than using lightbulbs in heat box: more compact, more durable, more efficient. Insights from folks who have tried this would be very much appreciated.

It seems likely that one would need to shield the source and circulate air with a fan to heat evenly, but those should be simple enough issues to overcome if one had a suitable heating element.

[MoeM]

Nice idear- I dealt with the opportunity of using an kitchens oven`s circuits and heating elements...
Even a fan would be included!

[Mad Max]

That heating element is going to get red hot at start up. Just saying.
I competition BBQ
If you had a fire box off to the side and let your heat go into the the hot box

[macbow]

Definitely would not want all that heat near any section of a glue up.
Even with a fan the heater would need to be away from the bow.

[onemississipp]

Wonder about vapors! A flash fire could ruin a good bow.

[NYArrow]

Just to be the devils advocate - If the element was properly heat shielded I think it would work great. The key is to prevent the radiant heat from overheating any one particular area. Give it a shot and try it on some scrap wood. It may simply things.

[onemississipp]

Heck, it,s worth a try. I,m sure they thought the guy that invented the T.V. Was crazy. " that nut over there said he was going to make a box that you could watch moving picture shows in! And they are sent through the air!"

[Mad Dog]

I think a fan and thermostat works really well. It held the temp rock solid and seems to cut down on hot spots. I used light bulbs though.

[Cootling]

I envision something that gets warm enough but not too warm, shielded as suggested by NYArrow, and with a fan for air circulation.

I definitely would not want to see someone try this with a high-temp element such as might be taken from an oven!