First self bow

[Adge23]

Well after some thought I have decided I would like to attempt a self bow build. Did not really want to buy a stage so I went out and found a nice piece of hickory growing on our property. I cut a 72 inch piece out and it yield 4 staves.
Now for the questions:
How long will those need to dry before they can be worked on?
Do I need to clean the bark off now or later?
Thanks

[KenH]

The advantage of buying a stave is that it normally has already been dried/aged, so that it is ready to be worked on.  Your "raw" staves may need six months or more to dry.

[scrub-buster]

You can quick dry Hickory in a hot box or in a car on sunny days.  You can check the weight on a digital kitchen scale to see when it stops losing moisture weight.  Quick drying can cause warping and cracking so monitor it closely.

[Pat B]

Depending on where in NC you are and how far along the growing season is there you might be able to peel the bark off exposing a pristine back for your bow. Like Clint said, you can fast dry hickory.In the mean time you can reduce it to floor tiller stage, almost bow size. It will dry faster that way but, also like Clint said, watch for twisting and checking.