Is my osage dry?

[Bowkill II]

Hi, I was on here this spring, writing about wanting to make a short (relatively speaking) bend in the handle bow from an osage tree I cut.  It's been split, and taken down to about 2-3 inches wide, and about 2 inches thick.  I took it down to one ring, and now it's been about two months.  I did seal the ends, and the belly, too keep it from drying too fast.  How will I know when It's ready to start back on.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

Even though you have worked the stave down I would say no way. It's pretty humid here in Kansas and will probably take six months.

The only way to tell is with a moisture tester.
What part of Kansas are you from, Mojam is coming up the 18th,19th and 20th. You can pick up plenty of dry Osage there if you are in a hurry.

Tracy

[longbowhntr]

Did you you seal the back (the ring you chased) or the belly?
You should haved sealed the back to keep from getting drying checks on it. You want the moisture to escape from the belly. If it is still 2 inches thick I would probably go ahead and cutout the bow just leave it a little wider and leave the limbs extra thick. Less wood will dry quicker. I don't have a mositure meter but you can normal tell by using a scraper on the belly if it is still to wet.

Before you try this you need to check the back for drying checks. If there is some you probably should go down 1 or 2 rings to get pass them.

Also you might want to let others (with more experience) chime in before taken my advice.

Good Luck!! David

[Mike Yancey]

Do what David said.

Mike

[onemississipp]

Reduce it more and longbowhntr said, or weigh it today and tomorrow and the next...if it isn't losing any weight it is ready.

Where are you storing it?

If it is sealed good throw it in the car and haul it around a few days in that Kansas heat!

[John Scifres]

If you take it down to bow dimensions and less than 5/8" thick, it will dry in about a month.  There is no way it is dry now.  Leave the tips and handle full width for now so you can adjust your layout later to accomodate any wiggling that happens during drying.

[Pat B]

I am working on a 60" osage static recurve now and the tree was cut May 8th. I bought the stave at the Hickory Shoot in late May, split off the belly stave and split the rest in half. This bow is from the belly stave and is already quite dry. I'm sure as the wood cures over the next year I may have to reduce the weight as it will stiffen as it cures. "Dry" and "cured" are not the same. Wood will dry in a relatively short amount of time if reduced but it takes more time for it to cure. Cured wood is more stable than dry wood is. IMO   Pat