Having harvested a fair amount, let me make one or two suggestions. John Strunk told me the same on labeling the back of the stave which the side facing upwards because Vine Maple always seems to be bent over. Second, the piece of VM you harvest will probably not look much like the one you end up with. It bends and twists as it dries and for me it doesn't matter whether a paint the ends and/or remove the bark. That said, I suggest that immediately after it is cut, you reduce it to a roughed out bow also removing the bark on the back (and the green cambium layer which is difficult to remove once it is dried). Then put the wood in a frame with a slight reverse camber (deflex) of about 2 to 3 inches and clamp it down on both planes to minimize movement of the wood as it dries. Leave it in place at least seven days outside out of the rain in a relatively dry climate or better yet two weeks. The finished product show be fairly usuable but may require a small amount of bending. What I suggest is not original to me but a combinatin of Comstock, Strunk, Torges, Tim Baker and others and gives me the best result with this very difficult but very character building wood. Because of the above, I only harvest one piece of wood at a time.
I have one in the braces right now and two that I bent by heat ready to be released.
Topic: harvesting vinemaple (Read 989 times)
