drying time on logs

[Jake Fr]

So this mornin a buddy and I went out and cut some logs for making me a few self bows they are ash and hackberry and I would like to know how long they need to dry befor I do anything with them

[No-sage]

Split them now before they start to crack on their own.

If you reduce them to oversized bow shaped staves they'll dry faster.

[Rain Man]

I thought that wood dries naturally at about 1 inch (thickness) per year

[Jake Fr]

If it drys at one inch a year I'm gonna be waitin a while they are 8 to 10 inchs around I think spliting them would work for quiker drying wouldn't it thanks jake

[Art B]

With whitewoods you can go ahead and rough a bow out to where it just starts to bend and put back to dry. If keep in the house this time of year then in about month you can start tillering it out. Remember, just dry wood isn't the same as seasoned wood. But you can't get the seasoning process going till you get 'er dried out.

You can however make a bow once the roughed out bow is dry but the more seasoning time the better IMO....Art

[John Scifres]

I pretty much reduce all my wood to roughed out bows right away.  Look in this pic.  That whitewood bow in the middle is hackberry.  I got it to floor tiller straiht out of the log and then used packing tape to strap it to that 2x4 form that induced reflex as it dried.  It was dry in a couple months.

 

[Jake Fr]

Thaks guys I'm kinda exited bout trying to make one