hickory stave prep

[walkabout]

i just got back from a trip back to pennsylvania for my vacation, and brought back two hickory staves with me. my question is how to prep them, ive sealed the ends with shellac, but thought about roughing out at least one to dry more quickly. im unsure how to prep the back, how far in to scrape the bark off, etc. i worked the top piece of the tree it came from for a preview, and found that the bark will peel easily, but it takes a layer of new growth with it. is this a bad idea and should i just scrape down to the darker outer layer? alot of questions i know but these are my first attempt with hickory so its something totally new. any help will be greatly appreciated.

[John Scifres]

The bark will pull off easily.  It will leave some of the cambrium layer.  You can scrape this off or leave it.  It is darker than the sapwood.  Rough them out and use packing tape to secure them to a 2x4 form.  Make sure the limbs are no thicker than 3/4" all the way across.  Leave the limbs full width for the whole length to allow for layout after drying.  They should be pretty dry in a month, depending on the relative humidity they are stored in.

[walkabout]

thanks for the reply. the staves are pignut, not sure if it matters, another thing is do i have to follow a grain line on the back of the stave for my dimensions and then seal the belly with shellac so it doesnt check?

[Pat B]

Don't seal the belly. I generally use spray shellac on the back of all bow staves but I have had folks tell me it isn't necessary for whitewoods, especially hickory. I do it because...better safe than sorry.
  Do as John says and you will be fine.

[walkabout]

ok. just making sure, didnt want to remove wood and ruin a stave without knowing better. i guess i was just questioning about the layer of wood just under the bark, the scrap piece i worked took a new growth ring when i took the bark off, although i guess it makes sense that it would be ok as long as its one continuous ring. im hoping i can coax something nice out of these staves for my first attempt, i had a hard time finding the stuff i did, being picky on size so i didnt give myself extra work having to split a huge log. good news is that i found a whole section of land with a ton of hickory, definitly a proverbial goldmine.

[John Scifres]

The cambium can crack if too thick.  I like to thin with sandpaper and it will leave islands of cambium in between the white back of the bow.  It looks cool.

[walkabout]

yea i noticed that its thick on some spots under the bark, spongy looking stuff in some cases. ive never worked hickory from a complete stave so this is new territory. should be a good experience.

[walkabout]

i got the stave roughed out, but wasnt sure about the debarking and cambium layer. this stave has a pretty substantial layer just under the bark, which is darker than the sapwood. wasnt sure if this had to be removed or if it was in fact sapwood. also there is a darker core wood. total i have the thickness roughed out to about 1 1/2", including the darker layer just under the bark. ive thought about thinning it further, but am afraid of removing good wood. ill post a pic as soon as i can.

[walkabout]

ok i got a pic of the biggest end of the stave. i think im going to have to thin the cambium layer, from what you said john it looks like its pretty thick. also i read that heartwood is more brittle than sapwood so i hope it turns out.

[Pat B]

I find that the cambium will peel off pretty easily when freshly cut and even after it dries most will come off pretty easily. Winter cut hickory(or and wood) is almost impossible to remove all the cambium but as said before a little of the cambium left on the bow makes a good camo effect.

[walkabout]

yea id like to save some of it, im very used to and fond of the darker patches on the backs of hickory selfbows. when it gets closer to being dry im going to use my draw knife and take it down thinner then sand it like john suggested.

[walkabout]

just read up on the bowyers bible vol4, the chapter written by Tim Baker about seasoning wood, states you can dry a stave by roughing it and primary floor tillering, then allowing it to dry. im going to try this with this stave, maybe get closer to final thickness so it might not be so prone to checking. im curious to see how much of the heartwood will be left over, certainly it will make a nice accent on the grip.

[Pat B]

You may have a little heartwood in the handle but probably not much.
  Hickory generally doesn't check like most other woods. Like Baker said take it to floor tiller stage and let it dry. I still seal the back with shellac.
  One finish I like for hickory backed bows is hand rubbed oil finish with finely ground charcoal in it. The charcoal gets in the grain and pores and makes for a nice finish and cuts the brightness of the hickory. I use bear grease for this but any animal fat or veg oil should work.

[walkabout]

ive sealed the back and ends with shellac already to combat some checking. im going to keep full width so i can lay it out better later, in case it does twist or check bad in spots. im still unsure about the cambium, although my plan is to just keep a good thickness even without the cambium just to be sure. ill have to try the finish youre talking about, it sounds like it would look great and be functional too

[Pat B]

Was the wood summer cut?  If so the cambium should pop off as soon as you begin to bend the stave. It is better to peel it off because you have better control. If winter cut it will stay attached and you will have to remove it by scraping or with a draw knife. It is the winter cut hickory that the cambium is used as camo.
  The cambium has an interesting texture and grain. It would make a cool backing but it will crack if not remover. You may be able to thin it down to just a thin layer and have it not crack. If it does crack that crack will travel into the wood below.

[walkabout]

it was summer cut, a layer was coming off with the bark, i suspect it was cambium but i didnt peel it because i was afraid it was new growth and good wood. right now looking at the end of the stave this layer is about 1/16" on the thin end and close to 1/8" on the thick end.i got the majority f the stave reduced to just over an inch, excluding the handle section. i can tell its getting dry though because my bandsaw has trouble cutting the full width of the stave.

[Pat B]

At this time of the year you don't want this years growth ring for your bow back. It is laying it down and is too immature. IMO    I like cutting hickory early in the growing season so the white ring under the bark was developed last year and matured over the winter.
  Try getting a screw driver under the cambium(brown) at one tip of the bow and see if it doesn't peel off. Might be tough to start with but should come off all in one piece.

[Rain Man]

I hacked down a pile of shagbark saplings in may/june.  The bark and cambium peeled off easily.  I split them and sealed the ends but I didn't seal the back.  Bad idea.  Some developed cracks on the back.  Now I shellac the back of all hickory staves.

I'm in the same boat as you, Walkabout.  This is my first attempt with hickory staves.

[gudspelr]

Great thread-good luck to you, Richard.  Maybe you could take us all along and do a buildalong?  Never having tackled a self bow, I'm curious how all the little steps will go.  Either way, hope all goes well.

Jeremy

[Dan Landis]

I'm also working on my first hickory stave.  Cut it in early May, bark & Cambium came right off just as others have stated.  Sealed the ends and back, then worked it down to rough dimensions and clamped to a form to induce some reflex while it is drying.  I probable won't get to do much more with it till after hunting season.

Good Luck with yours.