Hackberry woes

[Stiks-n-Strings]

Learned a hard lesson today.

 I cut a hackberry tree a few months back while cutting some osage and did not have time to get the bark off immediately.

 Long story short. I had them stacked in my garage and decide to shuck a few staves today to help them dry quicker. I notice just under the bark the wood started turning a grayish color in some spots.

 As I removed the bark I discovered that this was the case for 90% of what would be the back. Upon closer inspection the only thing I can figure is it started to decay. The gray colored wood was real spongy and sort of crumbly and would simply fold in half and splinter when I tested a piece about 1/4" thick.

 All of it that I had was like this so I guess it'll be fire wood this winter       Oh well.. another lesson learned in this journey.

 Moral of the story is to get that bark off ASAP on hackberry.

 I have not seen this to be the case with hickory, osage, or locust which is the only thing I have cut from a tree. I do try to get them all shucked as soon as I can but it can be time consuming and sometimes time does not permit.

 Next time I cut some HB it will get shucked right away or I won't cut it.

 Stiks

[okie64]

I had some nice hickory do the same thing one time so I learned that lesson the hard way too. Now I try to get the bark off whitewoods within a day or two after its cut.

[Osagetree]

Sorry to hear that Kris.    :(  

I have a few more whitewood stave is my stash but, after their gone I wont cut anymore.

[k-hat]

That bites, sorry dude.  Guess i better get the bark off mine asap.  I cut it just about a month ago, hope it's not a loss!

[Stiks-n-Strings]

We got more hackberry around here than you can shake a stick at so finding more won't be a problem. Just more work that I have a hard enough time finding time for LOL

 Glad you got something out of this post K-Hat. Hope yours is still good.

 I really kinda enjoy working with the white woods Joe. Don't get me wrong I still love my osage but I like a variety. I'm gonna finish up a light weight Juniper and work on a couple yew bows while my trade bow is drying.

 Kris

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I love the way Hackberry bark comes off right after you cut it. I would start one end with my fillet knife and just grab it with my hands and peel. I wish I could get osage to do that.

Sorry for the loss, but like you said Hackberry is dang near everywhere. I've got tons of it around here also. I'm anxious to finish up the one I have started, but my swap bow has a few more days on the finishing then it will be off. Soon as that's done I'm gonna finish the Hackberry, kinda curious to see how it shoots compared to the other woods I've worked with.

[Pat B]

Kris, I had better check that chunk of hackberry you gave me at the Classic. It's a big chunk so I bet it is still wet inside.

[scrub-buster]

I had a hackberry log change colors on me too.  I cut it, split it, and peeled the bark off of it.  It was the typical white wood color.  After a few days, it started to get darker.  It kept getting darker and darker. I haven't tried using it yet. Here is what it looked like after a few weeks. It is even darker now.  Did your hackberry look like this? (the one on the left is elm)

   

[frank bullitt]

Scrub, did you remove the cambium  layer? Hack has it pretty thick! I cut alot of hack since a kid, firewood, and built a couple bows out of it. After shooting Deans Hackberry at the GLII in Marshall, had to try!

I won't build anymore from Hack though, to much osage to work, and it don't rot like that, if I get lazy!  :D  

Hack oxidizes with a blue/gray hue, streaks,  pretty normal.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Originally posted by scrub-buster:
I had a hackberry log change colors on me too.  I cut it, split it, and peeled the bark off of it.  It was the typical white wood color.  After a few days, it started to get darker.  It kept getting darker and darker. I haven't tried using it yet. Here is what it looked like after a few weeks. It is even darker now.  Did your hackberry look like this? (the one on the left is elm)

     

Yep, I got some that looks just like that Scrub, but hit it with some 100-120 grit and a palm sander and it comes right off. Nice creamy white underneath. I think that's just how hackberry dries? Not sure, but there seems to be a similarity here and the white wood underneath the grey/green exterior looks nice. I'll find out soon enough when I put the finishing touches on my trade bow cause then it's back to work on my hackberry I started about a month ago.

[Stiks-n-Strings]

The stuff on mine didn't really look like that Scrub.

 My hackberry was gray for about 1/4 deep into the back of the stave. and real pourous and spongy. I'm pretty convinced it was decay.

 I had a stave that did turn a grayish blue but it sanded right off like semo and Frank are saying. I'll get the bark off when I cut some next time LOL
 

 Pat if the stuff I gave you is like that I'll bring you some more (bark removed) and sealed to the classic in april.

 Kris

[scrub-buster]

Yes, I removed the cambium layer.  I guess it was something with that one tree.  I helped a friend cut a hackberry from his property and it didn't turn dark.  I don't think it is decay, the wood is still hard.  Maybe I'll leave it like that and have a natural camo backing.

[frank bullitt]

Or maybe it's something in the soil! It's also a smaller size tree than I would normally cut!

Black locust and white ash seem to be different in different areas also, from my experience! But hey, so is Osage, isn't it.
 

[okie64]

My hackberry turned colors too. I cut it, split it, pulled the bark off and sealed it with shellac the same day. It was as white as could be for a week or so and then it gradually started getting darker and darker. Heres what it looks like now.
 

[WestTexan]

I haven't had any trouble with mine but it's unreal dry here...but I took all the bark off mine the day I cut it and let it dry maybe an hour are so before i sealed it. The stuff was really wet and the next day I worked on down and it was like pealing a carrot.

[Roy Steele]

I

[Roy Steele]

I had the same thing happen to a small tree once. I was told that the tree had fungus on it before it was cut. And likely it was already dieing.
  Sence then I cut 3 outher trees and these were aright. But have talked to outhers that had this happen to them. I just cut another but one guy I know said he scraped below the fungus and built a bow. It was fine.

[k-hat]

I just debarkd some of my hackberry and it's got something going on, don't know if fungus or what, and these wormy looking grooves in places.  Is it a lost cause?  Here are some pics

 

 

The wood doesn't seem to have the spongy brittle aspect that Kris mentioned with his.  In fact, i tried sanding down past some of the "watermark" discolored areas, and i was no dif than sanding the unaffected areas.  If it's not compromised, can i just sand past the discoloration (evenly down the whole back i would assume)??

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Those look like worm trails Kevin, better make a closer inspection and see if they dove down into the meat on the back of the stave. Even if they just ate into the first layer the stave will pretty much be toast.

If they didn't eat much on the top layer then you should be ok. You should be able to sand the top off of the discolored wood on the outside layer and get down to solid white wood. Mine are greyish/brown on the surface but milky white just a few mils down.

[k-hat]

thanks bro, i'll give it a shot, they dont look 2 deep.  my son was about 2 see a grown man cry!!