The air is dry and so is my wood...too dry?

[takefive]

I found a neat hardwood lumberyard about an hours drive from me and picked up a nice hard maple and red elm board.  Anyway, I just checked the MC with my mini-Ligno and it's 6 % on both boards, which seemed pretty dry to me.  So I checked the other boards in my basement.  Even the hickory that was over 9 % a couple of months ago is hovering around 6 %.     :eek:   My little meter has the humidity in my basement at 25-27%.  Should I be worried that the wood is too dry and rehydrate it a bit?  I know the air is dry when I pet our cat and see sparks    

[Bowjunkie]

Yes, you should be worried.

[Roy from Pa]

10 to 12% is sweet.

[takefive]

Thanks Roy.

[Crooked Stic]

Just don't try to glue two woods together with MCs too far apart. Lrt the wood climatize to whatever is normal for your shop or storage area.

[Pat B]

Hickory shines at 6%. Start working with the hickory and bring another stave in the bathroom where the humidity is higher. By the time you are done with the hickory bow the other stave should be e-hydrated more.  Is the heating system in your  house humidified? If so bring your staves inside.

[takefive]

Just have natural gas forced air and a wood burning stove, Pat.  I mean I knew the air got dry here in the winter, but I didn't realize just how dry until I bought one of those little temp/humidity gauges.  I have a humidifier from when my daughter was little that I'll put in the bathroom and see if that brings the MC up a bit.  I just cut out the backer and elm for the belly.  I swear that it wasn't too long ago that I was so happy to see that the humidity in my basement shop finally dropped below 60%.  Crazy.

[takefive]

I wound up turning my drying box into a hydrating box.   I filled 3 quart jars with water and soaked a couple of rags and got the RH up to 70%.  Elm is at 7% MC now.  Couple more days I hope...

[Pat B]

Keep your hickory out of the hot box/humidifier and start making bows with it. You will be amazed how well hickory preforms at low R/H and M/C. If hickory breaks at 6% it probably wasn't handled properly off the stump and in storage and picked up a fungus.

[halfseminole]

So how does this work if you're backing a bow with hickory?  Sorry to hijack here, but I've got hickory and ERC to glue up and I know they're pretty dry.  Dry is good for hickory, but what should I do with my cedar?

[takefive]

Will do, Pat.  The last bow I made for myself was from a hickory board and I liked the way it turned out.  Wish I would have saved that build for the winter now.  I don't think it will be much of a problem keeping the rest of my hickory around 6% MC until I make another one as dry as it is here now.  Sounds like a good project for after the holidays.  Thanks again for the great advice.  Has that big cold front made it's way to your part of the country?

[takefive]

All I know about ERC is that it's beautiful wood.  I've never tried working with it, but the ones that I've seen posted are so pretty that it makes me want to try one someday.  Bet that white hickory against the cedar will look sweet.  Good luck on it and hopefully someone else will weigh in as how to treat it.

[Pat B]

I never worried about the hickory backing when I backed bows. It is more important that the belly is the right M/C.

 You may have to take the M/C down before you work the other staves. Again, reduce them to floor tiller stage and they will dry quicker.

You'll have a love/hate relationship with ERC. It is pretty finicky wood and can become toothpicks(quite exciting) in a heartbeat if everything ain't just right.  You'll have better chance of success with a backing like hickory, rawhide or sinew for example.

[George Tsoukalas]

Same situation here in NH. I don't worry about it.
Check the moisture level as you make the bow. Usually the 6% is on the outside and goes up as you head towards the inside of the stave.  Jawge

[Pat B]

I do most of my bow building during the winter when it is cooler to work in my shop. Winters here are relatively dry but not consistantly. When done working for the day I'll bring my bow up in the house and place it near the wood stove. Inside our house is quite dry during the winter but I've never had a bow break because it is too dry.