hickory ?

[Blaino]

I'm working on my first self bow... question is will hickory always have some follow?

I shot about 12 or so arrows through my 1st bow...(it's a bow now that it has shot some arrows    ) and it had about 2-3" of string follow after.

I bent it the other way; like you would do floor tillering and it went back to being straight.

Do I have too much moisture still in the wood or is it just the nature of hickory?

[Roy from Pa]

Most likely too much moisture. How did it look unstrung, before you shot it? Pictures?

[KellyG]

Toast that belly and I bet it does not have that much. But like roy ole boy said give us pics.

[Blaino]

it was straight before i shot it.  i don't have any pics.... me and photobucket don't get along but i could email when i take some.

[Roy from Pa]

Just about any self bow that is straight, will have set after it's been tillered and shot. You could have induced some reflex with heat before you started to tiller. That would lessen the set it takes.

[Blaino]

is inducine reflex or heat treating the belly out of the question now?

[Roy from Pa]

No not really, go for it.

[Nim-rod]

"I bent it the other way; like you would do floor tillering and it went back to being straight."

DO NOT DO THIS!!!!! With the belly getting compressed this will surely result in a crack.

Toast the belly (industrial heat gun) and put in a really dry place or a hotbox for several days and dry that thing out as much as possible. All bows take some set because the belly compresses. You can flip the tips (re-curve)a little and offset that though. I have a bunch of Hickory bows and they hate moisture.....even a little.

[Blaino]

Ok I've had this peice of hickory since Feb. and was hoping it would be good by now. I guess my climate isn't great for aging wood. Time to work on something to dry this thing!

[Roy from Pa]

Hickory absorbs moisture like a sponge...

[TradBowyer]

I've built quite a few hickory bows and I won't work them without a moisture meter. Like roy said they are a sponge. I've had them double their moisture reading just sitting out of the drying box for just a day. Hickory needs to be around 6 percent moisture level or it will take pretty good set.

[mikkekeswick]

The wood could well be dry.
The main 'problem' with hickory is it's massive strength in tension compared to it's average strength in compression.
The answer is to heat treat the belly and trap the back (if your grain is good enough). These two processes help to even up it's properties. thing of trying to get the two to balance on a seesaw!
NEVER EVER bend a bow backwards.....EVER.....

[Blaino]

Originally posted by TradBowyer:
I've built quite a few hickory bows and I won't work them without a moisture meter. Like roy said they are a sponge. I've had them double their moisture reading just sitting out of the drying box for just a day. Hickory needs to be around 6 percent moisture level or it will take pretty good set.

what is your recomendation on a moisture meter?

[TradBowyer]

I have the standard two prong push type that 3 rivers sells. It's a life saver for hickory. Keep the stave in a drying box around 100 degrees when you get it down to 6 percent and you'll be fine

[canopyboy]

Like others have said, the drier the better, but hickory will reabsorb water quickly. You can keep it in a hot box or dry environment while working it, but once it's done and out of the shop it'll likely re-absorb based on the humidity in the air. In your area, that's not insignificant. I'd accept that your bow will have some string follow and just roll with it.

I have access to lots of hickory, and it's tough enough that it's hard to screw up so bad that it breaks. For those reasons it's something I've played around with a lot. But due to its low compressive strength and desire to absorb moisture, even a well tillered bow will end up with set after being strung and shot. If you put in some reflex, the set won't seem as bad. Toasting the belly helps too.

I think I did a good job on my daughter's hickory stave bow. I did toast the belly but put in no reflex. After it has rested for awhile, it comes back to about 1.25" of string follow. After she's had it strung for the day and been using it, it is closer to 2.5" of string follow.

[TradBowyer]

canopy,
I've heard a lot about toasting the belly but never have...when is this actually done?

[Nim-rod]

I try to do it when I'm down to the last 10 or so pounds but tillered nicely. I let it rest a few days and then string it back up and excersize the limbs quite a bit to let it settle in and then get back to tillering bringing it to final weight. Seems like the tiller is always off after toasting even though I have a jig to keep distance consistent and it usually gains draw weight too. I flip the tips right after toasting (and cooling)as well.

[canopyboy]

Yup, when you're close to weight, but with a few pounds. Toasting messes slightly with the tiller, but it does relax a bit after some shooting in. So I usually toast it with a little extra weight, but close enough that it can be shot after it rests a bit. Then finish the tillering, shoot a bit more, and finish. Has worked for me so far.

But I've also wondering about toasting earlier. May be about when I get it on the short string. Seems like you might be better off doing it before you start compressing those belly fibers at closer to full draw. A nice, slow, deep toast so it gets down past what you still have to scrape off.

I just love the popcorn smell of toasting hickory. It's all good.

[Mike Most]

Very good information, especially if one has a tree drying in his garage....(hickory at that)

[Blaino]

I need some ideas for a hot box to get the moisture down. I have an endless supply to scheduled 40 conduit... Will that work as my "box"?