Wood harvest

[Possum Head]

In an earlier thread I learned late spring is a good time to cut Hickory. I certainly have no experience in this area and would like to hear from a few more that have been there and done that. Also is it best to split into staves as soon as possible and coat the ends?


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[scrub-buster]

The bark should slip if you cut it in late spring when the leaves are growing.  That will make it a lot easier to get a clean back.  Split it into staves and seal the ends and backs.  Please post some pictures of what you get. 

[Pat B]

I like cutting whitewood in spring after the leaves come out. That way last years growth ring, the one under the bard has had all winter to mature. Some folks like cutting later in the season because of the new ring going down. That's too fresh for me.
 I would split any log in half and seal the ends. After a week or two split it into staves.

[Forwardhandle]

This was from a lot of 8 staves cut 2 yrs ago the pic doesnt due the natural
reflex justice but almost all the hickory I have aging takes nice natural reflex , these where summer cut and the bark peeled of like packing tape for a prestine  backs, I coated them both back and ends with 6 coats of shellac , some say you
dont need to coat the backs but hickory is really wet wood when first cut so I do the whole stave !

[skeaterbait]

Take every advantage of getting the bark off while it's green. If you let it dry with the bark on it's like trying peel a layer of concrete to get it off. While it's green it's as easy as slippin off yer draw's for bed.

[Possum Head]

Just what I needed, consistency in answers thanks a lot men.


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[Eric Krewson]

I split out 17 staves in the late summer, the bark didn't slip and it took me two weeks to get it off all my staves.


I had some beautiful straight staves and some that dog legged to the side after they dried and so far have been impossible to straighten with heat or steam after several attempts.

A friend who only makes hickory bows and lots of them, he splits his logs in half and leaves them that way for at least 6 months before he splits the halves into staves. He says he gets very little warpage that way.