Syringa (Lilac) Harvest - stave prep?

[Lee Slikkers]

Hey guys, I was lucky enough to drive by a house that was tearing up all their landscaping and noticed a huge, old Lilac that had been pulled out by the roots.  I slowed and pulled off a U'y (is that a word?  ) and stopped and asked if they would if I cut off a couple of the mature "trunks."  After a weird look and a couple questions about what I'd use it for I got the OK and grabbed the pruning saw from the truck.  Anyway, I managed to cut 1 real nice 3"- 4" diameter stave that for Lilac is stick fricken straight.  Obviously the ends are already sealed but I assume since it's a "white wood" I would be much better off debarking it now while it is still green & fresh.  I've read this stuff can check like a bugger as it dries so with the assumption that it needs debarking then I'll also assume it needs the stave sealed...I have shellac and can use that or I could thin down some TBII and brush that on it.  I was also going to leave it as an intact "log" and not split it so it doesn't twist up on me as it cured.

Any help, opinions or suggestions would be very much appreciated!

Thanks guys~

[fusizoli]

Thats a big one! It will crack like osage if leave it in trunk. I wouldn't split it just saw it because most of tham have a huge propeller twist.
Anyway it is a great bow wood. Should use for grips and nocks etc.

[ErictheViking]

sure sign of a bow addict...you have a pruning saw in your truck, just in case! lol.  don't know anything aboout lilac but I have been keeping my eyes opened for a possible stave. 

[zenmonkeyman]

I cut a lilac, and what I'd do next time is split it and immediately paint all exposed unbarked surfaces.  Put it in a dark, preferably humid place and forget about it for at least a few months if not a year.  Mine started checking within 3 hours of debarking it.

[Lee Slikkers]

Thats a big one! It will crack like Osage if leave it in trunk. I wouldn't split it just saw it because most of tham have a huge propeller twist.
Anyway it is a great bow wood. Should use for grips and nocks.

Hey Zoltan thanks for the reply.  Question on sawing vs splitting just so I understand.  Wouldn't sawing through the stave to avoid the prop twist create others like grain runoff, etc?  The heart wood on this old piece doesn't' really have much a pithy core like I've read...it does however have very stunning dark, walnut type colored heartwood.  Should make for a real sexy bow.  Thanks for the reply~

[Lee Slikkers]

I cut a lilac, and what I'd do next time is split it and immediately paint all exposed unbarked surfaces.  Put it in a dark, preferably humid place and forget about it for at least a few months if not a year.  Mine started checking within 3 hours of debarking it.

ZMM, can I ask what the purpose of keeping it in a dark room might be for?  Can't see how that would add anything to the strength or drying process and I'd almost be nervous about mold or those type of issues with darkness and damp/green wood.  Many thanks~

[fusizoli]

Here it have a very nice purple color on the rings sometimes. I had cut some very nice straight saplings with 5-7cm dia and allways tryed to figure it out from the pin knots it is twisted or not. I have to say just luck could help   360 degrees twist is not rare. I have found just one stave with straight grain yet!

Some run of is not problem, but if it more than a selfbow could handle jus use it like ipe. It is a very dense wood.

I ve  seassoned tham in bark.
I'm not an expert in sirynga because couldn't find enough 

[Marc St Louis]

I cut several Lilac man years ago and put them aside to dry bark on.  Every last one split in a spiral.  A few years later a member came on who had made some Lilac bows.  He worked the wood down to rough bow dimensions right away and then let them dry,  it worked for him.

[Cameroo]

Lee,

If twisting is a possibility after splitting (or sawing), you may want to clamp it down to a 2x4 or something to help keep it from going snakey.  Might save you some straightening down the line.

I recently had a chokecherry stave about that size that I roughed out after a couple months of drying.  It was perfectly straight at the time, but as it continued to dry, it hooked in the handle area and one of the tips, and took about 2 1/2 inches of reflex (thankfully no prop twist).  I wish now that I had clamped it while it dried.

[juniper junkie]

I usually leave the bark on the syringa until I am ready to work it. with a large log like you have I would saw it down to expose the pith, and clean the pulp out of the pith and coat the exposed wood.  they usually  check from the pith out if I peel the bark off. I have found that you need to leave the back alone and keep the nodes if there are any. the syringa I have worked with doesnt have grain like a tree, but more like bamboo real stringy. I have some that has been stored for 3 years or more without any checking when I left the bark on. good find.

[crooketarrow]

   When ever I'm not sure I debark and seal the whole thing.
  I also carry a saw around that s a bad sign.

[Lee Slikkers]

Thanks for all the replies guys!  I think I will just let this one sit and season as is with the bark on for a year or two.

I did drive back by that place again today and cut off 3 more that could easily be made into nice sapling bows so I may do an experiment by sawing one down, sealing and clamping flat as Cameroo suggested, debark and seal the whole thing as see how badly it checks and the 3rd one I may take with me on a camping trip this weekend and work it down with the drawknife, rasp and scraper until it is reduced to a rough bow stage and then seal the snot out of it and clamp it down.  Two of the three saplings have a wonderful deep burgundy/purple colored heartwood...sexy looking stuff.

[johnston]

Very cool post Lee. It helps when I can show my wife that some other guy stops and asks about wood. Much less a bunch of them...

Lane

[Lee Slikkers]

LOL, yeah...I should take a pic of all the Bow related gunk in the back of my truck.  There are about 3 different species of shoots for making arrows, tons of scraped off chunks of bark and yellow saw dust  and sticky Cedar sap on the headrests.  I have an axe and 2 saws.  There is a camo bag that has a putty knife (good for seperating Cherry bark from the trees) a regular "Camp knife" some hot pink marking tape so I can mark a tree in the middle of the woods and find it again at a later date, 2 Tree ID books and a pair of Pruning Shears for cutting Rose/Red Osier shoots, a pair of rubber boots, 2 large trash bags for picking up road kill and a box of zip-locks for when I cut deer tendons off roadkills (free sinew).

It has become a MAD, MAD world around here lately     

[blackhawk]

Wow...I thought I was bad. That's worse than me. I just carry a handsaw and also a knife for roadkill tendons.