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Questions from a newbie

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Crogacht:
That last pic of yours is what I would call a garage, or a shed, close enough  :laugh:. Just put them in there and close the door or throw a tarp over the end so the weather can't get at them.

You want them to dry as fast as possible without causing damage. So that usually means slowly. It depends. Sometimes you can rough a stave down closer to bow dimensions and dry it in a hot box or something. It varies. Just do the best you can though. It's either that or build no bows.

Paint is OK for sealing, anything that stops moisture from passing through it is fine.

Del the cat:
Paint the ends with any old paint...
Seasoning needs to be somewhere dry and airy, so just under cover outdoors is fine as long as it is off the ground and the air can circulate.
That first shed picture is ideal. It has a big over hang, store it under the overhang. Either screw/nail a couple of brackets to the shed wall to support the stave, or prop it up on bricks.
The worst thing you can do is to lie it on the ground and throw a tarpaulin over it... it will get wet slimy and rotten.
It doesn't need two years, but it will benefit from having the 'bad' half sawn or chopped away. If half is cut away, it will help reduce the internal stresses as the wood dries.
Spend plenty of time looking at it deciding where the bow will lie in the wood. If it doesn't look straight from any direction, then at least lay it out with tips and centre in a line.
Seeing where the bow lies is one of those things that you learn from experience.
Always spend more time looking and marking than sawing or chopping. You won't ruin a stave with chalk or pencil!
Del

Lucasade:
That's great - thank you. I'll get onto that tomorrow  :)

Crogacht:

--- Quote from: Del the cat on July 11, 2014, 06:15:13 pm ---Always spend more time looking and marking than sawing or chopping. You won't ruin a stave with chalk or pencil!
Del

--- End quote ---

It's true Del!  ;D

Last two times I've managed to get out to the garage it's been all looking and marking and measuring. It really does pay to take all the time you can during that stage because it's way harder to put wood back on once its chopped off   ;D

Lucasade:
The last few times I've looked I've not seen a good place to cut - it may well be totally seasoned before I find it!

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