Main Discussion Area > English Warbow
Good time to cut wood?
stuckinthemud:
Once I had a carving student who was a proficient stick maker. He asked me, with a knowing smile, in front of the class, who he had already tipped the wink to, when was the best time to cut a stick, and I said in mid-Winter. Ah no he said, with a good-natured chuckle, the best time to cut a stick is when you find it.
FilipT:
Late summer / autumn is in my experience time when the sap runs very slow and bark is not easily removed. That is the time when wood gets its late growth ring. Some say now is best time to cut, but experience of some good bowyers tells me that it actually doesn't matter when you cut the wood. If you cut it in spring when wood is juicy and early rings start to grow, does it really make that back of the bow weak? No, it doesn't.
Ruddy Darter:
Lol, I think that sums it up stuckinthemud, good saying ;D
Thanks Stalker, I suppose it's trial and error and a learning curve, I do like the cutting wood when you can is the best time saying :)
R.D.
stuckinthemud:
regarding bugs and creepy crawlies, healthy wood doesn't seem to have too many residents, especially saplings with their smoother bark - less nooks and crannies for things to live in. No-one I have read posting on PA seems to advocate using chemicals, and although I have only cut a couple of dozen staves, I haven't found any troublesome pests.
Lucasade:
There is an optimum time for cutting wood depending what you're doing (for example elm in spring if you want the bark for weaving), and my belief is that January time is when there will be the least sap, but as has been said the absolute best time to do it is when you have a saw, permission and time!
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