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Hickory Processing ??s

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Pappy:
I usually peal the bark, I usually go over it with a scrapper lightly to get the gummy layer off under the bark ,seal the back and ends, split it into 1/4's or maybe even 1/8's if it is a large log as you describe, no narrower than about 4 inches then let it set a few months  and then ,with 4 inches you can get 2 bows from each stave after it dries, then split or saw it down to 2 inch staves, leaving it wide to start will keep it from warping. I also belly split the heart wood off, it will usually follow the heart wood grain right down the log if it is a clean log with no knots. I cook brats with the belly split heart wood. ;) :) Most hickory will split good with just a wedge and sledge, if not I will Cerf it with a chain saw and then split, most time that is not necessary . :)
 Pappy

ssrhythm:
Got it split at a neighbor's sawmill...tben tweaked my lower back lifting one end onto the sawhorse.  Bark stripped off fairly easily, and we moved it into the garage with a tractor.  Shellacked and starting to dry.  I think leaving it as halves is the right way to go, as RH here is sometimes painfully low and nearly always ridiculously low.  My plan is to just split off a stave at a time as I go.  Thanks for all the advice.

Pappy:
Looking good, I usually do 1/4's with a log that size and then split off the belly/heart wood, just makes them easier to handle and they will dry a little quicker but that will be fine just the way you did it. :) Should make some fine bows.  :)
 Pappy

ssrhythm:

--- Quote from: Pappy on July 15, 2025, 09:14:18 am ---Looking good, I usually do 1/4's with a log that size and then split off the belly/heart wood, just makes them easier to handle and they will dry a little quicker but that will be fine just the way you did it. :) Should make some fine bows.  :)
 Pappy

--- End quote ---

I was thinking about going 1/4 if for nothing more than ease of handling, but it is so friggin dry here, and I'm in no hurry...I figured there is less chance of warping and twisting if I just leave it as halves.  I'm having to rehydrate my all my osage once I have a it roughed out or it'll pop a splinter on the most pristine back. It's painfully dry in my neck of Wyoming.

Appreciate all the advice.

Hamish:
 The risk with leaving timber in halves is that it still has a high propensity to split/check, due to the outside drying first, with the deep inside staying wet. This can happen even when sealed. This is highly dependent on the climate, heat and humidity where someone lives. Some people get away with it, others end up with firewood.

I live in a climate that has very hot, dry summers. Bow wood in large sections will just crack. An hour away, further up the mts, the temperature drops about 10 deg Celsius, at my friends place. He has no trouble drying large sections of wood.

 Quarters won't twist (unless there already is twist). They probably won't take much of a reflex either.

I wish you luck, and hope you live in a favorable climate.

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