Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: 0ri9ine11 on August 03, 2018, 03:27:35 pm
-
Oi Mates
this fall I'll be cutting two nice straight pieces of cherry about 10-15cm in Diameter.
Now I actually intend to use the core wood on the belly and I wanna ask if there is any way to dry cherry without any cracks in the core wood.
Do I leave the bark on and glue up the whole core wood over the whole lenght? :o
-
Core wood? Meaning heart wood? If so, best way is to leave them whole or if big enough, quarter the staves out. Seal ends with glue and apply pesticode to the bark, then let sit a year in a warm area with air flow.
-
Most. Definitely seal the ends! Might not hurt to seal the splits as well, to let it dry through the the bark or cadmium! Lost a lot of cherry by not sealing the ends. Live and learn!
Hawkdancer
-
I have cured a bunch of cherry for flintlock stocks. Everyone said to leave it in plank form so you can trim off the checked wood after it dries.
I cut out stock blanks, sealed the ends really well with shellac and put one coat of shellac over the entire piece of wood. I had no checking or warpage.
Wood is going to dry even if it is sealed, the sealer may slow the transmission of moisture out of a stave but it won't stop it. My wood dried pretty quickly with one coat of shellac and it was 3" thick. I have a pinless moisture so I could keep track of the process.
-
All I've done is seal the ends with shellac and don't recall a single check in a piece of wild cherry. Some has been stave splits, and some has been immediately cut into lumber... like 2 x 3 or 2 x 4's to use for lams. No warping issues either. It seems pretty stable to me.
-
Well danceswithsquirrels thats geat for you :o Sadly I've made different expieriences. I only asked that question because wood from fruit trees always cracks no matter how careful I am :(
-
The black cherry I made bows out of & staves for future bows have behaved pretty good while drying prior just naturally air drying after reducing.