# Hickory staves



## Nugefan (Mar 11, 2013)

Yellowknife , Ancient Obsession and myself beat up a hickory this weekend and found a few staves in em ....

Got em sealed and Yellwknife put em in his attic to help dry em out ...the bark is tight as a hair in a biscuit ...we shoulda waited a lil longer to cut em , they split awesome but the bark is gonna be a bear ....


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## blood on the ground (Mar 11, 2013)

looks like you all have some fun ahead of ya, keep the pics posted as you go!


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## Nugefan (Mar 11, 2013)

blood on the ground said:


> looks like you all have some fun ahead of ya, keep the pics posted as you go!



wanna come help us debark em in a few weeks ....


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## Al33 (Mar 11, 2013)

Those look great Andy!!! Hope they all turn out to be good shooters.


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## Ancient Obsession (Mar 11, 2013)

We can pretend we are working Osage, just be chasing a ring through bark instead of sapwood!


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## blood on the ground (Mar 11, 2013)

Nugefan said:


> wanna come help us debark em in a few weeks ....



I wish I could, I really need to learn how to do this!


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## Nugefan (Mar 11, 2013)

Ancient Obsession said:


> We can pretend we are working Osage, just be chasing a ring through bark instead of sapwood!



maybe in a few weeks it'll just turn loose ...


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## Nugefan (Mar 11, 2013)

blood on the ground said:


> I wish I could, I really need to learn how to do this!



Yellowknife is having a knapp in at his house later this year , I'll keep everyone posted ....plan on coming out and sit a spell or camp out with us ...


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## dpoole (Mar 11, 2013)

Nugefan said:


> wanna come help us debark em in a few weeks ....



Bring em down to SGTP the 2nd sat of next month. Dan will debark all of them for you.


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## TNGIRL (Mar 11, 2013)

dpoole said:


> Bring em down to SGTP the 2nd sat of next month. Dan will debark all of them for you.



yep....he can teach a class on debark-cation!!!!!!


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## YellowKnife (Mar 11, 2013)

dpoole said:


> Bring em down to SGTP the 2nd sat of next month. Dan will debark all of them for you.



Hey Andy, I like dpooles idea! Since Dan is a friend I'm just  not sure what we should charge him  to let him do it. Ater all, he is our friend an I wouldn't feel right by askin' him to do it fer nuttin. Whut you reckon?


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## NCHillbilly (Mar 11, 2013)

Good lookin' staves. And that bark ain't too bad to get off with a good drawknife.


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## bam_bam (Mar 11, 2013)

Good looking staves Andy. I like staves with the bark on them sometimes. Yeah its a little more work, but they look great with a little cambium left on them for some camo action.


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## Nugefan (Mar 12, 2013)

YellowKnife said:


> Hey Andy, I like dpooles idea! Since Dan is a friend I'm just  not sure what we should charge him  to let him do it. Ater all, he is our friend an I wouldn't feel right by askin' him to do it fer nuttin. Whut you reckon?



maybe we should charge em some osage staves for debarkin' em ....I am sure he has plenty in his old car ...


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## Ancient Obsession (Apr 30, 2013)

Got one going. Reduced it with a hatchet, it is now 1 1/2" wide and a little more than 1/2" thick except for the handle. I may narrow the limbs to the proper profile, put it in the hot box, and tiller and finish it at Yellowknifes knap in.


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## Nugefan (May 1, 2013)

you couldn't git the bark off no better than that ....    

lookin' good Bro ...


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## Ancient Obsession (May 1, 2013)

Thanks bro, it is still 72" long in the pic, gonna cut it to 64" and leave the cambium on for camo. Took the stave to N. Ga. with me and debarked it at Dan's booth. You know he had all the stuff with him. Yellowknife's and my tools finally came home after a years absence so I can really get after em now.


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## flyfisher76544 (May 1, 2013)

Nice!!!


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## RBM (May 25, 2013)

I wish the Scrub Hickory around here was that nice. Nice and straight. Little or no knots. I will keep looking. There has got to be at least one decent trunk or limb in those Scrub Hickories.


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## Ancient Obsession (May 25, 2013)

We are pretty lucky around here I guess. No shortage of good straight, knotless hickories. Pignut and shagbark.


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## YellowKnife (May 26, 2013)

RBM said:


> I wish the Scrub Hickory around here was that nice. Nice and straight. Little or no knots. I will keep looking. There has got to be at least one decent trunk or limb in those Scrub Hickories.


We might do us a trade, you got any coral or ledge that will knapp. I got plenty of hickory.


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## RBM (May 26, 2013)

YellowKnife said:


> We might do us a trade, you got any coral or ledge that will knapp. I got plenty of hickory.



No knappable rocks here where I am farther South of Brooksville. I wish. Sorry.


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## YellowKnife (May 26, 2013)

RBM said:


> No knappable rocks here where I am farther South of Brooksville. I wish. Sorry.


No problem, if you want a stave pm me your addy .


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## Ancient Obsession (May 27, 2013)

Ready for the tillering tree


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## JayTee (May 27, 2013)

Lookin good. Can't wait to see the finished product.

 I got 4 staves out of a hickory I was cuttin for firewood back in Feb. I left some strip of inner bark like you did. I got them roughed out & might try to get up with Mr. Poole & Mr. Dan & get some more expert instruction when they dry a spell.


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## Ancient Obsession (May 27, 2013)

That would be good. I've never had the pleasure to meet Mr. Poole but know Dirty Dan. The both have plenty of knowledge to offer. I'm neither of them but if you are in N. Ga. I would be more than willing to help ya. I'm between Athens and Lawrenceville.


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## Ancient Obsession (Jun 14, 2013)

Well, I broke the first one out if the bunch while tillering. My fault, I rushed it a little. So here we go with #2!


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## dpoole (Jun 14, 2013)

JayTee said:


> Lookin good. Can't wait to see the finished product.
> 
> I got 4 staves out of a hickory I was cuttin for firewood back in Feb. I left some strip of inner bark like you did. I got them roughed out & might try to get up with Mr. Poole & Mr. Dan & get some more expert instruction when they dry a spell.



bring em to sgtp next month


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## Ancient Obsession (Jun 14, 2013)

Now she's a 66' board that's 1 1/2" wide. I'll mark center and leave enough for a 10' riser. 5' for handle and 2.5' either way for the fades. I'll mark the rest of the limb length at 1/2 " thick and reduce it to that mark with my hatchet.


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## Ancient Obsession (Jun 14, 2013)

She's roughed out with the hatchet and almost as far as I can go with it. I'll mark the limb profiles now and trim them with the hatchet as well, then we'll head to the shaving horse.


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## Ancient Obsession (Jun 15, 2013)

Bad news Nugefan fan and Yellowknife. The sapwood under the bark in that one was decaying. It just exploded too. Probably what happened to the first one but it wasn't as obvious.


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## Ancient Obsession (Jun 15, 2013)

Here tis


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## Nugefan (Jun 17, 2013)




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## dpoole (Jun 17, 2013)

What causes that ?


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## Ancient Obsession (Jun 17, 2013)

I haven't a clue. It's pignut hickory and the tree was alive and in excellent shape of course. Purdy interesting. Yellowknife's dog may have peed on it one time too many while it was growing. I know where there's 17 more good pieces of hickory for smokin pork!


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## Nugefan (Jun 17, 2013)

Ancient Obsession said:


> I haven't a clue. It's pignut hickory and the tree was alive and in excellent shape of course. Purdy interesting. Yellowknife's dog may have peed on it one time too many while it was growing. I know where there's 17 more good pieces of hickory for smokin pork!



you recon all them staves are like that ...


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## Ancient Obsession (Jun 17, 2013)

I dunno Nugefan, I know it's hard to put hours of hand work into one and watch it blow up on the tillering tree. Twice. I think if we could pick some staves from the upper sections they would be newer growth and may be ok, but it would be hard to tell. When I get to Yellowknife's I'll pick one more and give it a go. I may be a glutton fer punishment but I sure had a mind to make me another bow!


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## Ancient Obsession (Jun 17, 2013)

I've got this knotty piece of Locust but don't know how it'll split. If it works it'll be a challenging piece of wood.


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## Tailfeather (Jun 17, 2013)

Dang, that stinks.  Hope the others are good.


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## chehawknapper (Jun 17, 2013)

Remove the sap wood on that locust and be very careful around the knots. Slow down on the belly. Check, recheck and check again before you pull her the first time. Locust is not kind to any imperfections in tillering. I might be able to assist those that would want a stave. I got a couple out back.


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## Ancient Obsession (Jun 17, 2013)

Thanks Chehaw, will do. It'll make a neat bow if I can pull it off.


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## Leathermandan (Jan 15, 2014)

I have always wanted to make a self bow. Good luck fellas, I hope it all works out.


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