kerfing it is the only way to go with iron wood or elm. If not you'll use every wedge you got and probally still not have enough. Even straight grained iron wood or elm will run off on you if you don't kerf it because of the inner locking grain. It rips apart instead of splitting like other woods. I would be interested to see a bow made entirely or iron wood heart wood but even on the larger tree's I've cut there always seems to be to many knots and healed over branches in the inner part of the tree.