Persimmon

[Michael C.]

Well I have done the search and found some posts on persimmon, but the ones I've seen are gray under the bark? I think what I have is persimmon but I have no idea, there was a persimmon tree out where I cut it with fruit but it was bigger than this group of trees and these didn't have fruit. I know that there are male and female persimmons, but again I don't have a clue what they look like. Any idea if this is persimmon?

[Pat B]

That looks like persimmon to me. The bark is one way I ID persimmon with the square bark pattern. The wood color is also typical of persimmon. Looks like it split out without twisting? Every persimmon tree I've cut was too twisted to make bows with. You've got some nice bow wood there. 

[Michael C.]

You want one?

[sailordad]

You want one?

shhhhhhhhhhh
with an offer like that youll have the wolves circling in no time 

[Michael C.]

  I was just offering one to Pat because I saw him mention the same thing in another post (twisted staves). I thought since I have three if I gave him one, then I have one left to break and one to get a good bow out of

[Hillbilly]

Yep, that's persimmon. Seems like about 95% of persimmon trees are males.

[TRACY]

As said before. Anyone remember the persimmon that twistedlimb built a while back with all dark wood from a small dia. tree in FL- It looked more like Ebony(same fam)?

Good wood for a bow!

Tracy

[Lombard]

I have some Persimmon, that is in the drying rack. The bark looked like that, and pipe straight. When it was de-barked the odor reminded me of carving pumpkins. On one of the staves, reduced to near bow dimensions right off of the stump, checked so badly that light could be seen through the checks. That happened despite a shellac coating. The rest, left in quarters have stabilized to ambient moisture, without any further checking. I suggest restraining them on a timber or joist, it will help keep them from twisting, and you can put some reflex into them at the same time.

[Pappy]

Looks like it to me,it make a sweet bow but as said will check if you aren't careful. It will be almost a purple color[light] when finished.  At least the ones I have done were.Beautiful bow wood. 
I would put it in a spot that is not to hot and dry for a little while,might help prevent the checking from drying to fast. 
   Pappy

[Michael C.]

Thanks all.

I know what you mean by the checking and twisting bit. I put some shellac on them yesterday and one of the thinner but wider ones started twisting just from being outside to let that dry and I had to put another coat on the ends because small check marks started popping up.

I have them under one of my couches in the house drying now. Lisa said I can keep them there as long as she doesn't see them, gotta love a wife like that. Hopefully like Pappy said it will keep them from checking and twisting so bad, I'll need to get some bigger clamps and some 2x4s to strap them to.

Thanks again.

[wodpow]

I have used cement blocks to hold wood down for the first stage of drying and checked every four  or five days and make adjustment for summer cut wood you need a cool dry place to do the first part of curing the staves. A hot shed or out building will mess up all your hard work fast with the twisting and checking going full blast the outside and inside of the stave have got to come to a condition of semi even drying when I use the blocks I had about 30 blocks that I would pile on with shims and weight you can keep a straight stave straight or a bent one straight and they didn't pop off the form and were no trouble to adjust other than taking the block off the staves.

[Ohio John]

I didnt realise persimmon was a valuable bow wood. I do however regularly consume the delicious berries

[Michael C.]

I have used cement blocks to hold wood down for the first stage of drying and checked every four  or five days and make adjustment for summer cut wood you need a cool dry place to do the first part of curing the staves. A hot shed or out building will mess up all your hard work fast with the twisting and checking going full blast the outside and inside of the stave have got to come to a condition of semi even drying when I use the blocks I had about 30 blocks that I would pile on with shims and weight you can keep a straight stave straight or a bent one straight and they didn't pop off the form and were no trouble to adjust other than taking the block off the staves.

How big were the blocks, lbs I guess I mean?

[wodpow]

I got them used from a guy that fills in bay doors and makes wall there over 40# . I did use steel fence post but the clamps would pop off as I would tighten them down and were a pain.I did try stainless hose clamp as I tightened the C-clamps almost got smacked in the head once doing the clamp thing.I got some broken blocks that I put under the ends and lay full ones to flatten out a sideways bow before it sets up.once I had one start to cork screw a  little and I bored  holes and bolted  levers to the end of a stave and used a block on the end of the one lever after I layed on 10 blocks to hold it solid I will some times I cut the stave and put the end solid so it won't roll in the hole in the blocks to keep it solid to counter the twist and hold it straight then only lever on  one end. I just use what I got to do what I need done and don' t spend money I don't have.

[wodpow]

the persimmon around here grows long and tall and looks just like that bark . it's not been easy to find trees that bear the fruit sometimes it falls from the tree early some times late sometime's there is no fruit at all because the female and male will come in season at different times in the spring and a  super wet or cold temps will stop the pollen from getting to the females there is a small window some years