Local woods experiments, starting with hazel (CHERRY done)

[dwardo]

Hi all,

I am on a quest to try all of my local woods for bows.
I started with Sycamore (pseudo platanus) and found that it is VERY weak in tension. Blew two bows before they hit 15 inches. It did seem ver good in compression so will bear that in mind. I also have elder (sambu nigra) and cherry (prunus avium) drying out clamped to a form to try and pull out some twist.

This one is hazel which i had forgotten all about. I have tillered it out to 20 inches. One limb has a bit of deflex due to a hump n bump It is 64 inches long and a faintly bendy handle. I saw that Gorden made a lovely bow from this stuff so i have been following his hints and tips. I think ill try a heat treat as suggested?

Anyone see anything scary?

[toomanyknots]

The right limb right off the handle looks like it is bending a bit too much, or doing a bit to much work, right after that mid limb seems to be doing not enough bending, is a bit too flat. I would make the flat mid limb area on the right limb bend a bit more to even out the bending right off the handle or you could suffer an unexpected hinge when bracing. And as always, get it to a short brace as soon as it looks good to you and use the shortest longstring possible until then, . (at the same time it doesn't look that bad to me, and you must always consider the unbraced profile compared to the bending one... It actually looks pretty good now that I look at it again, darnit, I just can't make up my mind!  Eh, looks good to me.)

[dwardo]

I think you are right about the right limb, it does need to bend between more just out of the first third, left limb too? maybe. It is braced at about 4 inches in the drawn pic.
The two knots just outside of the right fade is throwing me, time to put it down for a day i think and await a few opinions.

[Elktracker]

The right limb right off the handle looks like it is bending a bit too much, or doing a bit to much work, right after that mid limb seems to be doing not enough bending, is a bit too flat. I would make the flat mid limb area on the right limb bend a bit more to even out the bending right off the handle or you could suffer an unexpected hinge when bracing. And as always, get it to a short brace as soon as it looks good to you and use the shortest longstring possible until then, . (at the same time it doesn't look that bad to me, and you must always consider the unbraced profile compared to the bending one... It actually looks pretty good now that I look at it again, darnit, I just can't make up my mind!  Eh, looks good to me.)

I agree with all of this, well said!

Look forward to seeing this finished

I do agree after looking at the unbraced pic and then the braced dwardo you mentioned that knot and before its braced it looks to have a little hump there wich makes it look like the tiller is off but I think it is actually good on the tiller in my opinion. might be a little stiff mid limb or so on the right limb

[HatchA]

Looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

Your scales...  is it a suitcase scales for checking bag-weight before taking a flight?  Looks VERY similar to what I've been using

[aznboi3644]

is that a hing in the right limb or deflex?

[Elktracker]

To me after looking at the unbraced picture I think its a spot of deflex and not a hinge imo

[toomanyknots]

"To me after looking at the unbraced picture I think its a spot of deflex and not a hinge imo"

Ya, I'd say so too, looks good to me.

[George Tsoukalas]

Looks very good. Jawge

[Gordon]

Toast the belly and flip up the tips a bit more - Hazelnut responds well to heat treating.

[Del the cat]

How wide is it? I'd go pretty wide and expect some set if it's not heat treated.
My fave Hazel bow isn't heat treated, has  lost a few pounds and taken a lot of set, (no crysals)  but still spits 'em out fast .(built in early 2009 and had a lot of use)
Del

[dwardo]

Thanks for the advice all. I hope these step by step tiller shots will help others out too. I hope to post all of the "local woods" bows as i go over the next few weeks/months.

I tillered it out to about 21 last night. Set isnt too bad at the "moment", less than an inch so far and i have been making a point of exercising it a lot.
I will post a few more pictures of the tiller later and then get the heat gun out. Its pretty wide 2" at the fades then 1,3/4 about mid limb with a taper to the nocks.
Feels very light in weight this bow.

[Del the cat]

I tillered it out to about 21 last night.

You mean 9pm ? 
Del

[Holten101]

Looks good to me. And I dont think its hinging on the right limb....unbrace indicates a deflex not hinge imo.

I have real bad experience with hazle, no matter how I tiller them they develop chrysals on hunting weight bows....I have started a new one and is going for at least 70" to avoid chrysals. So...based on my own experince I might induce more bend in the outer limbs to distribute compression on your bow.

Hazle makes really fast bows tho:-)

Cheers

[Del the cat]

Just finishing a 40# hazel semi pyramid... I'll post when it's done.
Del