Has anyone ever successfully left the bark on a working bow?

[dwardo]

Hi All,

I wanted this question to not get lost in my other post.
Has anyone ever left the bark on a bow and gotten away with it?

I have a cherry bow roughed out and dry enough to start with the heat and tiller. The bark is still on, whilst it wouldnt be a big hassle to remove it its so pretty i would like it to stay on but i guess i would be wasting my time?
The cambium looks a little corky so my gut says its gonna flex and pop off anyway?

Experiences please

Leon.

[Pappy]

Yep I would say you are right,I left it on a Hickory sapling once,it worked for a while the cracked and popped off. 
   Pappy

[dwardo]

Its such a nice little stave i dont want the bark to affect the tiller whilst on then throw it out when it pops off, 

Guess its time to get the penknife out, ah well was a nice idea in principal 

[JackCrafty]

I've got a hophornbeam bow with the bark left on.  It was just lightly sanded to take off most of the flakey stuff.  I also have an osage branch bow with the bark on but the bark peeled away on one of limbs near the tip.

[Cacatch]

What about on hackberry? I'd like to leave the cambium on a hackberry but I'm leery of it since I once left the cambium on a hickory bow and ruined it. When the cambium eventually cracked and lifted up, it took a splinter of the whitewood underneath of it with it.

CP

[JackCrafty]

Never tried hackberry with the bark on.

[ErictheViking]

I know the bow on the cover of tbb4 by Tim Baker is a purple plum bow that has the bark left on, but he mentions that it is from a young sapling so maybe the bark needs to be imature. Also John(Blacktail) made a hazel bow with the bark left on to mimic the tbb4 bow. he has it in the new PA issue. dont know how young the bark is though. never done it myself but have a cuple of purple plum sapling staves that I am going to try to copy the same bow with.

[sharpend60]

You'll need to sand the bark to thin it out some.
It will bend more that way.

The disadvantage of keeping the bark on is your wont be able to seem any little nasties on the back of the bow.
But it does look cool as could be.

I'd try it, in fact I think I will.

[Blacktail]

i think if the tree is cut during the winter and the tree is smaller sapling tree  with thin back it will work...i don't know what would happen with heat treating....this got me worked up to try anther one...i know of some home steadier places where there is plum..will have to give it a try again...this just popped into my head..i remember that on some woods that the bark will stay on for a certain draw length..mine was fine out to 20'' of draw after that it started showing cracking in the bark BUT its still staying on today...john

[Del the cat]

Below a work in progress shot...


This is the best I can offer, it's one of my fave' bows (Hazel), taken a fair bit of set, but still shoots surprisingly fast, it's prob' more like 36# now.
There are a few small cracks in the bark, but I don't want to take it of, cos' she's pretty.
Del

[Parnell]

 

[rossfactor]

I did on a plum bow I just made. Worked fine.  but the bow was a 2" diameter sapling so the bark was flexible.









Gabe

[dwardo]

Stunning bows thanks for the input all.
I rekon ill give it a try, there is plenty more out there

I will update the other post when i get some pics, its on the tree at the minute so its bending ok so far..
This is probably our most common Cherry in the UK (Prunus Avium) Its lovely stuff to work so i hope its a good bow wood too.

[Young Bowyer]

Ill be following this, very interesting plum bow by the way