Working the back of ERC.....

[TurtleCreek]

  I plan on beginning work on an ERC stave that I am going to back with either rawhide or sinew(haven't decided yet).  I would like to work the sapwood down to a thickness that would still have a good amount of heartwood showing on the belly when the piece is complete.  Getting to my question, if backing with rawhide or sinew, how important is it that the back be one perfectly worked growth ring?  Are minor ring violations acceptable if backed and would sinew be a better option if there were some minor ring violations?

[Keenan]

Ryan, The least amount of violations the better. However as you know to chase a ring on ERC sapwood is near impossible.  On cedars I will take a layer down the center and try to hold to the one ring as best as possible then work them out towards the edges. It's a little easier to see that way. Sinew would be best IMHO but raw hide would work as well

[Pat B]

You'll have to be careful with ERC because the sap and heartwood seem to blend in the bottom few layers of sapwood. Heartwood inclusions into the sapwood are not uncommon. Rawhide is an excellent backing for ERC. Sinew will be also but is way more work and unless your bow is short enough to get all the goodie from the sinew IMO sinewing is more work than is needed. I save sinew for sinew backed bows and not just to make a bow safer.

[blackhawk]

I've made two bows out of ERC. First was a longbow,and I planed the sapwood down flat,and glued on a hickory backing. And the second one I just posted this month,which was a 54" sinew backed bow. I decrowned the sapwood down to ensure a heartwood belly.

What type of bow/dimensions are you wanting from it? I know some have made unbacked bows,but I don't trust its longevity that way. But I've also never tried an unbacked one either. That's just my opinion that it needs a backing for a longer lasting life.

[TurtleCreek]

I was thinking of making an eastern woodlands style of bow in the 64 to 68 inch range, about 40 to 45 pounds at my 27 inch draw

[Pat B]

A few years ago at one of my camp-o-ramas a guy brought an all ERC sapwood ELB style bow. That thing was amazing. About 45#@28" it shot sweet and had great cast. I bet it didn't physically weigh 3/4# if that.

[TurtleCreek]

That's another thing I was considering Pat B.  This ERC stave has 1 1/2 inches of sapwood on it and it has over 2 1/2 inches of heartwood.  I was thinking of possibly doing a belly split and making a bow out of all sapwood and one out of all heartwood.

[blackhawk]

If you are going to take that route,then id saw it out instead of using splitting wedges. Its soft and easily damaged,plus im not so sure how well it wood belly split...I've never tried it,but it seems like it wouldn't split very well. But I could be wrong. Id still saw it out though

[Pat B]

You will need to back the heartwood anyway because it is brittle so sawing them apart is a good idea. It will be easier to make the back of the heartwood smooth for the backing. Hickory, hard maple or elm would be a good backing for an ERC bow.

[sweeney3]

You can make a bow of that lenght and weight with rawhide fine, pending knots, tiller, etc.  The wood will do it with a rawhide backing.  Get the back as smooth as you can, but like has been mentioned here lately, it's tough.  The rings are very thin, but there is a bit of coloration difference that will help you out.  You'll start to notice it on the first three or four rings that you accidently gouge through.   

The pure heartwood idea sounds really neat, but it will be tougher still to get a solid ring.  If you do get a bow out of that, be SURE to let us know how it goes. 

Incidently, my 66" ERC bendy handle is in the shop getting a touchup application of TB3.  After shooting last night I noticed that the rawhide was starting to seperate a bit along the edges.  Probably from my keeping it indoors with wood heat all winter and not keeping the linseed oil on it often enough.  I'm hoping it comes through alright.  If not, it shoot thousands of arrows and took two deer this past season, so it doesn't owe me anything. 

Good luck!!  ERC is pretty wood!