cherry bark

[warpath]

Greetings all!!!  Has anyone used cherry bark as a backing? I see that Raptor Archery is selling it as a backing option and was wondering if anyone has tried this? I have a nice osage stave that i think it would look great on but I'm a little hesitant. Should i back it with rawhide or sinew or something else first?

   G

[Cameroo]

Lots of people here have used it for backing.  If you do a search you'll probably find some examples.  I believe some have used it over sinew.  As to whether or not you should back it with sinew, that depends more on the design of your bow.  If it's a straight limbed long bow, there's no point in putting sinew on it.  If I has short, reflexed, hard working limbs, you might want to back it with sinew first.

[beetlebailey1977]

This is not and answer to your question, but if you have a nice osage stave why do you want to back it?

[DarkSoul]

Cherry bark is purely aesthetic; it will not add protection to the bow. If the osage stave has a sound back, there's no backing needed so the bark can function as a decorative backing.

[warpath]

The osage that I have will definately need to be backed. I want to make a longbow with it and thought that the cherry bark would add a nice asthetic touch to it. I have plenty of sinew with which to back it and just wanted a different looking bow for my collection. Was hoping that someone with some experience using cherry bark as a backing could possibly give me some tips. Darksoul and Beetlebailey, thanks for the info.
  Cameroo, I was wanting to make a longbow with it for hunting. I think the cherry bark would make for a beautiful and natural cammo bow. Anyone else have any thoughts or suggestions?

   G

[Pat B]

I disagree that cherry bark is only cosmetic. It does give protection and I believe some performance boost. It is very strong so no other backing is needed. I've used it on a few bows and love the look it gives a bow.

[blackhawk]

Can you specifically explain why this piece of woos needs a backing? And what dimensions,draw weight and length are you intending to make? If its because of thin rings that shouldnt matter as long as you chase a ring well on it. Possible pics of the stave?

I think the cherry bark will aid in a little protection,but if your planning on making it a long draw and high weight for its design then it might not be enough.

[warpath]

Pat- Thanks for the info. I think I'll give it a go and order some.

Blackhawk- Here's what I want to do with what I have. A friend cut off a piece of osage for me from a board that he had that is 2 3/4" thick. So he cut me a piece off the end 1" wide. Since the side that had the bark will now be the side of the bow and neither the back nor belly, there's no way to follow a single growth ring unless i want a selfbow that's only 1" wide. I'd much rather a wider bow and use the 2 3/4" as the back and belly. I've had alot of success making osage bows like this by using either hickory, bamboo, or sinew as a backing, but making a selfbow this way hasn't worked out too well for me.
    That being said, I'd like to make a longbow. Length being 72" overall, 70" NTN, and about 67" when strung. Pulling about 55-65lbs @ 31". Again, have had alot of success with other backing materials on osage, brazilian cherry, and purpleheart cut this way, and just wanted to try something different.
  When I figure out how to use my new camera, I'll post pics of what i have to work with and other successful bows made this way.

   G

[blackhawk]

Ahhhh....now that helps..thanks for answering. So your using an edge grained board. Ive never tried backing an edged grain board with cherry bark....but id be a little skeptical of it working...i guess it wood depend on how straight grained your board is. In theory if your board has straight grain it shouldnt need a backing. Photos of what you have wood help a lot in this case.

[beetlebailey1977]

I hope you did not take my comment as being rude...I was just wanting to ask the question.  I fully understand wanting a different look to a bow.  I have seen a few nice cherry bark backed bows.  I can give no info due to my lack of experience in the subject.  Thanks

[warpath]

Blackhawk- I will try to take and upload some pictures later tonight or tomorrow. have to wait for the Mrs. to get home since she's much more proficient with technology than I am. I'll also upload some of a bow i made using edge grain and backed with bamboo.

 Beetle- I didn't feel that you were rude at all. I've made countless numbers of selfbows and now I'm trying out all types of backings and exotic hardwoods. I do agree with you though. I wouldn't back a bow that didn't need it unless a customer asks for it specifically.

  Thanks guys. I love being able to talk about this stuff with people that know what they're doing.    One more thing: i had another post on here the other day regarding Kentucky Coffeewood. Only found one example that was a PA bow of the month. Anyone have any experience with it?

     G

[okie64]

Not tryin to hijack your thread here but since we're talkin about cherry bark I have a question. I've tried to peel the bark off of several black cherry trees during the growing season and I cant get it to slip off in big enough pieces to make a backing out of. So it is a different kind of cherry trees that this backing is made from? I had a chokecherry stave one time that I remember peeling the bark from and if I remember right it spiraled around the stave from top to bottom, maybe thats what people are using???

[Elktracker]

Cherry bark is a great backing and very strong as well, you want the bark that peels from around the three not top to bottom.

Check this out it is a good build allong  http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,2366.0.html

Josh

[okie64]

Thanks for the link elktracker. That is a great buildalong.

[warpath]

elktracker-  Thank you very much. I'm definately going to do this now. I'll post pics when I'm done.

   G