Hickory heartwood stave

[adb]

I have a beautiful pipe straight 80" hickory stave, but unfortunately it's all heartwood. Anybody with experience in this regard have any suggestions? Back it with rawhide?

[Eric Garza]

My only experience trying to make a bow from hickory heartwood didn't go well. The bow took a huge amount of set, even though it was very well seasoned and my tillering progression didn't overstrain the limbs. I don't think I'd waste any effort on attempting to make a bow from hickory heartwood again. But that's just me, and my biases...

[Ifrit617]

I made a bow with all hickory heartwood that took virtually no set. Mine however was a short native style d-bow that pulled 40# @ 24" and was 55" long. If I was to do another I'd personally overbuild it some and back it only if you want to be extra safe. I kept my stave in a warm car parked in the sun all summer when I wasn't working on it to keep the moisture content really low, and tempered the belly twice. I think that is the key. Shot good and was very pleasant to work. JMHO though and your experience may be different.

Jon

[IdahoMatt]

I have made four from just heart wood.  Only boards though, we don't have hickory in Idaho. I have made one that is 50# @ 28",  it is 70" long and shoots great.  I have put probably two thousand arrows threw her and she still only took about 1.5" of string follow.  I didn't do any heat tempering.  It is a pyramid bow ipwith fades at 1 7/8" tapering strait to 5/16" nocks.  I have a Molly that was one of my first ended up being 35# @ 28".  But shoots great.  I have only had one fail on me and it was because I wanted a shelf , cut it too deep. IMO it's great.  I'm sure you will hear the opposite but just my experience and I am a novice.  These bows I speak of we're my first real bows and I still shoot one every day .   Hope that helps.

Matt

[lostarrow]

 Guided a friend through two hickory board bows  off the same board . Both long bows. in fact , the second was a copy of the first . The first was built in the winter (dry) 40#@28"  .The second ,built in the spring (humid)  30#@ 28"  The second took twice the set that the first did. Both built very slowly with lots of exercising of the limbs.(he babied them far more than I have the patience for) Many bows have been made from Pick axe handles and I don't think much regard was given to heart or sapwood. Usually quite hard to tell the difference ( colour is NOT an indicator on hickory,infact sometimes it downright lies) That dark colour can travel drunkenly back and forth across several anual rings.  If it's got straight grain ,............. make a bow! Seems silly to back a wood that you use to back other more questionable woods, doesn't it? Making sure it's dry is the key to little set  from the few I've had experience with. Looking forward to seeing the results!

[mikekeswick]

Here in the uk we get all the boards you USA types don't want.....
Plenty of the hickory available here in half heart half sap....pure sapwood boards can be hard to find.
Heartwood works just fine in my experience i've never had a single problem with it.
Hickory takes set when it's too wet and the back is too wide for the belly.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I made a 45#, 62" hickory heartwood board bow for my kid a few years ago. It still works as far as I know. He gave it to a friend. Its quite light weight.

[adb]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, I appreciate it!

[Lukasz Nawalny]

I love work with hickory heartwood, not so dense like white wood but lighter and very elastic, need very low humidity before work. It is my last hickory heartwood, backing sinew bow.