Heard you guys like character staves...

[Crogacht]

We had a storm and a 15 foot branch came down from a beautiful old 100 year old walnut tree... it's got a bit of character that's for sure, but I wasn't about to let it go to waste. Even got the smaller bits for carving/handles/overlays/footings... you get the picture

The staves are very large still, but with all the knots and bends I don't think I can safely split them any further, but I'm happy.

Any advice... warnings?

[JW_Halverson]

Well, yeah, I guess that qualifies as character! 

[missilemaster]

I'm pretty sure thats not walnut. Knock yourself out!

[Crogacht]

Well it drops walnuts It's an English Walnut though, not a black walnut, which seems to be the more common type.

[okie64]

Well if you say it drops walnuts then that is hard to argue with but it does look more like hickory. Either way its gonna be tough to get a bow outta those staves. Looks more like firewood to me , but if you're feeling froggy go for it.

[mwosborn]

Looks like a challenge for sure - good luck with them!

[Crogacht]

I just realised I didn't actually know what Hickory looked like... we don't really have it around here.

I looked it up and it actually looks pretty similar to english walnut. Maybe it is hickory?... I was going off the leaves and the green nut casings, which look similar in both hickory and walnut. I can't recall if I've seen the actual walnuts themselves on the ground.

I'll have to go and check next time I go past... Hickory would be good though! And it was actually quite difficult to split, so maybe you guys are right

I haven't completed a bow yet so I collect all sorts of horrific staves in the hope that one day I'll be able to use them

[Wiley]

Apparently English walnut will dry to a darker color, i would let them season and see if the color changes. If it is a statistically unlikely hickory, the wood won't darken much as it dries.

Whatever wood it is the nice thing is that most fruit and nut trees will make a bow.

Pecans have been in NZ for something like 100 years, it's so close to a hickory that if a hickory tree and a pecan are next to each other they can produce something called a hican.

[Crogacht]

Well, I went back and dove into the shrubbery and found one of the nuts from the tree. I picked it up and thought AHAH it WAS walnut. But I have since looked up 'hickory nut' on the internet, and they look VERY similar. I have attached a picture of said nut... or the case anyway... do I need to crack this thing open to know the truth??? Or do we need photos of the tree.

Like I said, Hickory is unheard of around here, hence me not knowing what one looks like.

EDIT: I cracked it open with the hatchet... nut was rotten but looks like a walnut.

[Pappy]

Could be I guess but don't looking like any Walnut I have around,looks from the nut to be some kind of Hickory,maybe English walnut,not sure about that. Any way you are right about one thing,it has character. Should make a bow with a lot of thender loving care.
   Pappy

[blackhawk]

Good luck with that ...some might say the only type of wood that is, is firewood 

[Crogacht]

Man... the more I look at walnuts and hickories, the more similar they look. I think I need to go back and collect more evidence... I'll get a decent picture of the tree too.

Haha, yes, most likely firewood, but I'll shave a bit off once it's dry and see if there's any bow wood hiding under the bark