biggest log you've used for staves? will black locust piggyback?

[richpierce]

I have a 14" diameter black locust log but have never used a locust log that thick before.  I don't think black locust will split out piggyback staves like osage will, so there will be a lot of waste.  Hopefully I will still get 8 staves from it.  If it was osage, I think I could get some very fine piggyback staves.  Anybody ever try piggybacking with other woods?

[Pappy]

I never have but I would say BL would,it has the sap wood like Osage ,all the rest is heart wood so I would think you could do it.Don't know if it will belly off as good as Osage tho.
   Pappy

[tom sawyer]

I've done it with locust and the piggyback split off very easily compared with osage.  I got a better bow from the piggyback stave than the outside stuff.  Seems like the outer part of an older tree has thinner growth rings, I think the growth tends to slow as the tree gets older.  The inner wood is made by a younger tree that hasn't used up its resources or come to a height that makes water/food transport limited.

[Hillbilly]

Locust usually splits easily and cleanly if it isn't real nasty, gnarly, and twisted. It piggybacks with no problems.

[GregB]

I've gotten a piggyback out of hickory before in the early days when I didn't have access to a lot. I think Steve, a guy in our club has also made a hickory bow out of a piggyback. If you can chase the grain on it, give it a try. Don't know how heart wood works out for other woods then osage though.

[snedeker]

Anything you can follow a ring on in the heartwood in black locust is a bow.

[Justin Snyder]

I've gotten a piggyback out of hickory before in the early days when I didn't have access to a lot. I think Steve, a guy in our club has also made a hickory bow out of a piggyback. If you can chase the grain on it, give it a try. Don't know how heart wood works out for other woods then osage though.

You sound like you used to be as bad as me.  Ill piggyback a board if it has good grain to it.    As for the biggest log, where is that picture of my truck leaving Pappy's last year.  Justin

[david w.]

begginer question

What does piggyback mean?

[richpierce]

Piggyback: well a split from a log has a cross-section like a piece of pie.  If the log was pretty big, the distance from the "point" of the piece of pie to the "round edge" might be 6-8".  To say it another way, the stave is 6-8" deep from bark to what was the center of the log.  How much of that is needed to make a bow, even if sapwood is removed?  Maybe 3".  Now if you insert a small pair of wedges along the annual rings in one end of the stave, about 3" from the bark, say at 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock on the same ring, and tap them gently, first one, then the other, you can begin to separate the stave into an outer part, and an inner part.  You can get one bow from the inner part and maybe 2 from the outer part if it's 5" wide or so.



 

[Auggie]

Ive got several from a big BL,gonna try to piggy one to see,hadnt thought of it till I saw this post.

[david w.]

thanks i understand now

[bootboy]

How do you piggy back without ruinning the wood?

[Hillbilly]

The split usually follows the grain if you're careful. Occasionally one will run out on you. The best method is to use a froe-you can control the direction of the split with it. I've piggybacked locust, hickory, ash, mulberry, and osage all with no problems.

[snedeker]

the biggest log I've done was a 34" diameter osage.  Multiple piggybacks on piggybacks

[Sidewinder]

Snedeker...34"? That momma was a beast I'll bet. I guarantee ya that was a chore to remember. Here I was remembering my one and only Hunting the Osage tree adventure and the 17" x 14' matriarch of the riparian ecosystem and you had to come along and tell me about the 500 yr ole girl you enlisted in the makin of meat. Post a bow made from her just for ole times sakes.

Belly splits? Yeah we got some good belly splits outta "The Matriarch". Matter fact, I'm fixin to get another depth cut out of her on several of the staves. The growth rings are quite wide with good early late ratios and I am certain I can band saw them into 1" depths without violating the ring enough to prevent a viable stave. Now all I gotta do is find a band saw. Been using all hand tools and it takes a little longer thatta way

Never seen black locust in the woods I don't think. Most I've seen is honey and Japanese locust Wouldn't mind trying some sometime though. If it was one of the favorite woods of the Cherokee bowyers it has to have some good medicine.

Danny