Heat Treating Red Oak

[mikekeswick]

The deal with red oak is it is much stronger in tension than it is in compression. No need to back it at all if the grain is straight. To make a good red oak bow you must even up the woods properties eg. trap the back. Heat treating it is also a good idea as this will help it's resistance to compression.
I've made some great bows from red oak. I made a load of them when I was learning, I was lucky enough to come across a reclaimation yard that had hundreds of red oak boards. So it became my go to wood for a few months. Once I figured out the trapping part the bows were coming out with about 1 inch set and I know a couple are still shooting today years later with little extra set.

[Zedd]

... To make a good red oak bow you must even up the woods properties eg. trap the back...

What do you mean by 'trap the back'?

[Springbuck]

Yeah, neither of the big boxes, nor the local ly owned lumberyards ever stock maple or hickory where I live.  Lucky there is a Lumber Liquidators and a MacBeath's Hardwood store in Salt Lake.

Trapping the back refers to shaping the sides of the limb to a trapezoidal cross section, the back being narrow, and the belly being wider.

[Zedd]

Lucky there is a Lumber Liquidators ...

I didn't think of Lumber Liquidators, which of the brands do you prefer? Also, do you have to buy an entire bundle?