Hackberry build along

[SLIMBOB]

It’s ring porous. Chasing a ring on it is like chasing lunar rings on Osage. Tough to say the least.
That should have read NOT ring porous. It’s diffuse porous.

[Deerhunter21]

Ok guys just broke theough my bow building wall! Got it to where um almost going to toast it. Just need to finish the outer left side of the limb. I decided no caul as it already has enough reflex. Heres the tillering pics.

[bownarra]

wow.. they sure look like rings..haha... Is hackberry like hornbeam?...

No, completely different

[bownarra]

Your tillering string should be much shorter. I like mine tight to the belly so I have to flex the stave slightly to get it in the grooves. Too long a string makes the limbs bend differently.
You are off to a good start with the bow.

[SLIMBOB]

Agree...and that difference in bending CAN cause you to come in under your target weight.

[Parnell]

Not trying to be a pain here, but from that second picture it appears like there isn't a solid growth ring chased for the back?  Just want to bring it up in case...If Clint says it's good then I'm sure it is.

I did a Hackberrry bow early on and didn't have the back perfectly chased.  There was a thin spot in the ring and it wasn't perfectly sanded smooth.  Eventually it broke.

Good luck with it.

[Deerhunter21]

ok ill make the string shorter.

Parnell, im kinda confused. ill check it. but how can you see that with a bad pic like that? what makes you think that? thanks

what type of heat gun should I get?

[Mafort]

Hackberry is similar to elm and steam bends extremely easy. However if you steam bend it let it dry completely before roasting as you’ll cause cracks due to moisture leaving the wood too quickly. Best bet would be wide limbs and narrow handle like it’s shown. It’s definitely a good smelling wood when it’s heat treated and I usually do so over a cut down paint can with some very hot coals on the bottom. Hope this helps

[Deerhunter21]

this definitely  helps mafort!

[Pat B]

Russell, if you are gonna buy a heat gun get something like a Wagner. About $35 if I remember correctly. The cheap Harbor Freight guns have been known to burn out prematurely.
 Also, if you shellac the back before steaming or boiling you can prevent the drying cracks while it's drying. I use Bullseye spray shellac. About $8 to $10. Canned shellac has a shelf life but not the spray that I have noticed. Shellac flakes last indefinitely but you have to mix what you plan to use. I keep spray shellac on my work bench all the time. Never know when you'll need it. I spray the back of every bow I chase a ring on, no matter how long it's been drying. I've had staves that have dried for 10 or more years check when I exposed a new back ring.

[Parnell]

I was looking at these areas...just want to make sure it's not a ring violation or anything that could give you a hard time and ruin your time and effort.

[Deerhunter21]

hmm, you right. ill check that but i think that's just the cambium scraped away. i'm pretty sure he just took the bark off.

so do i need to boil or steam the bow before i heat treat??? or can i just heat treat it right away without doing that?

[Josh B]

 You only need to steam or boil hackberry if you're doing some extreme bends.  Hackberry bends readily with dry heat.  That looks like a good clean stave.  So if you're just needing to induce a little reflex and toast the belly you can do that in one step with dry heat, a caul and some clamps.  Be careful not to accidentally toast the back in the process.

[Josh B]

Sorry, I didn't see the part where you said it had enough reflex already.  Yep just toast it nice and slow.  Without the caul reflecting the heat back towards the back, there's a lot less chance of charring the back anyway.

[Deerhunter21]

ok got the bow Heat treated, about 2.7" of reflex and one side is .5" lower than the other but I would call this a success! gonna let it rest for 3 days then getting back into it!