Chasing rings on black cherry

[BowEd]

Got a rain day from collecting up firewood here.It's a bit different or a challenge chasing rings on black cherry than other staves.Might be better getting and edge grain board.Did it long ago and did'nt mention it but will here now.It's a sketchy wood to make a bow from.Very convoluted and dippy with multiple undulations throughout it's length.A tear drop scraper is a must.Takes me quite a bit longer than any other wood I've fooled with.Granted I'm chasing about 8 thin rings of sapwood off too which takes time in itself.Good thing is it is'nt as hard as osage and it's rings are thick enough to make a few mistakes.No pourus wood between the rings since it's diffuse pourus.I plan on just using rawhide on the back on this one.
Has anyone else chase rings on this type wood?
Got a pic.Hard to show exactly what I mean.Got a little over half of it done.

[JW_Halverson]

Cherry is a ring diffuse wood, right?  Wow, ambitious, Ed. But I like the look of the undulations.

[BowEd]

Yes JW it's diffuse pourus they call it.Have you fooled with it?

[Bob Barnes]

looks like something to take slow... my eyes aren't very good but the picture makes it look like the growth rings are nice and wide but that the "Very convoluted and dippy with multiple undulations" part is the side of the stave...?   

[BowEd]

First picture is of the back showing undulations.Finished chasing a ring today showing the back here.I removed 10 thin sapwood rings totaling 3/8" thick.I went to first heartwood ring.Heartwood rings were thicker.A sharp tear drop scraper is a must.As much of a challenge as any yew rings I've chased because of it's multiple undulations and concavities.I did'nt trust violating all those humps making it flat on the back.
I want to try to just use rawhide on back this time around.Need to balance the limbs profile with steam first.

[Bob Barnes]

that is cool!  In the first picture it just looks like the growth rings show on the end and that they run from the back towards your hand... I would think getting rawhide on that back would be a chore as well... looks good so far. 

[BowEd]

It'll be a challenge at least for me that's for sure.I got some nice goat rawhide that I specifically left the epidermis on to get a translucent affect hopefully.

[Will B]

That is a really unique back on that bow. Good luck with it. Can’t wait to see the end result with the rawhide backing.

[sleek]

Ed, please be careful. Unless you are hard backing with wood or sinew, I wouldn't even want to be around that bow when pulled. It explodes with violence and without warning. I got smacked a good one with a black cherry. Once bit......

[BowEd]

It does look intimidating being a more brittle type wood.I've broke bows before,but all on the tillering tree.Red cedar was the most impressive.No warning....No tick....Just ka...blam.A little loss of weight reduction at full draw warning things are breaking down.Busted my digital weight scale in the process......lol.
I've still got 1 more stave of this stuff left.

[osage outlaw]

That's an impressive job of chasing a ring on that contoured back.  How many hours did it take?  Good luck with the build.

[BowEd]

A good 8 hours for sure.
If I remember right it does'nt split naturally very well at all.I resawed staves of it on the band saw.It behaves very well while drying though staying straight with not too bad of propellers.
Sapwood is a good 3/8" thick.Back on this is smoother and does'nt have near the degree of undulations and concavities.

[bjrogg]

I’ve never tried it for bow wood. It’s a very pretty wood. I have used it for other wood working projects. I hate running it through a planner. It loves to tear out chunks. Run it through the opposite direction and it tears out chunks in a different spot
Bjrogg

[BowEd]

Yes....I can believe that.Probably better to go through a drum sander making furniture wood from it.It's a type of wood that improves in looks with age just with finish on it.
Chasing too many rings at a time with draw knife will pull chunks up too.Even 1 ring at a time but usually not through the next ring below.A combination of draw knifing/using draw knife as a scraper and the use of a tear drop scraper does the job on a long taper taking 1 ring at a time down.
If someone has been down this road with this stuff I'm all ears as to their outcome findings.
Don't get me wrong I believe a bow ought to be safe and don't have a morbid tendency of just seeing wood fly in all directions in small pieces.

[DC]

You're a better man than I am Ed I'd put a 10' extension on my tiller rope