Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: youngbowyer33 on October 03, 2009, 03:48:01 pm
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I cut down some cherry at the beginning of august, made a very lightweight bow from part of it(which snapped a week or 2 ago), and had another thicker piece left,it was pretty short at 51 inches, but i decided to try and make it into a sort of stave. well i made it into a stave at the beginning of september, and let it dry. It dried with a couple of inches of reflex which came out during tillering(which wasn't very successful). Its got one big knot and a couple of other smaller ones, the big one being right in the middle a limb. I havent weighed it, but its probably somewhere around 10# @ 20". came out lighter than i wanted it to because i had trouble with the tiller and eventually stopped and called it done. pretty ugly, string alignment is off, but it was fun to tiller and my first reflexed stave. and yes im sorry no pics just yet
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A few months seems a bit soon to be dry enough for a bow, do you weigh the stave to makes sure it's dry?
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nope, but it wasent good enough to make sure it was completely dry, and i messed up the length it is actually 46"
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Well, your havin fun that's what this is all about. Keep after it!!
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Working with imperfect wood will teach you more than working with nice clean wood will,
it will also teach more patience which is one of the hardest things to learn :)
I admire your determination :) BTW the cherry isn't a very strong wood ;)
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thanks, and i just figured i would try it, i think its a bit slugish
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thanks, and i just figured i would try it, i think its a bit slugish
Probably still wet, cherry if it survives will make a light fast bow :)
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oh good ill let it dry more
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This is what Tim Baker has said about cherry.
"CHERRY, black .50. Diffuse-porous. Grows tall and straight. A “bright” wood, taking little set, and probably having less hysterisis/returning less sluggishly than any other common bowwood. Cherry is so light and brash it’s almost too touchy for bow wood, but once made, a cherry bow is unusually sweet and fast shooting. If the stave tree was smaller than about 5” in diameter or bow limbs wider than 2” it’s best to decrown. A thin, properly applied rawhide backing makes cherry as safe as any unbacked wood. On the other hand, Paul Rodgers, a nearby bowmaking friend, made a lumberyard board bow, about 64” by about 1 ˝”, about 55lb at 28”. It’s still shooting after several years of use, still surprisingly straight-limbed and fast. This bow represents the good extreme. Sapwood takes more set in compression than heartwood. "
But it has to be dry, remember it takes roughly a year per inch to dry. Less time of course if you rough out a stave to near bow dimensions, but we're still talking months. The best way to tell is to monitor the weight, when the weight stabilizes it's dry, even then keeping it in a hot box will maintain good MC.
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Great advice Dano :)
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Hey guys, if we are talking cherry...I have a couple of pieces and was thinking of backing with either Ash or Maple (I have some of either)..Anyone tried those combos?
Should make a real pretty bow, but I want it to be fast too. Is the Ash too strong for the Cherry?
Del
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I made an Ash backed Cherry about a year ago, it's a really good combination, just make sure the Ash isn't too thick or it'll cause compression failures in the Cherry
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I made an Ash backed Cherry about a year ago, it's a really good combination, just make sure the Ash isn't too thick or it'll cause compression failures in the Cherry
Cheers, Ash is then :)
Del
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AHOY I CAN TELL U FIRST HAND CHERRY IS TOUGH TO WORK WITH ESPECIALLY WHEN WET ANY SLIGHT DEFECT AND U'D BETTER WATCH URSELVE UPON TILLERING! I CAN SAY I WORKED WITH IT TO KNOW EVEN IF THE GRAIN LOOKS GOOD WITH NO DEFECT OR KNOTS WHEN IT DOES BREAK IT WILL REVEAL HIDDEN KNOT TREASURES THAT WILL RUIN UR DAY WHEN UR CUTTING IT UP FOR FIREWOOD!!! ID LOVE TO SEE SOME PICS OF CHERRY BOWS WITH ASH BACKING MUST LOOK NICE!!! GOOD LUCK WITH USING CHERRY IF ALL ELEMENTS WORK THEN IT WILL MAKE A LIGHT FAST AND SNAPPY BOW!!!
CHEERS!!!
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I have a love hate realtionship with cherry. When I get a bow made from it, it is always a nice, snappy shooter. But it can be a bear to work with some times. Lots of hidden surprises in the wood.