Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: SiongSA on January 28, 2011, 03:09:52 pm
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Hey guys,
I'm currently waiting for all my staves to dry so i'm a little 'board' atm so i was thinking of making a board bow.The thing is that i've been to most of the local lumber yards, warehouses and shops and practically all i can find is pine. The only wood that has any wood quality's was teak and mahogany, i know mahog is shite but teak is on a bow wood list on paleoplanet so is teak anygood? also i saw cherry boards at the builders merchant, i've seen a few cherry bows around, what is cherry like and what are its quality's?
Sion,
South Africa
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Siong,
My experience with cherry is that it is tension weak, but compression strong, and with Cherry I would back it right from the git-go. Linnen, silk, wood, rawhide etc. will do the job. The wood will make a good belly core, so if you can help it not sliver (with a backing) it should make a good bow.
The Teak I have no clue about....sorry.
rich
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like halfeye said back it, I'd trapp it also, and go slow as tiller with cherry has to be perfect, imo, Bub
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I made two cherry board bows, one backed with linen, the other with hickory. Both turned out and shot really well. The hickroy-backed one now belongs to my son, the other I got rid of (wish I still had it). I might have to get another cherry board some time.
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im not sure i would trap a tension weak wood !
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You could trap the belly but yeah trapping the back would be No Bueno.
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about the lack of tension strength, i'm only aiming for 35lbs so wouldn't a self cherry be able to cope with the tension? also what dimensions would i need in cherry for 35lb?
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I've built 3 hickory cherry bows, the reason I said that I would trap is the first bow got a lot of cryshals, and failed very young, on the next 2 I lightly traped the back and had no problem, all 3 pyramids, and I know the cryshals could have been my fault but that's how I attacked the problem, right, wrong or whatever, maybe I just did a better job tillering the last 2 bows, like I said I've only built 3 cherry's so I deffer to experiance, Bub