Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Jakesnyder on August 30, 2020, 11:30:20 am

Title: Is this bitternut hickory?
Post by: Jakesnyder on August 30, 2020, 11:30:20 am: It's not as dense as the shag bark I'm used to using.
Title: Re: Is this bitternut hickory?
Post by: PatM on August 30, 2020, 11:35:03 am: Dob't think so. Bitternut stays smoother for a long time. I haven't noticed it being lighter than Shagbark.
Title: Re: Is this bitternut hickory?
Post by: Jakesnyder on August 30, 2020, 11:37:42 am: Any ideas then? It had a compound leaf structure with like 5-9 leaflets.
Title: Re: Is this bitternut hickory?
Post by: gifford on August 30, 2020, 01:15:57 pm: Bitternut Hickory (Carya cordiformis) Bitternut hickory is also known as the swamp hickory. The leaves of bitternut hickory are pinnate, having 7 to 11 leaflets.

Bitternut Hickory can be distinguished from other hickory trees by its bright sulfur-yellow buds, which are covered by a powdery coating.

In lumberman terms Bitternut hickory it is classed as a "pecan hickory" (bitternut, pecan, water hickory, and nutmeg hickory)

Yes, it will make a bow, I made one using the dimensions found in The Bent Stick, a long, wide flat bow. Don't know how it responds to heat treating, I made it long before I knew about that technique. Like all the hickories, it soaks up moisture like a sponge and getting the stave dry and keeping dry will you're working it is a challenge here in Mizzura.
Title: Re: Is this bitternut hickory?
Post by: JW_Halverson on August 30, 2020, 01:28:28 pm: Quote from: gifford on August 30, 2020, 01:15:57 pm

Like all the hickories, it soaks up moisture like a sponge and getting the stave dry and keeping dry will you're working it is a challenge here in Mizzura.

And that's why it is an unbeatable choice for us here in the Dakotas!
Title: Re: Is this bitternut hickory?
Post by: PatM on August 30, 2020, 01:55:47 pm: Quote from: Jakesnyder on August 30, 2020, 11:37:42 am
Any ideas then? It had a compound leaf structure with like 5-9 leaflets.

I am however not familiar with any hickory but Shagbark and Bitternut. What other types grow where you are?
Title: Re: Is this bitternut hickory?
Post by: Bob Barnes on September 10, 2020, 05:27:04 am: may be Mockernut... the leaf sound correct.
Title: Re: Is this bitternut hickory?
Post by: Allyn T on September 10, 2020, 05:34:59 am: Looks like a lot of heartwood compared to sapwood
Title: Re: Is this bitternut hickory?
Post by: Fox on September 10, 2020, 10:18:30 am: Bark doesn't look like hickory to me.... looks to me like either sour wood, gum, or persiman, probly not persiman if its soft, gum and sour wood are soft, and they both have compound leaves sour wood leaves a real shiny too... I dont think either of them would make good bows, but i dunno

-Fox
Title: Re: Is this bitternut hickory?
Post by: Bob Barnes on September 10, 2020, 10:21:52 am: if it's freshly cut, the bark should slip off pretty easy...then you can shellac it but the back will be done.