Hickory Backing, would this work?

[Craig/Fl]

The few bows that I have made are boo backed osage with the exception of one i did with hickory. After a short while it developed a splinter so I basically gave up on it. I would like to back my next bow with snake skin but don't  what to cover up some nice bamboo so I was thinking of using hickory again. I was thinking if I backed the hickory with silk before adding the snake skin it may hold down any splinters, would something like this work or would I have to much stuff on the back of the bow?

[knightd]

Yes it would work.. You could also put a raw hide backing on it then cover it with a set of skin's..

david

[sailordad]

well the s ilk should help hold down splinters and maybe add add a degree of safety to a board bow.
the snake skins would be simply for aesthetic reasons.
i would use thin rawhide instead of silk though,but thats just me

[Craig/Fl]

Thanks, I've never used rawhide before but I know I've read about it in one of my books before so I should be able to find out how to apply it. Can any recommend a source for it. Thanks again, Craig

[burn em up chuck]

either way would work, silk is lighter. go to archives section and check out gordons D bow build along. he shows how to put silk on.

                                                           chuck

[adb]

If your hickory backing strip is appropriate, you shouldn't have to back it with anything. Make sure it's from quarter sawn stock, with the grain running the full length of the strip with no run off, and it will not lift any splinters. Then, you can cover that with skins. You shouldn't have to back a hickory backing with silk or rawhide, if it's the right piece of wood. In my opinion, hickory is the best backing material there is.

[Pat B]

Hickory is an excellent backing material. I have made many hickory backed bows and never had a backing or glue failure. For your own piece of mind, silk, linen or rawhide will help hold down splinters. I am partial to rawhide but have used the other materials with success.
  I see you live in Florida. Google goat rawhide. There is a tannery that processes goat leather in South Fla. They also have goat rawhide which is excellent for backing. It is thin and strong like deer rawhide.
  How and where did your previous hickory backing splinter? Studying bow failures will give you more insight into the properties of the different materials and woods we use to build bows and will in turn help you make educated choices on your future projects.  .
 

[Craig/Fl]

Thanks all, I think I'll just use the silk, its easy enough to use and its more of a peace of mind measure as I haven't done any of these in quite a while and would hate to waste a set  of snake skins if the should break.
Pat B, that's some very interesting stuff about the goat rawhide, I'm definately going to look into it for future projects.

[George Tsoukalas]

Burlap, silk and linen are what I've used on boards. There's much more on my site including choosing a board. Jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/