Hickory Board Buildalong

[Newbowyer]

I decided to do a buildalong because I need help. Lots of it. This is just my second bow, my first one went great so I was inclined to build another.

Should I be worried about the knot? I can get about a good 70 inch section of this 9 foot board ( Originally thought it was that only has like 4 pea sized knots. My question is the best section of the board has this knot in it ( big one in pic) .  Will it affect my bow?  I can use other parts of the board but they arent as good.

Is there such a thing as too thick of growth rings?


Knot area unusable. Yay or neigh?

 is it possible to get the bow to almost final tiller, if I like enough I can buy some boo and glue up some reflex or do I have to glue up reflex before I tiller. I realize if I backed it with boo I would have to re tiller but I dont want to use boo if I dont know the bow will survive?


Thanks! Hopefully I get some stuff done with it this weekend.

[bullcreekboy]

CC, I am not an expert on board bows. The first bow I made was an unbacked board bow but I haven't made one since. I have made some bamboo boo backed ipes and some bamboo backed osage bows though. Hickory is some pretty tough stuff when it comes to tension strength. I have heard of guys getting away with a lot grain wise on a hickory board. You could get that piece floor tillered and bending nicely and then back it with another piece of hickory and glue up some reflex in it. I have heard that people have had mixed resulted with backing hickory with boo. I have heard the boo will over power the hickory but that is only what I have heard.   

[Newbowyer]

So it would be hickory backed hickory?

Is backing it with silk or linen an option? Or should I just leave it unbacked?

The rest of the board has quite a few little knots. The one in picture is the biggest one.

[D. Tiller]

I just got done building a laminated Hickory backed Yellowheart longbow that pulls 65# at 28". Shoots them really well and the rings are violated numerous times on the back of the bow. I would say if its hickory you can get away with this up to arround 65#. Dont think I would push the wood farther thant that with ring violations though.

Best thing, if you are worried about it, back it with silk or some other backing. It may save your bow from blowing out on you. From what I understand these types of backing are best for stopping wood from blowing under tension.

D. Tiller

[bullcreekboy]

CC,
Yeah that is what it would be. A hickory backed hickory. I have heard of that before. That would be a good way to glue in some perry reflex.

[Newbowyer]

Maybe I will do that. I will try to get pics up of rest of board. I might cut it out and draw dimensions out.

I am aiming for 40# @27".  I think I am going to cut it down to 1.5 inches from 1.75. I am goingt to have the fades start 14 inches from tips. Should I have them go down to 3/8 in width and 1/4 in height? I think I will do a stiff handle as well. 64 NTN.

I really appreciate the help! Thanks

[DanaM]

At only 40# I think linen or silk will be more than enuf to keep any splinters down.
Good luck and keep us posted.

Dana

[AndrewS]

I think, it will work without backing. A silk- or linenbacking will make it totaly safe!

[George Tsoukalas]

I don't like any imperfections on my boards. I'd return it. Jawge

[George Tsoukalas]

Also, the grain pattern on that board on the face seems to be all over the place. Take it back and look for a straight grained board  is my advice. Also look at the edge gain. There's a picture of a almost perfect board on my site. Jawge

[medicinewheel]

cc! - if you want a really nice 40#bow back it with hickory and pull it into reflex while gluing it up. i made one like that a while ago. i tillered really carfully and S L O W L Y and i have saved bit over an inch of reflex.
but if it's now problem to return the board and get anotherone that's even better.
frank

[Pat B]

I've never seen hickory with rings that thick. What are the width and thickness dimentions of that stave?  You may be able to remove a backing strip right from that stave, reverse it and glue it back in a Perry reflex.
   Some of Dan Perry's flight shooting bows are hickory backed hickory. He does live in Utah wehere the humidity is almost nothing.   Pat

[Newbowyer]

Taking it back is a problem. Nobody sells hickory but this place, and there selection was not good. It wasnt terrible expensive 10$ for two boards. If you are wondering why I am not using the other one is because it actually cracked on the car ride home from the wood shop ( I have wonderful luck).




Anyway, I am going to go ahead with it. Normally I would take it back if it wasnt far away and if I knew that there was much better boards there.



I was contemplating my what my dimensions would be, I figured it would be alright to trace one limb of my last bow and then trace the same limb again to make it a complete bow. Get it? I marked the middle of the bow to the nearest 1/16 and traced the outline, flipped it around and did it again. I ended going right over the knot pictured above. I looked at it all torn up about what to do then looked at it from the side and realized it wasnt deep at all. In my vast knowledge of bow making  I decied to go over it. So Right now I have everything traced out ready to be rasped down into a bow.

. The knot is very close to the edge, or even on the edge as you can see its less then a ring deep? Or am I wrong?




Here is is being traced.

[Newbowyer]

Jawge, I went to your site and kinda got confused on what type of grain orientation is best. So I made a paint picture.

What orientation is best. Board A or Board B
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l127/jjrb715/Boards.jpg

Board B is on the right, Sorry for tiny pic

[DanaM]

For a board I'd say B, A is more like a stave cut from a tree. "A" can work if ya have a thick enuf piece it would
be possible to reduce it to one growth ring and essentially have a stave. Is this right guys??

Dana