Cool, i love hawthorn as a bow wood. You can take the bark off if ya want but make sure to seal them real good if you do, cuz they will split on the ends and sometimes along the side. KEEP THEM WHOLE! If you rough them out and then keep em in the corner they'll warp like crazy. If you want to rough them out and then clamp em that's an option too. Good luck, hawthorn is a really great wood! Can be tough to dry tho...