Thank you dwardo. 45# doesn't seem to bother my shoulder at all so that's the way to go for me this summer.
Jodocus, thank you for the compliment. Cascara is a member of the buckthorn family and is native to the west coast. It is also commonly known as chittem. It's bark was used to make laxative.
Thank you Pappy.
Parnell, I think cascara compares favorably to yew at least in compression. I'm not so sure about it's qualities in tension so I backed it with rawhide as insurance. The wood is softer than yew and when you get down to the sapwood it's a pain to work because it tears so easily.
Thank you Pearl, I appreciate the nice words.
Thank you for the compliment Falcon. I think the skins work well with this bow.
Hey VM good to hear from you. I never thought of decrowning the wood. I would love to see pictures of yours when you have completed it.
Thank you for the compliment stickbender. Cascara us a deciduous tree. It does not grow particularly tall and has long leaves with pronounced veins. The bark is very pungent.
Thank you Josh for the really nice compliment.
Thank you soy, I appreciate the compliment. I too like the contrast between the heartwood and sapwood.
