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Author Topic: Cherry stave cracking  (Read 4943 times)

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Offline Mo_coon-catcher

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Cherry stave cracking
« on: February 04, 2015, 11:37:50 am »
I have a cherry stave that I have roughed out since a friend wanted a cherry bow and I just cut the tree a little over a week ago. It had some cracking from when I split it out. Which I found that cherry splits nothing like other woods I've worked with, in that it seems like the wood likes to crack and split everywhere. The drying opened up these cracks some more. Though it hasn't added any. I've already decided to start another that I feel more comfortable about giving him, especially since this is his first bow. Think this one has a chance of holding up with the cracks and splits glued shut and wrapped? I plan to still try it and see how it holds up or if it'll even take a bend. The pic with the coffee mug, the mug is marking where the splits stop, starting from the tip. They all go clear through. All tips on getting it to hold is appreciated. I've got about 15 staves of the stuff, though it all has some pretty extreme prop twist. So I'm not too worried if this one doesn't hold up. I will say, this wood is very light in the hand.

Thanks,
Kyle
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Stringman

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Re: Cherry stave cracking
« Reply #1 on: February 04, 2015, 12:40:31 pm »
Cherry is extremely brittle and lacks tension strength. Personally, I would rather use it to smoke my ribs with than make a bow from. However, if you do have success, it's gonna be purty! Good luck!
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Cherry stave cracking
« Reply #2 on: February 04, 2015, 12:44:31 pm »
Id suggest another wood. Maybe elm, oak, white ash or even maple?
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Offline SLIMBOB

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Re: Cherry stave cracking
« Reply #3 on: February 04, 2015, 01:19:38 pm »
My love affair with it ended after all the break ups. I too dealt with the checks that appeared out of nowhere that ran clean thru the stave, the sap pockets, and worst of all, it's  tendency to explode without warning.  Seen others on here that finished out nicely, so it can be done. 
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Offline missilemaster

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Re: Cherry stave cracking
« Reply #4 on: February 04, 2015, 01:46:35 pm »
Cherry is no good for bows.
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Offline adb

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Re: Cherry stave cracking
« Reply #5 on: February 04, 2015, 02:42:52 pm »
Quote from: missilemaster on February 04, 2015, 01:46:35 pm
Cherry is no good for bows.

What!?? Rubbish! Cherry will make a fine bow. I've made several, both board and stave. It does tend to chrysal if you're tiller is not spot on. Cherry has very low hysteresis, and if you can get a bow to survive, it will be one of the sweetest and fastest bows you'll ever shoot.
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Offline Auggie

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Re: Cherry stave cracking
« Reply #6 on: February 04, 2015, 02:51:10 pm »
I have to agree with misslemaster, cherry is not good for bows. Id rather have a piece of red oak, and i dont like it either
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Cherry stave cracking
« Reply #7 on: February 04, 2015, 03:01:40 pm »
Im sure the variance from state to state and country to country plays a huge roll. The type of cherry does as well. I would ASSUME choke cherry is much stronger than wild black cherry. But like Auggie says, Id grab red oak over our local black cherry, and I don't like red oak either!
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Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline adb

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Re: Cherry stave cracking
« Reply #8 on: February 04, 2015, 03:27:06 pm »
I've made bows from both choke cherry and black cherry. The choke cherry was staves and did seem more willing to bend. It checked badly, regardless of what I did to it, but I didmanage to get one bow out of it. Black cherry was boards, backed with maple and ash. Of all the bows I've made from cherry, not one has broke, either during tillering or after. Mind you, you can't ask too much from it. Most I've done is 40#, all flatbows with non-bendy handle. I made a 35# flatbow for a woman in 2006, and she still shoots it regularly. Looks as good as the day I made it.
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Offline Scottski

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Re: Cherry stave cracking
« Reply #9 on: February 04, 2015, 03:44:54 pm »
So the wild cherry tree my brother cut down in his yard and saving for me WON'T MAKE A GOOD BOW?
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Offline SLIMBOB

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Re: Cherry stave cracking
« Reply #10 on: February 04, 2015, 03:47:41 pm »
With a backer, I figure it would be fine. Maybe better than fine. But as it's own back, I have found it to be far to brittle for my taste.
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blackhawk

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Re: Cherry stave cracking
« Reply #11 on: February 04, 2015, 03:52:29 pm »
Staying on topic and concerning the piece of wood the op has shown I'd say that piece is toast,firewood,smoking wood,etc...the first pic shows checks running off the edge that go pretty far into the limb..... If I'm gonna waste my time with cherry its gonna be a flawless looking piece of wood with no obvious defects seen. And then its best to back most all cherries IMO. I also wouldn't give someone who's never owned or shot much natural material bows a cherry bow. I'd use a well known proven durable wood that can withstand rookie human errors etc....
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Stringman

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Re: Cherry stave cracking
« Reply #12 on: February 04, 2015, 04:25:12 pm »
^^ yeah like ERC for example!!

Bwaahahaha!!!
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Cherry stave cracking
« Reply #13 on: February 04, 2015, 06:43:33 pm »
Zip it Stanberry!  :)
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Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline Mo_coon-catcher

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Re: Cherry stave cracking
« Reply #14 on: February 04, 2015, 07:15:24 pm »
I found a piece is Osage in the shed that I forgot was there. So I think I'll turn it into a bow for him. It's not a very big piece but I should be able to get about 1 1/4" width out of it. I'll probably use that piece of cherry to smoke some fish this summer.

Kyle
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