Leave bark on hickory?

[sweeney3]

Hi all.  Sorry if this has been dealt with previously, but I couldn't find it if it has been.  Do you think it would work to leave the bark on the back of a hickory sapling bow?  I ask because I have seen some neat work with bark left on some other species.  Today I cut a sapling, roughed out the handle, and took it down to floor tiller with a hatchet, then clamed it in reflex to dry for a while.  I left the bark on the back as I think it would be really neat.  It isn't all coarse and brittle yet, though I guess it might be much more so after it dries.  I figured what the heck, it's hickory.  If the bark breaks off, the bow still stands a good chance of surviving since hickory is so tough.  And even if it fails, I have THOUSANDS of hickory staves avaliable here on the place, so no biggie.  What say you all?

[George Tsoukalas]

I left the bark on a bow once. It came loose and the bow broke. It was a hornbeam bow. Jawge

[osage outlaw]

I don't know, but post pictures of the results good or bad.

[SA]

i wouldnt hickory bark breaks pretty easy. try testing a small piece with bark on.

[Pat B]

It is not a good idea. The bows you see with bark on the back have had the bark added and they are specific barks that will work as backings...ie, choke cherry, paper bark birch.  The problem is that the bark will get brittle and when the bark cracks in tension that crack will travel into the wood below.
  You can leave a little of the cambium on the back for a nice camo effect but the back of a hickory stave is almost as strong of a backing as you can get.

[sailordad]

all im gonna say is

take it off while its green,once it dries its a re all bugger
unless you like to spend contless hours with a pocket knife trying to remove it from
all the little vallies and fishers in the back of the bow
not to mention,like pat said,if and when the bark lets loose it will more than likely wreck a bow

[Cacatch]

Do yourself a real big favor and take it all off. If you don't, you will regret it down the road.

CP

[sweeney3]

Ok.  I took it off.  Course, since I just cut it yesterday and it's, for all practical purposes, a winter cut sapling, it didn't peel off real smooth like it would in August or so I'll have to chase a ring later.  That'll be alright though.  It sounds like the consensus is that bark on is a bad idea.  Thanks for the input all.  I'll just keep scraping on my ERC project untill this one gets dried good.

[crooketarrow]

  I will come lose with time, at least mine did.  But you can glue it on like other backing. I once found a hickory that had been hit by lighting. Some of the bark you could peel off some had already came off. I got enough to back two bows. I clamped it betwwen two boards and let it season. I didn't do it for protection just the camo effdect. But I'm sure it would work as a needed backing. Wish I'd gotten more. I was told it you let your hickory stave season then boil it the bark would peel or come off. The guy that told me this said he did'nt know he was told also but had never did it. I've never try this so I don't know if this will work or not. But if you do let us know It's a cool camo.