Chasing ironwood rings...

[Montréal Steve]

hey all,

(my first post. I'm from Montreal, Quebec. Any other Québecors here?)

I just got some sweet ironwood logs (Ostryus Virginiana). They were outside tho for about 6 months, before my friend notified me of their existence. They are about 10 - 12 inches in diameter. Very big.

The outer wood looks a bit rotten and there's for sure a bunch of bug damage. However the inside looks very nice.

How in the deuce can we chase these rings when they are so thin and so unclear? any suggestions? rubbing it with some kind of oil or something to highlight the rings? is this a lost cause? I hope to honor this beautiful old tree by turning it into bows...

Thanks for any suggestions!
Steve

[Dauntless]

I'm not a Québécois, but I do live in Quebec city.

I've never worked ironwood (Hophornbeam) but I've chased rings in maple which can be tricky. It helps to play with light direction and light sources to distinguish between rings. Rubbing in a little alcohol should also make the texture pop out a little more.

Be careful with rotten wood, it can go pretty deep and really kill the tension strength of the bow.

[Pappy]

Never really chased any rings on HHB,I know they are very thin in most cases.I always just peel the bark.Also most white woods do do well when left out in the elements for very log,you will probably need to go pretty deep.may conceder getting the rings as close as you can and rawhide or sinew back.Also on questionable wood I will cut out a small piece and give it a bend test,if it is dry rotted it will bust when you bend it very easy. Marc St. on here works with HHB all the time,maybe he will check in with some advice.Good luck. 
   Pappy

[blackhawk]

Not a good idea trying to chase a ring on non ring porous wood with teeny tinny rings....I'd do as pappy suggested and just remove the bad wood,but still follow the humps n bumps of the stave till you hit good wood and rawhide back it...I really don't trust any whitewood that's been laying outside for that long. Also realize sometimes hhb has lil streaky bug trails and red n purple streaks that look like damage but its fine. Pictures of your wood and what it looks like under the bark would help us help you a lot better.

[PEARL DRUMS]

If I was in your shoes I would slat it up and back it with hickory or boo. White woods go FAST sitting on the ground. 6 months is a long time, summer no less.

[Jim Davis]

Another warning here about white woods sitting outdoors. First bow I attempted was from a stave of white ash that had sat under  a porch for a few months. Things looked great until it exploded.

I have however made a successful bow from the heartwood of a dead standing white ash. I have also chased a ring on HHB. Brushing a medium dark stain on the wood helps make the rings visible.

+1 on cutting a test piece to see how much bend it can stand before breaking, and how it breaks. No sense putting a lot of work into the stave if it is bound to break.

Jim Davis

[Jim Davis]

One other thing. Forget the drawknife. A sharpened paint scraper worked well for me. Rings are usually very thin  on HHB. For thicker rings, a rasp is helpful.

JD

[sharpend60]

I also have not worked HHB.
But as others have mentioned, it might be prudent to turn it into lumber.
Then back it with a robust backing.

That was my first thought anyhow.

[lostarrow]

You could try splitting it and use the split edge as the back.If still worried you could back with linen cloth or the like. Like building a board bow from 1/4 sawn but with better grain  continuity.

[Montréal Steve]

wow, great advice all! thanks!
I just got the logs split up and they look pretty clean on the inside, but the outside inch will have to go for sure.

I like the staining suggestion. And using a scraper instead of a meaty draw knife. And backing it seems very wise. I'm off to the butcher's to get some deer legs!

I will season it for a while and then work it. 'll let yall know how it plays out. Next time i'm cutting fresh wood that's way thinner.

Steve

[Pat B]

If the outside inch is rotted the whole log has rot in it and probably not a good choice for bow wood. Six months outside after cutting will ruin any whitewood!!!

[osage outlaw]

I would start over and find some new trees to cut.

[Slackbunny]

The rings on HHB are very thin. I wouldn't bother with it, especially if it had so much material to be removed. You could go through all that work only to find that the wood in the core isn't any better.

I would saw it up into boards, and see what you can do with them. If you can get a decent board out of it, build a board bow and back it with linen or sinew or even another slab of wood like hickory.

I think you are setting your self up for frustration and disappointment after a good deal of work by trying to chase a ring on what you described. But hey, you're the one who can actually see and feel the wood, so follow your instincts, if you think you can get a self-bow out of it give it a try. The worst that can happen is that you end up where you started but a bit wiser and more experienced.

[toomanyknots]

Not a good idea trying to chase a ring on non ring porous wood with teeny tinny rings.

The rings on HHB are very thin.

Although I personally wouldn't touch it myself, (too scared of introducing bugs to my other staves), on the subject of chasing thin rings, I find a good sharp scrapper has made chasing thinner rings a heck of a lot easier for me. As you can take off only a tiny tiny bit of material if you want.

[toomanyknots]

One other thing. Forget the drawknife. A sharpened paint scraper worked well for me. Rings are usually very thin  on HHB. For thicker rings, a rasp is helpful.

JD

Opps, did not read this post before I replied. Well, anyway, I second the scrapper.  I use a cabinet/wood scrapper though, the kind you can get in a metal card form at wood working stores. I have tried the paint scrappers with the handles, and I don't like em. They are too easy for me to take off a bunch of wood or nick the back. The card scrapper, for me anyway, is easier to control.