Osage vs Yew??? why not Hickory vs ???

[Danzn Bar]

I did not want to highjack Will H's post (Osage vs Yew) but why does it seam that Hickory takes a back seat to a lot of other bow woods ??  I think I remember reading in TBB  IV that a 1999 Mojam Tim Baker produced the number 1 & 2 bows from Pecan which is very close to pignut hickory.

[Weylin]

Sounds like you set yourself up as the volunteer!  Show us what Hickory can do.

[steve b.]

He also mentions, in TBB 1, a great bow made from douglas fir.  Point being, every tree, and every stave, is different, and broad-stroke judgements cannot be made about wood species.   That's the beauty of this craft, IMO, that every tree has potential to be a great bow and therefore the possiblilities are endless.

[Will H]

I really wasn't trying to make it about Osage vs yew. I was just trying out a new wood compared to my own personal standby. Some awesome bow can be made from hickory.

[Danzn Bar]

I wasn't trying to make a contest out of it........................Just wondering why more boyers don't use hickory?  Or maybe it doesn't seam like hickory is discuss here as much as osage.  It seams to be very forgiving and very high preforming if dry.

[Weylin]

My first bow is hickory. I like it a lot. I live in western oregon where it is very wet for most of the year so I only shoot it for a few months out of the year so that it doesn't take set from the moisture. That and the fact that it grows on the opposite side of the country from me is why I don't make bows from it. But the hickory bow that I do have shoots great. I  mostly use yew, oceanspray, vine maple and hazelnut among others because they are local and tolerant to the moisture.

[_Jon_]

We love Hickory at Twin Oaks.  We have about 80-90 we gonna get ready for the Boy Scouts and the Tennessee Classic.  First bow I ever made was a Hickory Bow about 8 years ago at the Classic.  I'm looking forward to making one next year for myself.  I don't currently own a Hickory, cause I make em and give away to friends and family.  Currently making a Yew and Sea Grape.  Just trying different woods. 

[Del the cat]

I don't use Hickory, 'cos it doesn't grow over here
Del

[JonW]

I only make "shortish" bows for myself. Hickory is my second choice of wood ( behind Osage) for the bows I make. If you like hickory try a shortie with some sinew on it. Good stuff.

[Pappy]

Hickory makes a fine bow ,no doubt, just tiller slow and  get and keep it dry
through the process. I think it responds to dry heat really well if you aren't making really server bends,then I would steam or boil. I have flipped the tips on a few  with out a problem but am always worried about it breaking  or at least flaking up on the grain when I do it.
   Pappy

[George Tsoukalas]

Hickory is as close to indestructible as a bow wood can be. When I make a bow, I like to take long slivers of the wood and try to break them in half. I can with any other bow wood I've used. I just can't with hickory. Long, thin slivers just won't break. They fold but still stay together. Tough stuff. It just really has to be dry before you use it. 6-8% moisture content is ideal. Jawge

[blackhawk]

Why not?...cus hickory sucks...literally..lol. its just another piece of junk whitewood,but requires more babying from high humid climates

[rossfactor]

Hawk you are really drinking the cool-aide man  .  I posted above but here it is again, at least for Shagbark hickory, the stuff is harder to break in tension than Osage, and when dry has almost the same crushing strength (meaning it will take as little set as 'Sage).  All in a lighter (mass) package. Although, the keeping it dry thing is a bummer since the wood really soaks up the water.

Gabe

[Buckeye Guy]

How would a fellow prove that Hickory sucks up moister more than Osage ?
Or that Osage won't tolerate the summer heat as well as Hickory does ?
So many variables so little time !
You can't make bows if you don't have the wood !!
Have fun with whatever wood the good Lord provides !!
Merry Christmas to all !!
Guy

[Bryce]

Bc hickory is a sponge.