Finally some bow wood available

[paleryder]

As of late, I've been lost in the Menard Forest. It has treated me well but I'd like to make a bow from a cut tree. It looks like I might have a real tree or trees available for bows. A local landowner is clearing a wooded area. I looked into it and told him what I would do with the trees if he let me have them. He said he had some cherry that was already cut and more to come. There are a couple of 8 foot pieces already on the ground. Here's a pic of one:



My hand span is about 10" and it just fits the diameter of the log. He has some other trees still standing. Not sure what species this is. Any idea? Good for bows?

Well, the real treat is he mentioned he had a bunch of hackberry trees but, he said, "You wouldn't want any of that." He has a lot and I think I can have as much as I want because he has no use for it. Here's a tree I found that is standing:



Here it is upclose:



I'm happy. I've never workd with hackberry. If I cut this down, can I just split it out and let it set or do I need to debark it too? If I debark it, do I have to seal the back or just the ends? Thanks.

Todd

[osage outlaw]

I would be very cautious of the stuff that was already cut.  It looks like in the picture of the Cherry log that the bark has started to slip on it.  White woods go bad very fast if left out after being cut.  That hackberry tree looks great.  Wait to cut it until the sap is running good so the bark will peal off easily.  I always seal the backs of staves when I remove the bark no matter what type of tree it is.  I did experiment on hackberry the last time I cut it.  I sealed all the staves except for one.  It did not check.

[paleryder]

Outlaw,

I did notice that some of the heartwood in some of the other cherry pieces were already apparently eaten by bugs. This log looked decent but I will look for one that is not yet cut.

As for the hackberry, what did you use to seal it? If you seal it, do you then have to go down a ring in order to remove the sealant or are you preparing the back completely before sealing or is it a sealant that doesn't need to be removed?

Thanks for the advice on harvesting. I may be able to put off the harvest for a week or two but that's probably about it.

Todd

[Granite Mtn]

Just use shellac two or three coats works perfect!

[mikekeswick]

Leaving it a little longer will make the bark easier to 'peel' off but don't worry about that! If you only have a week to cut that tree just do it. There looks to be many good staves in it.
For sealing just buy some cheapo pva woodglue, water it down a little or use neat. I find it's the cheapest alternative and it's effective.
To remove it later just a little sanding will do.

[sleek]

Be careful with that Cherry. I had a cherry bow almost rip my nipple off when it blew at full draw. The tiller was off a bit,but not enough to justify a break on any other wood. It was even backed with silk. Im just saying, cherry is scary.

[Pappy]

Good looking Hackberry,should make many good bows,I do like Mike on the sealing but do like to cut in the late spring if possible. Makes getting the bark off a breeze with no worries of damaging the back,but cut when you can. Just don't cut it till you can care for it,like Osage said white wood goes bad very quick on the ground and out in the open.
Pappy

[paleryder]

Thanks, Gents. I may pass on the cherry since there is quite a bit of hackberry available. I'll see if I can put the cutting off another few weeks. I don't need it right now anyway. Still have a couple of board bows in the works. I have no idea why the picture of the cherry log disappeared. I did not delete it. Hmmm.

Todd

[Marks]

Get em both. You can always get rid of the cherry later if you dont like it. We have hackberry coming out our ears around here.

[autologus]

Go ahead and get the cherry you can always use it for handle build ups and tip overlays.

Grady

[tom sawyer]

I understand that cherry can be pretty brittle, you'll want to make those bows plenty long and wide.

Hackberry is a good bow wood.  Its lightweight and makes a snappy bow, maybe doesn't last as long as the denser woods.  When I cut a hackberry I removed bark and only sealed the ends and didn't have any cracks on the back.

[Prarie Bowyer]

That cherry mayhave other gret uses....    Just saying.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Gotta be some Hop Hornbeam in that mix. The 3 species generally live next door. I think I can see one in the pic?

[Slackbunny]

Take the cherry! It gets a bad rap for being brittle, but it makes a sweet shooter when you get it right. Its just a little stubborn sometimes.

[Marks]

Gotta be some Hop Hornbeam in that mix. The 3 species generally live next door. I think I can see one in the pic?

I need to figure out how to ID that stuff.