I have a question..

[akila]

Hy gus  someone ask me today iff wild cherry os a good wood for making a bow and i realy dont know whatt to tell him. I hope i wright the name of the tree corectly..wild cherry is that tree that wi eat the fruits right??? sory for the stupid question but i want to be sure.I beleve that its called "prunus avium" in latin.So whatt do you think aboute this wood?? i dont know to much abute this wood..it have sap wood or not, do you have to chase a ring on him??? stuff like that...thks a lot.

[Pat B]

Most fruit trees make good bows. I am not familiar with that particular specie but Prunus serotina is what we call wild cherry. My book calls that sour cherry or pie cherry. Also the root stock is used for grafted "weeping" type cherry trees.     Pat

[akila]

And how this wood should be treated?? is it a hearth wood...it must be chasing a ring on this type of wood or???thks for replay..

[Pat B]

I would treat it as a whitewood bow...a little longer and wider than heartwood bows. If you can't chase a ring a simple backing(ie, silk, linen, heavy paper) should hold it together.     Pat

[akila]

Ohh ic... but this type of wood is it a hearth wood or a hard wood(like ash for ex...)?...i want to ask iff its like osage or black locust...iff requires to chase a ring on this type of wood...sorry to buther you with all this question...

[Pat B]

With most bows, you should try to chase a ring for the back. That is where the strength is. Sometimes it isn't practical so add the simple backing for security.
   Even though this cherry is heart wood it still isn't as strong as osage or locust so overbuild the bow about 15% to 20% wider and longer. You may do fine with a pyramid style or a bendy handle bow.
   I made a black cherry bow (Prunus serotina) a few years ago and used the wood under the bark(sapwood) for the back. The only heartwood was a bit in the handle. I have done the same with black walnut.    Pat

[akila]

thks a lot...this realy helps me