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Author Topic: Hackberry?  (Read 4115 times)

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Offline adb

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Hackberry?
« on: September 20, 2013, 01:40:14 pm »
Anybody have any experience with hackberry? I know it's in the cherry family, but that's about it. I'm looking to make a short (62") recurve selfbow from it. Rawhide backing is an option.
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Offline Joec123able

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Re: Hackberry?
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2013, 01:48:41 pm »
One Of my favorite bow woods Bends like rubber
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I like osage

blackhawk

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Re: Hackberry?
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2013, 02:07:53 pm »
I've made more than several and its in the elm family  :P make sure you have enough width and temper temper temper....when my osage muscles are sore and need a break hackberry is always a great option  :D

Oh..and don't start yanking it down with no regard like an osage idiot either ...and make sure the Mc of the wood is no higher than 8% ..and no lower than 6%..but you know that
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Offline Josh B

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Re: Hackberry?
« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2013, 02:31:38 pm »
This could be a case of common names causing confusion.  In some parts of the world there is a wild prunus variety referred to as hackberry.  If that's what you have, I would suspect that its similar to choke cherry.  But that is purely a guess.  In the US, we have two kinds, sugarberry(southern Hackberry) and common Hackberry.  If you have one of these, they are nearly identical in properties and I treat it the same as Blackhawk does.  Josh
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Offline SLIMBOB

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Re: Hackberry?
« Reply #4 on: September 20, 2013, 02:56:40 pm »
Love good Hackberry!  Like any wood the quality has varied in my case, but the really good stuff has been excellent. Got to heat treat IMO.
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Offline adb

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Re: Hackberry?
« Reply #5 on: September 20, 2013, 03:03:28 pm »
Thanks, guys!
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Offline H Rhodes

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Re: Hackberry?
« Reply #6 on: September 20, 2013, 03:14:14 pm »
Quote from: Gun Doc on September 20, 2013, 02:31:38 pm
This could be a case of common names causing confusion.  In some parts of the world there is a wild prunus variety referred to as hackberry.  If that's what you have, I would suspect that its similar to choke cherry.  But that is purely a guess.  In the US, we have two kinds, sugarberry(southern Hackberry) and common Hackberry.  If you have one of these, they are nearly identical in properties and I treat it the same as Blackhawk does.  Josh

Thank you!  I was wondering if our sugarberry was the same as hackberry.   :D
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Howard
Gautier, Mississippi

Offline toomanyknots

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Re: Hackberry?
« Reply #7 on: September 20, 2013, 04:15:29 pm »
Quote from: blackhawk on September 20, 2013, 02:07:53 pm
I've made more than several and its in the elm family 

They used to include it in the elm family, now they wanna lumb it together in the hemp family of all places. So maybe it is good for more than just bows, hmmm...  Adb, it's a nice wood, but can take set. It is funny, although it can take set, I don't think it's prone to chrysaling much. It does need to be dry. But you don't need to burn the crap out of it to make a bow, I have made plenty 60# - 70# @ 28" hackberry flatbows with zero set/string follow without heat treating. But I do hot box them in my van in the sun when I can, and of course a very evenly stressed tiller is important. I find a longbow cross section typically takes 1" or so set for me though.
« Last Edit: September 20, 2013, 04:18:46 pm by toomanyknots »
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"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline SLIMBOB

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Re: Hackberry?
« Reply #8 on: September 21, 2013, 02:08:52 pm »
I wont pretend to have all the answers on heat treating.  It's a somewhat newish thing for me.  Nor can I tell you that I am any kind of authority on Hackberry.  What I can tell you is that the first bow I made from Hack was a noodle shortly after final tiller.  This one was a different animal completely.  As sweet as any bow I own.  Part of the reason I believe is it is just a really good piece of wood.  But the tempering on Hackberry has made a world of difference IMO.  TMK and I have had this discussion before, so he knows I respect his work.  We just agree to disagree here.  You can see that the belly is deeply heat treated.  It has a darkish stain so some of the color is from the stain, but you can see the results.  62" ttt 47lbs at 27 inches.  Still has about 1/2 inch of reflex after unstringing.  I've got lots of Osage bows that took more set at these dimensions.
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Offline toomanyknots

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Re: Hackberry?
« Reply #9 on: September 21, 2013, 05:43:39 pm »
Quote from: SLIMBOB on September 21, 2013, 02:08:52 pm
TMK and I have had this discussion before

lol  ;D I think (my personal opinion) whats important with woods like hackberry is they need to be dry. Whether you hot box it or scorch it with the fires of hell, ( ;D ), you are gonna get a low MC either way. And Slimbob, that bow looks beautiful! Very nice!
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"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Hackberry?
« Reply #10 on: September 21, 2013, 06:02:37 pm »
I did a build along on a short hackberry static. It might help you.
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Offline SLIMBOB

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Re: Hackberry?
« Reply #11 on: September 21, 2013, 06:19:14 pm »
Thanks tmk. I seem to recall a couple of hackberry bows from you around the same time as this one. Really those were beautiful. Mines the stepsister in comparison. But she's a worker!
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Liberty, In God We Trust, E Pluribus Unum.  Distinctly American Values.

Offline adb

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Re: Hackberry?
« Reply #12 on: September 22, 2013, 02:20:23 am »
Quote from: PEARL DRUMS on September 21, 2013, 06:02:37 pm
I did a build along on a short hackberry static. It might help you.

Thanks PD, I'll check it out.
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