Cherry or Black Walnut?

[Arrowind]

Cherry lumber is on sale at my favorite woodyard and I'm definitely thinking of getting some if I can find some good and straight lines. 

I've built one hickory backed black walnut bow and helped by bro build another.  I have another one in the works right now backed with maple....

I want to try Cherry too.   This got me thinking about both woods and the comparison...I wonder if I will have a little more margin for error with cherry than with BW....  Is it stronger in compression?  It seems like I've heard a lot about cherry being fairly fragile...

I think I read in the TBB4 that black walnut was similar to cherry but will crystal where cherry won't.  I will have to look again but besides that it got me thinking about the two for belly woods.  What would you prefer?  Do you think cherry is a better belly wood than BW?  I'm asking this more out of curiosity.  I will try them both but thought it would be interesting to hear what others have to say about it.  I have had a few people tell me that maple backed cherry is pretty amazing IF you can get it to work.

....I know neither one is better than poplar but THAT is another topic....

[PatM]

I've only worked with backed Cherry but it seems like the two woods have a lot in common based on what you'll hear about them.
 

[bubby]

I've had zero luck with cherry boards, tend to cryshal and will explode without warning, I have had the exact opposite results with black walnut, don't cryshal and havnt had any let loose on me, plus the walnut is prettier as far as I'm concerned, jmho, bub

[Slackbunny]

My favorite shooter is a maple backed cherry american flatbow. Its a great combo in my opinion.

[Arrowind]

Thanks guys.

Pat - when you say backed cherry did you start with a stave or a board?  What did you back it with?

bubby - thanks. That's what I have heard.  How many times did you try? was it with one board or have you tried more than once with different pieces?

Slackbunny - I've heard that too!  was that from a board?  My thought is maple backed as well. 

Seems like there must be quite a bit of variation within the species with good and NOT good...almost like the wood is somewhat unpredictable...?  I wonder if there is a type of cherry that is better than another?

[bubby]

Arrowwind I've tried at least a handful of times with different boards and only got  one shooter and it only lasted 5 or 6 mos, like any bow making experience, some have success where some fail

[blackhawk]

I love walnut and cherry......for overlays and cores in trilams  I got better things to use for bellies n such

[Tom Leemans]

Walnut makes a great lamination in a composite bow. I like using a full length lam between the bamboo and osage in my BBO bows. Cherry makes nice adornments or veneers, but I'd shy away from building a bow from it. It's been done, but the bows usually end up being very wide and light. Not real good under compression IMO.

[Dances with squirrels]

I have one I made several years ago, hickory backed cherry, that is 1 5/8" wide and 58 # @ 28"... radiused belly, and still maintains reflex.

[dwardo]

Our cherry (prunus avium) is great bow wood. Much better in compression that tension.
I have never had cherry chrysal but have blown one or two up when pushing my luck.

[Arrowind]

blackhawk - you're hilarious!  about what I'd expect from you sir! 

bubby - thanks I appreicate hearing from you

Tom, Squirrels and dwardo - thanks - 

once again conflicting info on cherry.  I know black walnut is good bow wood because I have one that shoots great and is holding up nicely after several hundred shots.  Maybe I got lucky but cherry sounds like a real roll of the dice... maybe I'll wait...

[dwardo]

I think half the confusion about Cherry is the term "Cherry" covers a lot of very different species with different properties.
I only blew cherry bows that i took the mick with. sub 60", static handle and recurves.

[Badger]

  Maple backed cherry is one of my favorites, I make them pretty wide in the working part of the limb, the wood is so light the tips don't weigh much and the bows tend to shoot pretty fast. Cherry will chrsal but with some care it is not too hard to avoid. I quit using walnut because the dust feels like it is trying to kill me.