Is this Usable?

[Mike Joe]

I've got a privet sapling that I cut a couple months ago. Two weeks after cutting it, I debarked and roughed out the stave. Afterwards I sealed the back with polyurethane, but I accidentally left it outside in the sun for a while, and the back checked pretty bad. I know checks aren't too big of a deal if they stay within the limb ( these do ) But since this was a sapling it has a pretty high crown, some of the cracks are on the side of the bow. Could these cause the growth rings to come apart when I start bending the wood, or am I over thinking this? I'm open to backing it, if that would help, but if it's a lost cause then I don't want to waste that much time on it. Thanks for your assistance.

[Pappy]

Only one way to tell,go for it,as long as they don't run off the sides they should be fine. Hard to say about the ones on the side,like I said you just have to try and see what happens.
  Pappy

[Benedikt]

I agree with Pappy, if they not run out, they shouldnt cause any problems.
Maybe you could seal them with epoxy using a hairdryer(sorry, don't know the right phrase  )
Regards,
Benedikt

[Mike Joe]

Thanks Pappy! I will just tiller it super slow, and definitely wear safety goggles.

Benedikt - I will seal them up with something for sure.

[bradsmith2010]

what Pappy said

[Badly Bent]

On staves like that I will rough out the belly and back profile with a hatchet, won't take long. Once you get it roughed out you'll have a better idea if there is a bow in it or not. I have no experience with privet but I almost always take a stave this far just to see since the tree has been cut down already. I should qualify my comments though and admit
to being a sucker for character ridden, cracked and knotty bows. And I have quite a bit of firewood to prove it.

[Danzn Bar]

On staves like that I will rough out the belly and back profile with a hatchet, won't take long. Once you get it roughed out you'll have a better idea if there is a bow in it or not. I have no experience with privet but I almost always take a stave this far just to see since the tree has been cut down already. I should qualify my comments though and admit
to being a sucker for character ridden, cracked and knotty bows. And I have quite a bit of firewood to prove it.

And a bunch of beautifully tillered bows too,  I've see them.  That's some good advice,  I'd take if I had a stave like that....just say'in. 
DBar

[Mike Joe]

Badly Bent - I went out to the shed this evening and roughed it out. There was only one crack that's really giving me a problem with the layout, but I think I can get rid of it by narrowing the limbs about a quarter of an inch. This stave's got some pretty cool knots, and cracks, it should look really cool if I can keep it in one piece  And Danzn Bar's definitely right. I've seen pictures of some of your bows that were pretty sweet.

[Badly Bent]

Thats the spirit man, worse that can happen is a broken bow and some disappointment. 
Sounds like you got it licked though. Keep us posted, not sure if I've seen a privet bow or not but am interested in
seeing how it works out.

[Mike Joe]

OK I'll let you know how it turns out, good or bad  I've only used Privet once before, and It made a decent bow, although the top limb came apart quite suddenly after about a thousand arrows. I'm trying to redeem myself with this one.