Hornbeam Bow

[Greebe]

Hey guys I went out today and cut a 3" diameter piece of hornbeam. I have read that they made decent bows so I thought I would give it a try.

Should I split it or leave it whole for drying and how long should I let it season before giving it a shot?

Thanks
Greebe

[mwosborn]

This is how I have handled saplings - although I have never done so with hornbeam.

I seal the ends, split them and clamp them in a caul to help prevent warping.  If you want to remove the bark you can just seal the back good. I would let them dry a few months at least before doing much with them.  If you are in a big hurry, you could rough out a bow while it is green and it will dry faster.

If you don't have a caul available, you can split them and place a few spacers inbetween the two halves and clamp them back together (you can use duct tape if you want).

Mitch

[osage outlaw]

Is it hop hornbeam or american hornbeam?

[koan]

I have had good luck by removing the bark and sealing, then tie them with whatever cordage you got, back to back with one flipped 180 degrees. Ive only tried it on hophornbeam but it worked really well... Brian

[tattoo dave]

Bark removal on that stuff is near impossible if you let it dry with bark on. It'll be tough this time of year with no sap running and all, but I'd get the bark off asap if I was you. It does make an awesome bow!!! I've got my eyes on 5 or 6 trees I hope to cut in the spring.

Tattoo Dave