Elm backed cedar ( not building yet just questions )

[sleek]

So elm is amazing in tension, largely because of its interlocking grain. And with erc being such a good compression wood, I wonder how the two would compliment each other?

[PatM]

Pretty sure someone posted one but logically they compliment each other very well. It isn't just the interlocking grain that makes Elm strong in tension.  It just is already.

[Onebowonder]

I like the idea.  ERC would give you a very light weight belly wood.  Elm can be wickedly strong in tension so the pairing sounds good to me.

Problem is Elm is not commonly available in even your specialty woods lumber yards.  So, this means you're likely going to be making your own backing strip from an Elm log or stave.  You could cut out a strip of vertical grained elm with as little as possible run out, which is where I would go so as to use up the material that is commonly wasted on a white wood log by bowyers.  We often take the back of the bow from right under the cambium and then cut or hack away the belly side to no more than an inch deep.  On a big Elm log, this puts a lot of good wood into the burn pile.

You could also make a strip for your backing with a single ring either by chasing an Elm ring, (good luck), or using the layer immediately under the cambium, (much more sane!).  In either case, you'll need to get the belly side of the backing strip very nearly perfectly flat in order to get the glue line with the ERC to work out.  This will be a little tough since the back is unlikely to be very flat and you'll want to keep the thickness relatively consistent throughout the length of the backing strip.

It sounds like a fun project to be sure!

OneBow

[stuckinthemud]

did a quick search of PA and found this : http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,50442.msg690109/topicseen.html#msg690109

There are a few red elm backed bows on the site but most of them are suffering from picture deletion

[gpw]

  We built several ERC bows with a thin Hickory  and bamboo backing ...   It was easy to make the traditional English warbow style  with the thick D profile ,  72” long , ~ 50# @28” ..  less than a pound every time ...   Light in hand ,  sweet shooting , and able to hurl heavy arrows easily ...     Our favorite target bows  over the years ...   Easy bow to make , smells good while working , and if you bend in a few inches of "Perry Reflex” while adding the backing , it’s a pretty fast shooter too ...
  Like to try Elm ,  Hard to find around here...

[Marc St Louis]

I've used Elm as a backing a few times.  The problem you can have is that it has wavy grain and if you cut a quarter sawn strip then the grain runs back and forth along that strip which can give you catastrophic results.  I was finishing up an Elm backed Maple ALB many years ago, it was during the Winter, it was dry and I had glued a few inches of reflex in the bow.  I had the bow in the kitchen and pulled it back to full draw when it exploded.  There was a bowl full of apples next to me, one of them got skewered.  My wife who sitting nearby was not too pleased.  I stopped using Elm after than and certainly was very careful not to full draw a bow in the kitchen ever again.

[gpw]

  “   and certainly was very careful not to full draw a bow in the kitchen ever again. “ 

  What a great justification for building your own Archery shed-bow shop, and shooting range  ( 15 yd )