Hello guys, a newbie bowyer here speaking. This is my first post here, and I'm quite green when it comes to making bows (made a few, all od which broke). I'd like to hear your opinions on this, to increase my chances od finally making a durable bow.
Recently I got a large elm board as a gift from a friend. Since elm is not a common lumber where I live, I was happy with what I got. The grain was not straight, and it had a large knot on on side, so I decided to saw it into 12 mm (just under 1/2'') boards. I got three usable ones and two scraps. The thing is, all of the boards have both sapwood and heartwood on, and no matter how I turn it, there is always both of them on the future bow (assuming I want a full size bow, not a 45'' kids' one). The heartwood even pulls the sapwood into reflex! When I was sawing it, one end was still unsawed, and the other one was already curving away.
Has anyone of you ever built a bow from both heart/sap elm? What wood is good for backing elm, since the grain is bloody awful (hickory is not na option, since I'm on the other side of the ocean, and I doubt I could get bamboo that wide)?
