Hackberry bow build - noob

[burchett.donald]

Chuck,
            Watched the video and enjoyed...You removed that cambium rather quickly, use caution there not to violate a ring or an unseen pin knot...Have fun with your build...
                                                                                                             Don
         

[Chuck.e.b]

If you don’t have one, get a heat gun and after your stave is dry and bending well at floor tiller, thoroughly heat treat the belly. This will help tremendously with set.

So I got my bow down to a floor tiller. I'm going to let it dry for another 60 days but I'm wondering if I should toast the belly now or wait?

Thanks

[Hawkdancer]

Welcome aboard, Chuck.  These folks have a wealth of knowledge, and a cool sense of humor!  Good luck with the bow.  Take your time!
Hawkdancer

[Pat B]

Wait until your bow is at least half tillered before you temper the belly.

[Chuck.e.b]

It's close to half now I would say. Probably took it a little farther than a standard floor tiller. Better to do it fully dried I'd assume? Any benefits to doing now vs later?

[Pat B]

If there is moisture in the wood and you heat treat it the heat will force the moisture out the back, possibly causing checking. I'd wait until you are ready to finish up the build.

[PEARL DRUMS]

If its not completely dry you will end up lots of checks and cracks if you heat temper now. Let her dry another 3-4 months and then heat treat it. 

[PEARL DRUMS]

Oooops, I was typing the same time Pat was. Sorry guys.

[Pat B]

Watch where you're stepping, Pearlie!   

[PatM]

I'd be a lot more cautious with the bark removal. No need to take anything off the outer ring. I see a lot of folks not care as long as they don't go all the way through the first ring but there's no need to damage it at all.

 Also you could have maybe avoided most of the knots by more careful examination beforehand so that your splits ran through the knots and all the staves were cleaner.  That's where it's a good idea to shave the outer bark  off to check areas that look like they might have a knot underneath. Coarse barked trees can hide those pretty well.

[Chuck.e.b]

Thanks for the info guys. Yeah I did end up violating a ring on a stave being a little rough after close inspection...gotta learn some how. I know what it looks like now at least. Worked on one of the good staves recently and got another edit together, layed out the design and down to a pretty decent floor tiller. Gonna dry it out for 60 more days. Went with 70" long and 2" wide for now. Trying for 50# and a 30.5" draw. Learned a lot on drawknife technique and feel. Comments and tips appreciated. Thanks again.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z3LoDcPff4

[Hamish]

Hey Chuck, I liked your approach to roughing out the stave, with circular saw, sabre saw, and jigsaw. It looked like it worked really well.

[Bryce]

Is it true that the north side of a tree makes for better bows?

Nope.

[Chuck.e.b]

Hey Chuck, I liked your approach to roughing out the stave, with circular saw, sabre saw, and jigsaw. It looked like it worked really well.

Yeah it worked pretty good. I have about 2 weeks until my tiller, stoked. Looking to go find some juniper here soon. Anyone made any juniper bows? Probably going to be knarly and short/fat.

[Chuck.e.b]

Finished my bow! Went with a pyramid style flat with oval limbs. 69.5 n2n. 42lbs. 30" draw. 7.5 brace. Toasted the belly and reflexed tips. Super pleased with how it came out for my first self bow. I'll get some better pics up soon and video.