Frustration with IPE and Hickory

[YewArcher]

Thanks guys, Lots of good info here. I thought that 1/4 sawn hickory would be the way to go. It sounds like flat sawn is prefered with hickory backing?

That being said. bamboo sounds like a better option then the hickory.

Thanks for all the input. I think this all makes perfect sence.

SJM

[snedeker]

Is the hickory tried and true? Made other successful bows with it? I've had hickory lumber that had been outside or something and just fractured easily, even with absolute parellel ring lines running vertically. The break has the characteristics of a straight fracture, like a clay pipe stem break rather than a long splintery break more typical of a bow trension fracture break.

In fact I just cooked some hotdogs past weekend with the remnants of a piece of such.

Dave

[tom sawyer]

Its not that quartersawn is worse than plainsawn, its just that its hard to tell if the grain is running absolutely parallel over the length of the backing.  Really, its just all-around tough to tell on hickory, you're at the mercy of whoever made the backings.  And I'm sure they meant well but a log isn't totally square to begin with.

[Justin Snyder]

Does ipe even have normal growth rings?  I don't think it is a ring porous wood is it?  Being a tropical wood, I thought some of these trees sort of grow continuously.  Ive never really been able to make out a distinct ring pattern on the massaranduba I've played around with.

I never even thought about that Lennie. I have never seen a growth ring in Ipe either.  It does have grain like Jackcrafty said, but that is entirely different than growth rings.  What do you say Rich?  Justin

[Rich Saffold]

Some Ipe can be hard to read the grain, but almost all the Ipe I buy will look like normal boards. It's not ring porous. Often the black boards can be the hardest to read since the ring lines are black as well.. This is usually the heaviest Ipe.

I take the board outside in the sun and rub the edges with a wet cloth to highlight what grain there is.. Also if the face of the board is smooth its probably has very little violation or irregular grain as the planer will leave rough spots  marking these irregularities.

I past out a few sticks of it at Mojam to guys who couldn't understand why I use Ipe since its so soft..and I find they got it from someone whose motive is to sell osage/cookie cutter bows..I put a stick of Ipe in their hands and they were saying..Whats this?

Don't always believe its Ipe, until the green sawdust burns your nose, and it sinks like a rock in the pool...