Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: okie64 on April 18, 2011, 09:42:29 pm

Title: Hickory?
Post by: okie64 on April 18, 2011, 09:42:29 pm
I cut some hickory today and was wandering if anybody knows what kind it is? I've made bows from hickory but never really knew what kind it was. I dont know if it even matters as far as makin a bow I would just kinda like to know.
(http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee503/Jamey_Burkhart/002-12.jpg)(http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee503/Jamey_Burkhart/005-6.jpg)(http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee503/Jamey_Burkhart/006-4.jpg)(http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee503/Jamey_Burkhart/008-6.jpg)(http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee503/Jamey_Burkhart/010-6.jpg)
Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: sweeney3 on April 18, 2011, 10:35:08 pm
Wow that is pretty wood!  I am like you though.  I can tell hickory, but dunno which specific species they are.  I don't think it matters too much, but it would be nice to know.  I plan to get out this summer with my "Trees of Arkansas" book and figure out some of that.
Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: JW_Halverson on April 18, 2011, 10:56:22 pm
If I ever left this bow wood desert and found myself in those kinda woods I'd have a stroke. 

Actually, me and the say I'd be carrying would have plenty of strokes!

I'm drooling.  Our climate is perfect for shooting and keeping a hickory bow and the exact opposite of growing wood for one!  How bloody sad.

nice jackpot
Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: bryan irwin on April 18, 2011, 11:03:13 pm
nice haul we have so much hickory in N.C. and i could'nt tell the difference either but it makes a good bow and barba Q ;D
Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: Dauntless on April 18, 2011, 11:03:40 pm
South Dakota is a bow wood desert?  I'm from Manitoba and I would never have thought it lacked bow wood even though it's dry in the winter, floods in the spring and short in the summers.

Okie, that wood is to die for.  I look forward to seeing it bend a bit.
Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: JW_Halverson on April 18, 2011, 11:06:48 pm
I've tried the local bur oak and have had sad results.  Of the green ash bows I have tried only one came out, my first bow ever...all else were poor performers.  I've found a few good hackberry trees at my place, but now I'm out again. 

Now if I could get ponderosa pine to make a good bow, I'd be clean and green!

Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: Buckeye Guy on April 18, 2011, 11:07:43 pm
My eyes aint so good , maybe pignut !
for shure not shagbark
If them other trees are ash I would be geting them made into bows to before the emerald ash boerer hits them!
Good looking woods !!!
Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: Dauntless on April 18, 2011, 11:09:35 pm
Do you have any serviceberry/amelanchier sp. ?  Dense stuff, almost always in brushes.  I've made bows from the wood and porto from the berries.

Sorry for the off topic nonsense Okie.
Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: JW_Halverson on April 18, 2011, 11:20:03 pm
Around here serviceberry is called June Berry (Prunus amellanchier.  We have it, but it gets about 14 inches tall, has 10-14 leaves, and every 5th plant grows A berry.  I grew up in North Dakota and we had woody draws full of them an I remember eating them until I was ready to burst, *sigh*.

Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: Lee Slikkers on April 18, 2011, 11:23:01 pm
Great looking haul, dang I'm envious of how fast you got those debarked and cleaned up...I'm still pulling on the drawknife and removing sapwood on my Osage haul 3 weeks ago  ::)
Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: ken75 on April 19, 2011, 12:57:31 am
one on the left looks like mockernut , two on right either pignut or bitternut
Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: JW_Halverson on April 19, 2011, 01:07:27 am
That's a great benefit of hickory over osage, Lee.  No sapwood. 
Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: okie64 on April 19, 2011, 01:27:58 am
My eyes aint so good , maybe pignut !
for shure not shagbark
If them other trees are ash I would be geting them made into bows to before the emerald ash boerer hits them!
Good looking woods !!!
I kinda thought the first pic was pignut but not sure. The other trees in the pic are post oaks. Dont know if they would make good bows or not? The deer sure do like the acorns off of them though.
Do you have any serviceberry/amelanchier sp. ?  Dense stuff, almost always in brushes.  I've made bows from the wood and porto from the berries.

Sorry for the off topic nonsense Okie.
I dont think we have serviceberry round here. That doesnt sound like nonsense to me.
Great looking haul, dang I'm envious of how fast you got those debarked and cleaned up...I'm still pulling on the drawknife and removing sapwood on my Osage haul 3 weeks ago  ::)
Lee, kinda like Jw said, you dont have to mess with working the sapwood off hickory. If you cut it this time of year just pop the bark off and theres the back of your bow.
one on the left looks like mockernut , two on right either pignut or bitternut
I've heard of all those hickories and if you say so that sounds good to me. I'm guessin they all make good bows? They sure are a pain to split.
Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: ken75 on April 19, 2011, 01:42:50 am
lol thats why they make good bows the long fibers dont snap very easy like some woods. there is no better wood to make a drag around throw in the truck and fight off wild hogs bow with than Hickory !!
Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: Buckeye Guy on April 19, 2011, 05:19:01 pm
Their so straight and nice hickory you could have just saw-en them instead of splitting oh well you got some good exercise anyway !! Nice haul !!Wish my last batch had been like them !1
Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: okie64 on April 20, 2011, 01:31:14 am
Their so straight and nice hickory you could have just saw-en them instead of splitting oh well you got some good exercise anyway !! Nice haul !!Wish my last batch had been like them !1
If we could just figure out a way to know how straight-grained they are before splitting. I dont really care for exercise too much! ;D
Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: nclonghunter on April 20, 2011, 05:22:19 pm
Looking at the trees standing then the three cut poles, I am thinking two are smooth bark hickory and the third more coarse bark one is not a hickory at all. Not sure what it is, but I don't believe its hickory.
Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: crooketarrow on April 21, 2011, 12:00:24 pm
  I LOVE HICKORY MY FAVORITE WOOD and here in WV where I live theres LOTS. Matter offact around here if it's a hard woods it has hickory. The one on the left with the deeper bark is mock nut and the 2 smaller is smooth bark. The smooth bark as more pin knoths but not a problem as long as there not right on the edge if you watch as you cut and split your staves you can get cleaner staves also. As the mock nut gets bigger the pins become less notessable.
  I like to cut 3 or 4 inch saplings and draw knife it down to bow form and add some reflex. But I do the same with staves.The higher crown of the sapleing won't matter the hickory. I hang mine between to saw horses and hang a cinder block for weight. This puts a couple inchs of reflex in the stave. Around here we have wood borers so I spray with (lowes) pestaside. Sence I never get in a hurry exspecially with bows I leave for a year or so.
  When I GET TO TILLERING I start putting  mine in a hot box as I work on it. Keep the heat as low as you can you just don't want it to pick up any exture moisture. This really helps with string follow.
Title: Re: Hickory?
Post by: BowEd on April 22, 2011, 11:25:02 am
The rougher barked one I believe might be a hackberry but that's great bow wood too.