Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: bigcountry on May 23, 2011, 09:17:55 pm

Title: White Oak for backing?
Post by: bigcountry on May 23, 2011, 09:17:55 pm
Is white oak as good as hickory or bamboo for a osage or IPE bow?  I have found some straight quartersawn pieces. 
Title: Re: White Oak for backing?
Post by: toymaker on May 23, 2011, 09:40:07 pm
I have heard it is, however my last attempt was a Ash backed with white oak.....It cracked during tillering.
The backing was about .080 which may have been too thin.


Title: Re: White Oak for backing?
Post by: bigcountry on May 23, 2011, 09:51:51 pm
Thats disappointing.  Thanks for the feedback
Title: Re: White Oak for backing?
Post by: Badger on May 23, 2011, 09:58:11 pm
  I recently started playing around with white oak backing, I did a wo/ipe and a wo/osage. Both seemed to perform as well as anything else but 2 bows I would not call conclusive.
Title: Re: White Oak for backing?
Post by: jonathan creason on May 23, 2011, 11:35:55 pm
I've never tried it, but I know Ken and Rich are both fans of white oak for backing strips.  Hopefully they'll chime in with their results.
Title: Re: White Oak for backing?
Post by: ken75 on May 24, 2011, 12:55:03 am
ive only had one failure with it  out of half a dozen bows . it splintered but didnt break all the way through , the backing was removed and belly reused . pay attention to grain swirls thats what got mine
Title: Re: White Oak for backing?
Post by: bigcountry on May 24, 2011, 01:32:52 am
The guy that has some said he had 10,000 BF and much of it is quarter sawn.  I hope to find a few pieces with straight grain.
Title: Re: White Oak for backing?
Post by: bubby on May 24, 2011, 07:36:11 am
I've used white oak quite a bit for backing, epe, maple, and in lam limbs on takedowns and r&d bows, with no failures yet, usually get mine out of the center of a double ring board, Bub
Title: Re: White Oak for backing?
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on May 24, 2011, 09:30:31 am
I bet ya white oak backed white oak would make a real nice R/D bow.
Title: Re: White Oak for backing?
Post by: bubby on May 24, 2011, 03:21:50 pm
yeah PD,I posted a 3 pc bow awhile back and the limbs were w oak-maple-w oak, it shot real smooth, Bub