Hornbeam Experts Advice Needed!!!

[barebo]

A fellow that I work with asked me to make him a bow from a tree on his land that is soon to be put into a land trust. He brought me an 8" diameter Hop Hornbeam log about 8' long. It was pretty darn straight and split fairly well. Luckily, in the current issue of Primitive Archer, there is a question in Marc St.Louis' column about this wood. I'd like just a little bit more guidance here.
I've been VERY careful about bark removal. What I need to know is this : is the cambium layer typically a pinkish color, and do I need to remove all of it or can I leave a thin layer of it on and not worry that it will crack / lift after I apply the finish to the bow??
I'm skeptical about trying to skin all of it off, as I don't want to violate that precious first growth ring on the back!!! I'm making this one 1.5" wide to just past mid limb then taper to 1/2" tips.  68" NTN. Shooting for low 50#'s.
Oh .....by the way, should I heat treat the belly to improve performance, and at what point Thanks Much !!!!

[sailordad]

personaly i tak the time and get 95-99% of the cambium off
i find the more that is left,the more of a chance it will lift.
a little is nice for natural camo effect

[barebo]

IS the cambium that pinkish layer right on top of the white sapwood, or is the pink layer just not white yet?? I have ZERO experience with Hornbeam !!!?

[Dean Marlow]

I don't remember any pinkish wood layer on my Hornbeam. I figure you are debarking a wet stave so I really can't tell you what color the cambium is on hornbeam if this is a wet stave. My staves were dry that I worked on. I used a dull drawknife and took the bark off of my staves. When I got the loose bark off of it and got down to that thin cambium layer I use sand paper to get it off. It will be white when you get to the good wood. Dean

[barebo]

Thanks Dean, that's what I was thinking also - the log was split 3 weeks ago, and 2 days later I had a stave roughed out. Removed the bark Friday, and noticed that it was holding on in a different manner than other woods that I've worked. Nice wood, and I'm
looking to make a shooter !!

[ricktrojanowski]

I just finished up an HHB flatbow.  It has a little of the inner bark in the furrows of the ring.  I like it for the  natural camo effect.  I really got to love HHB as bow wood with this bow.  It is really easy to work and shoots nice.  I'm no expert but here is how I did it.  After I got it to floor tiller I heat treated/straightened/reflexed it.  It was about 20# over what I wanted as a finished weight at this point.  I didn't really temper the belly as much as Marc suggests.  I was a little timid, but next time I will take it farther.  I let the stave rehydrate for a few days after I heat treated.  I made mine bendy handled 51# @27".  It is 56" NTN and bendy handled.  It is about 1 1/2" at midlimb tapering to about 5/8".  Hope this helps.

[barebo]

Thanks Slick Rick - I like stiff handles and arrow shelfs, so I'm going 68" long on mine. The stave took a couple inches of natural reflex, so I'm going to just tiller it as is. Needs a few more weeks .