Hickory stave: What now?

[WhistlingBadger]

Hi, all.  In the process of debarking this hickory stave, I'm pretty sure I have violated the back in a dozen places, though I'm not sure about that.  Does ANY wood coming off violate the back?  I have definitely removed some slivers.  I think I'm not ready to chase a ring on osage just yet.  ha ha



So, apart from my drawknife blundering, this is a flawless stave and I really want to get a shooter out of it.  I've read that, at least sometimes, violated growth rings aren't a huge deal with hickory.  But I really want a bow that I know isn't going to explode on me.  I have a couple nice pieces of rawhide looking for a home:  Can I simply flatten out the back and rawhide back it?

What says the PA oracle?

T

[Allyn T]

Nah your good it won't blow up. Keep removing inner bark until it's mostly white with dark streaks rather than mostly dark with white

[Fox]

Chasing a Osage ring is MUCH easy then removing winter hickory bark ... I would switch to a scraper soon and do the rest with that 

[RyanY]

Nah your good it won't blow up. Keep removing inner bark until it's mostly white with dark streaks rather than mostly dark with white

+1

[WhistlingBadger]

OK, thanks for the reassurance, guys.  Both about this bow and about my future osage aspirations. 

So, would it hurt anything to just scrape it down to white wood?  I'm not loving the look and feel of the bark streaks.

[RyanY]

Won’t hurt a thing.

[bradsmith2010]

maybe just sand it,

[bownarra]

Use sandpaper to remove the cambium. If you scrape it you are going to remove the tops of the 'ridges'......being hickory it should be ok but best to use best practise and do not touch the wood! 60 grit paper out the low spots. Get close to the wood underneath then use progressively finer paper.

[M2A]

Looks good so WB. Steam an area for a few minuets and push off with a spoon like some guys use, I use a dull curved scraper to get into the valleys. Either method, steam or sandpaper, work a 6 inch section until its where you want then move on to the next. Takes time but but much faster than starting over on the next stave
Mike   

[WhistlingBadger]

Use sandpaper to remove the cambium. If you scrape it you are going to remove the tops of the 'ridges'......being hickory it should be ok but best to use best practise and do not touch the wood! 60 grit paper out the low spots. Get close to the wood underneath then use progressively finer paper.

Well, that's what I was trying to say.  I already removed the tops of the ridges, and last night I scraped part of the back flat.  So, is this stave trashed, can I proceed, or should I back with rawhide?

[scp]

I would not worry about the back. The stave looks clean enough to be even de-crowned, so long as there are no severe grain runoffs.

[Hawkdancer]

I think you are good to go, but if you are not comfortable, go ahead with the rawhide backing.  It sort of depends on your intended draw weight.  Hickory is pretty tough!
Hawkdancer

[WhistlingBadger]

Yeah, no grain run-offs.  Nice and straight, no knots whatsoever.  Hoping for a 65" ntn, 55# at 27" (I'll probably start out going for 60#) with a mere heath kind of profile.

[Eric Krewson]

You did fine, I have never had a hickory bow fail because there was little nick in the back, its early wood is not weak and porous like osage.

[PeteC]

If your worried about the back,(although hickory will usually let you get away with some ring violation), the back it with silk. It's simple to apply and holds up great. God Bless