Hackberry + Lightening

[BowJunkie]

My neighbor has a huge hackberry tree. the tree is about 50 ft tall, the trunk section is 3 ft across by 12ft tall  before the first limb.
This tree was struck by lightening last spring and hasn't sprouted since. The neighbor has expressed his desire to cut it down.
And seeing is I have a 3 chain saws
My question is ,, Is it possible to make bows from said tree trunk or not, due to the amount of electrical current the tree endured?

[stone-over]

I think as long as it's not all charred or rotted, have at. If the structure of the wood had been compromised greatly, the thing probably would've fallen.

[osage outlaw]

I would love to make a bow out of a tree that was struck with lightening.  Give it a try and see what happens.

[Pat B]

Just because it was struck by lightening won't hurt anything but I'd be leery of it if it was struck last spring and you're only cutting it now. I'd say help your neighbor out but check the wood well for discoloration or other signs of rot before building a bow with it. .

[billy bowmaker]

if the wood is sound, go for it.

[zenmonkeyman]

Robert Redford made a lightning-killed tree to make the most kick-butt baseball bat ever, and I think he got the girl besides!  That's proof enough for me!

[DV IN MN]

Hackberry is a white wood: Name it "White Lightening"

[crooketarrow]

    I cut down a elm back in 93 the trunk was good all but the side the lighting came up from the ground though it. It stood over a year before I cut it. I got 4 staves and made bows from them. Mine had a few wood boarers in it. But for some reason they were on the side where the lighting struck. Why I'm not sure,only one stave at holes in it. Can't say if they were any better shooting bows but they made good bows.
  So yea go for it HACKBERRY MAKES NICE BOWS. It's easey to work.

[Eric Krewson]

Be very leery of lightning struck wood! I had a lightning struck cherry sawed up for flintlock gun stock blanks.



Later when I watered down the wood to keep it from checking this was what I found, tiny hairline cracks where the water seeped through.



It was like a bomb went off in the wood with the lightning strike. All I got out of that huge log was some nice firewood pieces 8' long 14" wide and 3" thick.

[BowJunkie]

Excellent point Eric, That was my concern. The wood instantaneously dehydrating due to the lightening strike and internal checking.
So end result... Carve out a stave and see how it casts.     White Lightening  is a Perfect name for a bow from this tree.
Thanks for the responses guys.  I am glad to be a part of this forum.

[toomanyknots]

"Hackberry is a white wood: Name it "White Lightening""

1000% Awesome.  I think I heard growing up that indians (in general I guess, I don't know) would use lighting struck trees to make bows because they believed they made the best bows. Could just be some bs though.

[dragonman]

As above , if its not burned the electricity hasnt harmed it, lightining struck wood is very special, a bow made from will be magical, many native tradtions highly valued such wood and believed it to have power. As do I......

Dave