Hickory backing

[bigcountry]

I see a lot of bamboo backed bows on here.  But not as many hickory backed.  I have glued up both a hickory backed and a bamboo backed.  I had alot of problems with tapering and nodes of bamboo.  Lots of work.  The hickory so far has been a piece of cake. 

I mean if I can keep it together, I plan on using hickory over bamboo in the future.  Does alot of folks have issue with hickory lifting a splinter?

[artcher1]

I've never had a problem with good hickory backing lifting a splinter. Problem is getting good backing in the first place. Seems like every other piece I order has some deterioration problems. Always, and I mean always, do a test break on some scrap before applying. If it breaks outright, send it back. If the test piece takes a good bend then use it. ART

[bigcountry]

When you say test break, you mean just bend it?  Whats a good bend.

[artcher1]

Just cut you a scrap piece off the side near the backing's tip (I test bend the scrap left over from the side taper form the tip end) and bend. Good hickory will take a great bend before collasping. If it's bad it'll break outright.......ART

[jturner]

The only failures ive had with a hickory backing have been my fault for not rounding over the edge before bending.

[bigcountry]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the advise

[Pat B]

I've had very good luck with hickory backings. Never had a hickory back failure.   Like you, I have had so much trouble with boo backings I now prefer hickory. Hickory backed osage and ipe will make an excellent hunting bow.
  I buy hickory from a specialty lumber company that lets me pick through their stack of hickory boards. I am also careful to leave their stack better than I found it!  The last piece I got was 5/4x6"x10'. I cut the board so I had a 6' and a 4' piece and cut the backing strips off the 2" side of the 6' board. I haven't cut the 4' piece yet but it will make backing strips that will be joined at the handle.

[michbowguy]

if i may add, some of my prior bows that i have made that were raw bamboo backed were in fact all bamboo glueups.
bamboo on the backs and bellys of my bows.i did not have to "taper" the backing strips as the whole bow was urac or tb3 and bamboo all the way through!
so i just shaped and tillerd just like any other bow that ive made,and they came out great.

now some of my raw boo backed ash had chrysled a bit just above the handle both top and bottom as the boo backing overpowered the ash belly.
and i learned from this bow.
i just cut my backing boo at abou 3/16 in thick overall and no taper and left the outer thirds of my limbs narrow and thick.
this made for one heavy weight bow.
i believe if i had more of the limbs working OR had i made the bow longer ntn it would have turned out just fine.

i will be making another bb/ash and ill post my results.i do not plan on tapering the bamboo,and im planning on making about a 90+ lb bow with this glueup for a friend.
jamie

[half eye]

The first several Mollegabets that I made were hickory backed hickory....they weighed 60#...they have no set at all, never had any failures of the backing. The one I sent to a friend was a little to strong so I had him string it and leave it for a month!!!!! well it took no set, didn't loose a single pound and I'm going to have to tiller it down.........hickory backing is good stuff as far as I'm concerned.
half eye

[bigcountry]

I got three bows in the works.  So I am not sure when I will finish it.  But as of now, I can't imagine why i want to go back to bamboo.  But I will let you guys know in a few months.  Hopefully.

[Josh]

the only advantage I can see for bamboo over hickory as a backing strip is the bamboo is lighter than the hickory so you might see a little better performance with the boo.  I have a bow that is half bamboo backed and half hickory backed (Check BOM contest under laminates: "franken-bow") and I cannot tell a difference when shooting that one.  I trust the hickory as a backing strip over the bamboo for longer lasting and less fragility hands down... 

[Marc St Louis]

the only advantage I can see for bamboo over hickory as a backing strip is the bamboo is lighter than the hickory so you might see a little better performance with the boo.  I have a bow that is half bamboo backed and half hickory backed (Check BOM contest under laminates: "franken-bow") and I cannot tell a difference when shooting that one.  I trust the hickory as a backing strip over the bamboo for longer lasting and less fragility hands down... 

I don't think so

[Marc St Louis]

I had had the occasional quarter sawn Hickory backing pull a splinter, most likely from a bit of spiral growth.  The same Hickory used as a plain sawn backing was fine.  When possible use a plain sawn backing, it's much more reliable

[Josh]

the only advantage I can see for bamboo over hickory as a backing strip is the bamboo is lighter than the hickory so you might see a little better performance with the boo.  I have a bow that is half bamboo backed and half hickory backed (Check BOM contest under laminates: "franken-bow") and I cannot tell a difference when shooting that one.  I trust the hickory as a backing strip over the bamboo for longer lasting and less fragility hands down... 

I don't think so

well maybe my bamboo seemed lighter than my hickory since the bamboo was planed down thinner than the hickory was.  I stand corrected.    I still think hickory can take more physical abuse than bamboo can as far as getting banged around and still not lifting a splinter.  Also hickory doesn't have nodes that can fail under tension either. 


edit:  yeah just did some searching and bamboo and hickory weigh about the same.

[PatM]

If you cut a slat of Hickory and a slat of whole bamboo they probably do average out to a similar weight per size. However bamboo is denser in the outer section so by the time you have thinned it and removed the lighter inner section you are now working with something that is as heavy as all but the heaviest of hardwoods.
 It is largely your perception of the weight rather than a true measure of density that you are going by.