Author Topic: Service berry compression?  (Read 1921 times)

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Offline JoJoDapyro

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Service berry compression?
« on: June 14, 2016, 11:18:04 am »
How is service berry in compression? Would it make a good belly wood under boo?
If you always do what you always did you'll always get what you always got.
27 inch draw, right handed. Bow building and Knapping.

Offline Pat B

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Re: Service berry compression?
« Reply #1 on: June 14, 2016, 11:40:29 am »
Western serviceberry is better bow wood than Eastern serviceberry but neither would be good with boo backing IMO.
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline DC

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Re: Service berry compression?
« Reply #2 on: June 14, 2016, 12:46:36 pm »
Just a question. Service Berry makes a very "serviceable" bow (see what I did there ;D ;D ;D) why would you want to back it? Are you hoping to get an even better bow or do you just have a thin piece of Service Berry?

Offline JoJoDapyro

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Re: Service berry compression?
« Reply #3 on: June 14, 2016, 01:02:59 pm »
No, I have a bigger log. It grows in abundance close to my house. It is a short section, so I will have to do billets. I was under the impression that it should be backed. Dried just about a years now.
If you always do what you always did you'll always get what you always got.
27 inch draw, right handed. Bow building and Knapping.

Offline Jim Davis

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Re: Service berry compression?
« Reply #4 on: June 14, 2016, 01:14:42 pm »
Almost all woods are at least three times as strong in tension as compression. (Exceptions being cherry and red cedar.) So the only good reason to back a wooden bow is if the grain on the back has been violated.

I found Maine service berry to be OK. My best one was made of a sapling. Limbs were only about 1-1/4" wide and bow was about 68" ntn. #40 at 28.
Jim Davis

Kentucky--formerly Maine

Offline loefflerchuck

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Re: Service berry compression?
« Reply #5 on: June 15, 2016, 12:45:29 am »
Serviceberry in my experience is good in compression and tension. I'm not sure which is better. I back it to give it more spring. It is similar to chokecherry in compression and arrow speed with better tension. With a sinew backing on both a D bow will draw 50%+ the length of the bow and last years.
  Asharrow?