Like any tree, bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) is likely to have variation from tree to tree. I cut several over the years, some that was extraordinarily straight and split like a dream. I found the wood hard to work and in the end, I had a bow that had low draw weight, very high mass, and handshock that could break up tectonic plates.
On the positive side, I was not paying attention and tillered in a whomping bad hinge in a limb, marked the hinge and set it up overnight. Next morning I went back and thought the pencil marks meant it was stiff in that spot and took more wood off the hinge! When I strung it, it became painfully obvious what I had done. I finished the bow and while it was a dog, the hinge section never showed a fret nor did it take set!!!
Hoping your stave treats you better than I treated that one!
