ERC-What would you do with this

[Swampman]

I have an ERC stave that is 71 inches long and there are no knots on the back. That is right, NO knots. There is one knot that was dead center of this stave and you can see that in my pictures below. I have the stave roughed out and ready to floor tiller. It is roughed out to 1 1\2 inches wide except for the last 7 inches.  The stave does have a bit of propeller but I plan to leave that.

I planned all along to back this with whitetail rawhide as I know ERC has a reputation as a heart breaker.  However, as I look at this stave I just have this feeling that I should attempt to see what I can do unbacked. I p!an to get 60 pounds at 28 inches from this stave 

My question for you experience with ERC is, What would you do?  I am still leaning towards backing but just want opinions.

Thanks.

[Carl Galvin]

What is ERC?

[Swampman]

Eastern Red Cedar.  Otherwise known as Juniper.

[Carl Galvin]

Thanks

[BowEd]

I'm an admirer of ERC bows and that type of wood in general.Congrats on your good score.That wood is a temptress that's for sure.I would go with your gut feeling on this one.

[bjrogg]

Even if I broke a bow of nice ERC I'd save what I could of the broken pieces for handles and buttons on knife handles. I have one small piece of ERC. A 5/8x3x8" with two saw kerfs and a chunk cut out.
It's beautiful stuff. It's not real common in my area.
Bjrogg
PS the only place I've used  it was on a bow is the handle.

[bushboy]

If you have some cut off you could make a unbacked mini bow for testing,aka bend test.

[Pat B]

One of the nicest ERC bows I ever saw and shot was all sapwood. It was an ELB style bow.

[upstatenybowyer]

Pat's right the sapwood is great stuff.

With a clean back like that I'm not sure rawhide will make a whole lot of difference. If it's gonna blow, it's gonna blow. A thin coarse of sinew however will take some stress off the back and make that much less likely.

I'd suggest starting with a lot more thickness than you would with other woods.

[Springbuck]

Plus one on upenstatenbowyer's comment.    I always lean toward wood or bamboo backs on longer bows, but with sapwood that clear and nice I'd sure be tempted to NOT flatten and back it.  It's a pretty piece.

[Pat B]

I'd keep it a selfbow and not back it. I don't think it needs backing.

[Swampman]

Thanks for everyone's input. It is helpful.

I would have kept it wider but 1 1\2 inches is all this stave had. 

I think I will move forward without backing it.  I have two other staves almost like this one so if it blows, I will back the next one. It sure makes my shop smell good when I work on it. 

[bookworm]

The first bow I ever  made was from ERC; basically knotless, 70lbs at 29 inches, unbacked, 2/3rds heartwood to 1/3rd sap wood ratio, two inches wide at the handle, six feet long, ELB. I knew nothing about preserving the back of a bow, so this one had cuts, dings, and just about every type of violation across the back you could think of. Yes, it broke. At about six inches down from the upper nock and whacked me on the head, but that was after probably 400 or 500 shots. Soon after, I switched to hickory and have had fewer headaches, but, I think, with a bit of luck, you can get away with it unbacked. Just my humble opinion. Good luck. And you might want to invest in a hard hat, just in case.

[jeffp51]

Just make sure you post lots of pictures.  I want to see how it turns out

[Yellarwoodfellar]

Juniper does love sinew it seems. I think Tim Baker would have some insight as to why the go together better than most combos.