Stave ring question?

[lotojarich]

Hi, I have cut a handful of stave's and have them in various stages of drying. All are Hawthorn, Chokecherry, or Service berry of about 3-4 inches in diameter. I thought that if the stave grew fairly straight up on flat ground you were supposed to use the wider ringed side of the stave as the back of the bow. Now I have been reading where people prefer the narrower ringed side. On one side of the stave's the outside rings are about 3/16" wide and maybe 1/16" wide on the narrow side. Does it matter which side you use or do you find the bow in the stave based on shape of stave and position of the knots without concern about the width of the rings? Any help would be appreciated.

[Hillbilly]

In wood from a leaning tree, the upper side is tension wood and is uaully thinner ringed, but springs into reflex when you split it. On a tree growing straight up, you shouldn't have any reaction wood, and the thicker ringed side might be better; but either side will probably make a bow.

[Pat B]

I think I would split one, separating the thin ringed side from the thick ring side and see how each reacts. Dean Torges, in "Hunting the Osage Bow" talks about taking core samples of trees to determine the tension side and I believe he was talking about cutting straight trunked trees.    Pat

[servicebeary]

Don't closer rings equal greater strength, and therefore be better for a back?

[Hillbilly]

Just depends. On conifers such as yew, that's usually true. On ring-porous hardwoods, thick rings are usually stronger, except for maybe reaction wood.