Serviceberry Branch Bow Worthy?

[mmattockx]

I was given this by a friend who is a serious gardener. He has an impressively large Saskatoon patch in his yard and this came from that patch. I think it was cut last fall or winter, but am not sure. It got left out in the rain a couple days ago and I stripped the soggy bark off this afternoon. With the bark off it feels quite dry to the touch, not at all like freshly cut green wood. It has no checks or cracks anywhere that I can see.

If it can be heat straightened enough I figure it is big enough to make a fairly short (~58") bendy handle bow if I am up to it. What do the more experienced eyes here think?






Thanks,
Mark

[Santanasaur]

I really like serviceberry but it tends to spiral and is hard to dry without checking. I would approach it like plum or other small diameter risky to dry wood. This wood finishes  really well, looks like maple but has streaks like cherry. The pieces I’ve seen have been pretty dense, up to .85 SG. I’d use  that piece, looks tricky but fun. Not sure how much draw weight you could get but I’d try it out.

[DC]

It really depends on where it was since if was cut. If it was kept in a dry spot it should be good.

[mmattockx]

I really like serviceberry but it tends to spiral and is hard to dry without checking. I would approach it like plum or other small diameter risky to dry wood.

There could be some prop twist in it, but the bark didn't really show it before I took it off. How do I dry it without checking? It is too small to split, so that is out. Should I seal the end grain to minimize cracking there? I am not going to start on it any time soon, will just put it up in my woodshop for a while and see what it does.

This wood finishes  really well, looks like maple but has streaks like cherry. The pieces I’ve seen have been pretty dense, up to .85 SG. I’d use  that piece, looks tricky but fun. Not sure how much draw weight you could get but I’d try it out.

It is not super heavy, but not light, either. This is more of a challenge to me than a quest for a great bow. If I get a shooting bow out of it with anything over 25-28lb@28" I would be more than satisfied with that.

It really depends on where it was since if was cut. If it was kept in a dry spot it should be good.

I think it was still standing in the patch over winter. At least that is where it was pulled from when it was handed to me. It wasn't laying on the ground in muck or anything like that but it was outdoors and not inside shelter.


Mark

[DC]

I think it was still standing in the patch over winter. At least that is where it was pulled from when it was handed to me. It wasn't laying on the ground in muck or anything like that but it was outdoors and not inside shelter.


Mark

I don't think I'd trust it.

[mmattockx]

I don't think I'd trust it.

Fair enough. I am still going to see if I can coax it into becoming some kind of bow. All my work has been with boards before and this is the first thing even close to a stave I have had. It will get a lot of work on the tree and I will see where it goes from there. I don't really trust any piece of wood for quite a while when it is being turned into a bow, so I can just be extra cautious with this one.


Mark

[DC]

If it's all you've got then go for it. If it does break there's a good chance it wasn't your fault. I guess that's a good thing You have to remember that stuff rots way faster on the coast than it does in Alberta. It might have gone the whole winter without getting wet

[backtowood B2W]

I would go for it, and I think you can definitely make a bow over 30#

[mmattockx]

You have to remember that stuff rots way faster on the coast than it does in Alberta. It might have gone the whole winter without getting wet

Nothing gets wet at -20C. That said, the bottom was fairly grotty and had a crack I hadn't noticed working through it so I cut it off with a hand saw to stop the crack and get to sound wood. It was like cutting iron, so maybe it will be a bow yet.

The pieces I’ve seen have been pretty dense, up to .85 SG.

I paid attention today to how it felt in the hand and it is at least as heavy as a similar sized piece of hard maple, so it is heavier than I first realized. Doesn't feel anything like an SG of 0.85, but certainly not light and fluffy like poplar or similar soft hardwoods.

I would go for it, and I think you can definitely make a bow over 30#

That would be great. I am going to weigh it tomorrow and then let it sit for a couple months and see where it is at on the drying journey. Will post pics when something happens with it. Considering how crooked it is, I am sure I will have plenty of tillering questions.


Mark