Cracks?

[Deerhunter21]

I started thinning this persimmon stave down to .75” and these cracks started appearing 

What do I do!?? I’m down to my last staves and this was my nicest one…

[organic_archer]

It looks like they’re on the belly side? If they’re not running off the edge of the limbs, get it to your final bow blank dimensions, fill them with superglue and carry on as if they don’t exist. If you tiller away all the superglue, repeat the process.

If they’re running off the edges, someone else might have some advice on that but I’d personally call it quits and start another stave.

[superdav95]

Diddo what organic archer said.  If you can get some supper thin ca glue it will seep deep into the crack better.  If saved a few bows this way.  The only problem is if you plan on heat treating or heat correcting in this area of the repair with ca glue.  Looks like it may be a crack from drying too fast perhaps.  I would work it down and see what you got. 

Best of luck. 

[bownarra]

what tool have you been using to reduce to this point? If it was sharp I don't like the look of the wood!

[RyanY]

I’ll second bownarra. I haven’t worked with persimmon but the way the fibers look to be breaking away looks like it’s decayed or lost it’s integrity. Corey’s advice is also good. Is the stave dry?

[Buckskinner]

what tool have you been using to reduce to this point? If it was sharp I don't like the look of the wood!

I agree, it almost looks punky.

[Pappy]

Persimmon decays pretty easy and quickly if not treated well in the seasoning stages. I agree that looks pretty rough. Hard to say but I would cut a small sliver off it and do a bend test before going much farther. If the bend test goes well then I would just fill the checks with super glue as has been said and carry on.
 Pappy

[Deerhunter21]

Well… i have been using a drawknife and it looks punky because I have been doing against the rings uphill. Basically tearing the wood off instead of cutting it. It’s a lot quicker but I need to be careful when I get down to the dimension I want that I don’t tear it
I’ll let you guys know how it goes

[Pat B]

If that's the stave you got from me it is a sound stave.

[Deerhunter21]

Yes it is pat! That’s why I’m so sure it’s not decayed!! 


I’m super excited to turn this into a bow!!! I’ll be working on it more tonight!

Going to make an American flat bow with this! Or we’ll… I don’t know if it’s actually called that… I’m not good with design. I just do parallel limbs till a foot away, then I taper to the tips.

[Pat B]

Russell, are you making if full length, 66" to 68"?  If so go out parallel for about 6" then taper it to the tips. Persimmon is a very heavy wood and I think taking it parallel further out will add too much excess physical weight to the outer limbs that will zap the performance. The bow you described is considered "overbuilt" and would be more appropriate with a physically lighter wood. I think both of these style bows could be considered American longbows.

[Deerhunter21]

Ok pat! Makes sense! The limb is about 1.5 inches wide. I’ll draw the design out and if it hits any of the cracks, I’ll tweak the design!

I wonder if I could actually make a pyramid bow… I think the limb isn’t wide enough at the base to do it well… I just met a bowyer who makes pyramid bows and he made some good ones!

[bownarra]

there is a saying that goes something like - Abraham Lincoln — ‘Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.’
Learn to sharpen your drawknife and don't work against the grain with an edged tool.....you are asking for trouble.

[Pat B]

+1 what bonarra said.
 Have you removed the sapwood? It's the heartwood you want to use and by removing the sapwood you may eliminate the "checks"...not cracks. I would saturate the checks with super glue then remove the sapwood and seal the new back. The reason that stave checked is the M/C changed from where I had it stored here and where you kept it. When wood dries it can check if not protected.
 I like to use spray shellac and keep it on my work bench all the time. Anytime I expose a new back I seal it with shellac. I've had wood seasoned for 10 years check when a new back ring was exposed and not protected.

[Deerhunter21]

Well crap… I did not know I was supposed to use the heartwood… I got one of the tips down to 1” thick. I was trying to get it roughed out. I’ll see what I can do.

I don’t see the checks on the back of the stave, which is why I felt ok working it down. I didn’t see the checks till i roughed it out. I really hope I didn’t mess this stave up…