Author Topic: Cherry board?  (Read 3321 times)

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Offline SiongSA

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Cherry board?
« on: January 28, 2011, 03:09:52 pm »
Hey guys,
I'm currently waiting for all my staves to dry so i'm a little 'board' atm so i was thinking of making a board bow.The thing is that i've been to most of the local lumber yards, warehouses and shops and practically all i can find is pine. The only wood that has any wood quality's was teak and mahogany, i know mahog is shite but teak is on a bow wood list on paleoplanet so is teak anygood? also i saw cherry boards at the builders merchant, i've seen a few cherry bows around, what is cherry like and what are its quality's?

Sion,
South Africa

Offline half eye

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Re: Cherry board?
« Reply #1 on: January 28, 2011, 03:44:25 pm »
Siong,
     My experience with cherry is that it is tension weak, but compression strong, and with Cherry I would back it right from the git-go. Linnen, silk, wood, rawhide etc. will do the job. The wood will make a good belly core, so if you can help it not sliver (with a backing) it should make a good bow.
     The Teak I have no clue about....sorry.
rich

Offline bubby

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Re: Cherry board?
« Reply #2 on: January 28, 2011, 03:55:32 pm »
like halfeye said back it, I'd trapp it also, and go slow as tiller with cherry has to be perfect, imo, Bub
failure is an option, everyone fails, it's how you handle it that matters.
The few the proud the 27🏹

Offline NTProf

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Re: Cherry board?
« Reply #3 on: January 28, 2011, 05:13:09 pm »
I made two cherry board bows, one backed with linen, the other with hickory. Both turned out and shot really well. The hickroy-backed one now belongs to my son, the other I got rid of (wish I still had it). I might have to get another cherry board some time.

Offline ken75

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  • crepe myrtle is my "yella wood"
Re: Cherry board?
« Reply #4 on: January 28, 2011, 11:48:02 pm »
im not sure i would trap a tension weak wood !

Offline NTD

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Re: Cherry board?
« Reply #5 on: January 29, 2011, 02:37:16 am »
You could trap the belly but yeah trapping the back would be No Bueno.
Nate Danforth

Offline SiongSA

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Re: Cherry board?
« Reply #6 on: January 29, 2011, 02:55:51 am »
about the lack of tension strength, i'm only aiming for 35lbs so wouldn't a self cherry be able to cope with the tension? also what dimensions would i need in cherry for 35lb?

Offline bubby

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Re: Cherry board?
« Reply #7 on: January 30, 2011, 06:15:13 pm »
I've built 3 hickory cherry bows, the reason I said that I would trap is the first bow got a lot of cryshals, and failed very young, on the next 2 I lightly traped the back and had no problem, all 3 pyramids, and I know the cryshals could have been my fault but that's how I attacked the problem, right, wrong or whatever, maybe I just did a better job tillering the last 2 bows, like I said I've only built 3 cherry's so I deffer to experiance, Bub
failure is an option, everyone fails, it's how you handle it that matters.
The few the proud the 27🏹