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Cherry???

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CTBowyer:
Hey guys, I need some advice.

I can get cherry staves very easily where I live and I was wondering should I use sapwood only, heartwood, or a sap/heart combo like a yew bow?  I know I'll have to back it with rawhide or something (as it says in vol. II of the bible)  but I was wondering what part of the wood makes the better bow.  Any thoughts?

Badger:
Kevin, I have made several cherry bows but never tried the sapwood, I have a feeling it would be good but not talking from experience. I have a couplr cherry trees lined up to take down next time I visit mississippi and plan to give the sapwood a try. Steve

DanaM:
I think leaving a few growth rings of sap wood would look real nice with the the color contrast.
Other than not not sure if it really matters if your backing it.

CTBowyer:
Well, guess I'll have to experiment then.  When I get the bows done I'll have to post pics and stats.  Now I'm off to the back yard to clear those trees...

Pat B:
I've built a few cherry bows and used the wood under the bark as the back. The bows came out mostly sapwood with a bit of heartwood in the handle. If you follow Paul Comstock's advise for white wood bows you can make a good bow with it. I didn't use any backing on the bows I built and if the wood is collected and cured properly and the proper design is used, there should be no reason for a backing unless you just wanted some extra insurance.
   I have handled black walnut the same way with good results.    Pat

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