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Terrible Tiller Cascara Warbow Experiment

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duffontap:
I've been harvesting Cascara this summer and I got a few staves that were the right dimensions for warbows so I thought, 'what's to lose?'  Because I didn't want to waste time, I decided to hack a poorly-tillered, high weight, D-section, shorter-than-average bow out of Cascara and see when it would crystal and break.  I didn't bother getting the tiller right (or even close) because the purpose was to break the bow and I thought it would be nice to predict there the break would happen...if it would happen.

The Stats:
Length:  74" nock to nock.
Width at handle:  1 3/8"
Depth at handle:  1 1/4"
1/2" tips.
D-section.
105# @34"
3" of set.
No slivers/no crystals.

Conclusions: 
Cascara is by far the most 'Yew like' hardwood.  It has very high compression strength and elasticity.  It also has low enough bend strength to get the deep section you want with an English design.  I think you could make a very nice warbow with low set if you made it out of a well-seasoned stave and made it closer to 80" for a 32" draw.  I'll try this winter.

The poor bow has been pulled to 34" quite a few times.  I'm amazed.

                  J. D. Duff

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SimonUK:
Amazing, that's bent almost into a semi-circle. Was it seasoned at all? Try shooting it!

DBernier:
Jezzzzzzzzzzzz JD that is something else. Anybody want to send me a 70 inch piece. That is amazing wood.

Dick

Asiertxu:
That is an AWESOME experiment you did Josh!! :o :o.. ;).
I second the making of warbows out of this amazing stuff, and of course canīt wait to see how your future experiment turns out mate!!!...8)...
If you remember Josh, I posted (almost a year ago now...) a thread regarding to this amazing stuff, I never made a bow out of this material so far though.
I find here (Basque Country) at least two kind of "cascara", one is "Rhamnus Alaternus" and the other one is "Rhamnus Frangula".
Both look FANTASTIC as yours ;).One ,"Rhamnus Alaternus", is very very like Yew in appearance and the other one, "Rhamnus Alaternus" very very like Osage... :) :)..
One question Josh:
Is that cascara you have there (in Oregon) "Rhamnus Purshiana"??... :)..
Thanks for share mate!!...and all the best!!... ;)...
Asier.

duffontap:

--- Quote from: Asiertxu on August 07, 2007, 10:42:35 am ---That is an AWESOME experiment you did Josh!! :o :o.. ;).
I second the making of warbows out of this amazing stuff, and of course canīt wait to see how your future experiment turns out mate!!!...8)...
If you remember Josh, I posted (almost a year ago now...) a thread regarding to this amazing stuff, I never made a bow out of this material so far though.
I find here (Basque Country) at least two kind of "cascara", one is "Rhamnus Alaternus" and the other one is "Rhamnus Frangula".
Both look FANTASTIC as yours ;).One ,"Rhamnus Alaternus", is very very like Yew in appearance and the other one, "Rhamnus Alaternus" very very like Osage... :) :)..
One question Josh:
Is that cascara you have there (in Oregon) "Rhamnus Purshiana"??... :)..
Thanks for share mate!!...and all the best!!... ;)...
Asier.


--- End quote ---

Yes Asier, it is Rhamnus Purshiana.  I remember those pictures you posted last August--beautiful wood.  The stuff I get around here tends to have about 1/2" of cream colored sapwood with a pink-to-tan heartwood.  It is very much like a very light colored Yew.  In the past I had thought it to have high compression strength and low tension strength, but I think the experiment proved that it isn't that weak in tension even if that's not its strongest point.  I totally expected it to break.  I'm looking forward to working with it more.  I'm going to do a little flatbow next week with it and this fall I'll try another warbow. 

My hope is to show that this relatively-abundant wood can supply good warbows but it's way too early to say that. 

               J. D.

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