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Black cherry recommendations, And boom she goes

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Mo_coon-catcher:
I've got a black cherry stave that is very straight with only 2 knots and 1.5" reflex. It's 83" long. right now I have it taken to a 1.5" square until I fully decide what weight to go for with it and whether or not to leave it full length.
 Which leads to my question, what's a good max weight I can possibly push Black Cherry at that length?
 I'm leaning towards leaving it full length and go for 100-120# at 32". Unless those with more experience with Black cherry warbows says otherwise. If it blows, it blows. I have lots of cherry staves and would like to see what it can take but still be able to shoot it, if it holds. Now that I'm done with school I should be able to get this one finished fairly quickly compared to the first one.

Kyle

WillS:
1.5" might be slightly too narrow to push it beyond 100lb, but I've never worked black cherry.  I'd have been inclined to make it around 40 or 42mm wide, get it braced nice and early and see what the wood tells you to do as you monitor set and shape.  40mm is my personal minimum with something like ash when going much over 100lb, and I don't think cherry is quite as forgiving as ash, so wider is better.

As it stands, aim for something like 90lb and keep it full length.  If you get it tillered to 90 or so, you can then chop it down to about 78" (if the tiller of the bow and the set allows it) and you'll bump it up by about 10-15lb.

Mo_coon-catcher:
I just took a measurement in millimeters to see what I've got to work with, I've got between 45-48mm in the center half of the stave. I left a bit of wood around my lines I had marked at 1.5"z I can leave it full width and clean it up when I shape it out, so I should have about 44-45mm if I'm careful shaping.

Kyle

WillS:
Beautiful!  Go for about 42mm which is plenty big enough, and plan to take the sides down quite a lot during the process.  You may well end up around 38mm but it's always nice to have the option of more width, especially early on. 

With that size, and some careful work (don't spend too long arsing about on a long string if you can avoid it) you should be able to get pretty much any weight the timber allows you to.

Good luck!

Mo_coon-catcher:
Awesome! Thanks for the tips. I'm gonna try to get it roughed out in te morning if it's not raining.

Kyle

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