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How thin is too thin for a Hickory backing?

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barebo:
Hi Marc,

That's what I was hoping to hear. I've always admired your work so having heard you've done so is good news. I thinned mine down as much as I dare and it has helped I believe to aid in dropping some poundage and coming around to a nice arc. I'm amazed at how much material has been removed but I'm very close now. I'll try to get a pic of it bent tomorrow.

barebo:
Got it to low brace drawing about 23" and it is about mid 50#. String tracks dead center so no twist in the limbs. I have a rope and pulley on a 6x6" vertical beam in my utility room so getting a tiller shot is tricky. Maybe I can get my wife to snap a pic while I'm bending it.

Dances with squirrels:
I too have used quartersawn hickory backings at no more than 1/16" thick. Usually on woods like cherry or walnut where I was concerned a thicker backing piece might be too much for the belly to resist. Some I ground in a drum sander, and some I thinned by hand after glue up. Worked good. Made good bows that held no less glued in reflex than those with thicker pieces.

barebo:
Well,

I wished that I'd thinned it even more than I did. As mentioned above, perhaps I should have made a simple bow from the quarter sawn maple. I was at 45# final tiller @28" and looking good.
Shaped the grip and commenced to sanding with 320 and thought I set my drawknife down with it's razor edge too hard about 4" below the bottom limb fade but it didn't sand out. Tiny fret on the very surface.
I removed wood both sides and had to shave a bit from the upper limb as well. The fret was on the surface. Dropped to almost 42#. Strung it back up and let my nephew draw it so I could get a good look at the tiller at full draw, and the fret came back. I let some superglue soak in and am kind of bummed as it is light and has a nice bend. I'm going to shoot it when it stops snowing here in Central NY. I'll have my wife get a pic of it drawn.

Pat B:
You can thin the backing now if you want. The nice thing about board backings is you can reduce the backing even when it's on the bow.

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