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A couple static curve questions
WhistlingBadger:
Interesting! Everything I've read says that they have an annoying tendency to explode randomly, sometimes after shooting them for several years. So I'd probably play it safe and at least put rawhide on it. My face ain't much, but it's the only one I've got.
WhistlingBadger:
The thing I like about a chokecherry bow is that stuff is tough. You can hardly break it if you try. I have used it to make walking sticks and hatchet handles. So a good bow made of chokecherry would probably last a long time, even in bang-it-up hunting conditions.
I've worked with juniper before, but I made some mistakes and never got a shooter with it. It is a joy to work with, almost like carving chalk. And wow, does it make the shop smell wonderful.
SLIMBOB:
I think with a few exception's, you can make a decent self bow with so many different woods. Black Cherry being an exception for me, but others have succeeded with the nasty stuff. Just make it wider and or longer in the right proportions. A decade ago I laughed at the idea using Hackberry. After learning to heat temper, Hackberry is a perfectly good option.
Texas Persimmon. Yet to get a shooter from it after several attempts, but it is short small diameter and twisted up around here. I will keep after getting one from it.
bassman211:
Some of our natives have made both bows, and arrows from wild choke cherry. I also tried it some years back. You really need to sinew back it for safety in my opinion. One winter I built 6 self bows from this wood not knowing much about it as a self bow wood. . All went well until a couple of hundred shots in. One blew up at full draw, and I mean blew up. I was lucky not to loss an eye. Broke my glasses in 2 pieces, and it gave me a bad shiner. The wood I was using had hidden flaws. The branches though do make good arrows. I heat treated them, and fluted them. The bows were 62 inches long. One ,and 5/8 at the fades to 5/8 at the tips, and 40 to 45 lbs. at 25 inch draw. I still have a couple left, but won't shoot them until I sinew back them. Just my experience, and others may vary.
WhistlingBadger:
--- Quote from: bassman211 on December 30, 2023, 09:31:45 pm ---Some of our natives have made both bows, and arrows from wild choke cherry. I also tried it some years back. You really need to sinew back it for safety in my opinion. One winter I built 6 self bows from this wood not knowing much about it as a self bow wood. . All went well until a couple of hundred shots in. One blew up at full draw, and I mean blew up. I was lucky not to loss an eye. Broke my glasses in 2 pieces, and it gave me a bad shiner. The wood I was using had hidden flaws. The branches though do make good arrows. I heat treated them, and fluted them. The bows were 62 inches long. One ,and 5/8 at the fades to 5/8 at the tips, and 40 to 45 lbs. at 25 inch draw. I still have a couple left, but won't shoot them until I sinew back them. Just my experience, and others may vary.
--- End quote ---
Thanks for your input, Bass. I've heard the same basic story from enough people that I don't think I'd make a chokecherry self bow. I've heard they're really snappy shooters, though, while they last. I have some good antelope rawhide, lots of dogbane fiber, and quite a bit of sinew for backing. I prefer to save the sinew for juniper bows, so I'm leaning toward a couple layers of dogbane on the chokecherry, just for safety.
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