Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: PeteDavis on October 01, 2010, 09:28:47 pm
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Well my osage/hick is getting final finishes. Laminated bows are fun to do. Now on to the next thing....
I have a beautiful 1/4 sawn sassafras board, 3/4" x 2" x 72" along with a hickory backing strip.
What do I need to know about this wood? It's real bendy and flexy-I want to make a bow for my GF from it that pulls 30# or so.
I'll start this bow when I get out of the woods in six weeks or so.
PD
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Pete,I've had poor results with sassafras.It was terrible to set,and had little cast.But,I only tried a couple of them.JMHO. God Bless
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Sassafras, in my limited opinion, is one of those "born to be a D" woods. I tried maybe half a dozen bows from sassafras over the years- I had three D bows survive, one come very close, but absolutely every stiff deep handled bow I made was a failure!
If backing it with hickory, you remove the biggest issue with the wood, it's low tension strength. Just make sure you crown the back and leave the belly flat. Kinda like a reverse ELB. Sassafras, at least the stuff that grows here, seems to be low in elasticity. Low stress designs, and especially low draw weights, seem to fit it better.
Good luck! :)