Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: bowhntineverythingnh03743 on March 14, 2011, 02:08:49 pm
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Hello PA members-
I am new to the site and was looking for some help. I just purchased a Hackberry stave and needed to know if I had to bring the back of the bow to the heartwood or is this a stave that includes the sap wood. If anyone out there in PA land could lend some wisdom on the subject that would be awesome. I am looking forward to the adventures of bowyering. Have a great day everyone. Justin (New Hampshire)
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Welcome to PA
Just peel the bark off and get at it !
Watch out this is an addiction !!
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Just peel the bark and there you go,if the back has been violated just chase a ring,they are usually pretty easy with wide rings to chase. Hackberry makes a good but but go slow on the tiller and don't try and get it to close before you get on the tiller board,it can go away quick as far as hitting weight,also take care of any problems as soon as you see them,hinges are bad and hard to get fixed if you don't do it early.Good luck and welcome. :)
Pappy
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The woods I have worked so far in my little over 2 years of bowyery are: Ash, Osage, Red oak, Hackberry, and em just starting a little bit on mulberry. Out of those woods hackberry has by far been the best wood period. Osage has taken the least set, but doesn't beat hackberry by that much. I live outside cincinnati ohio and I have heard alot of folks on here say that bow wood can vary [igreatly[/i] depending on region as well as growing conditions, and even greatly from just tree to tree. So you should take that into account. Things going for hackberry:
- Very few knots
- Very tension strong (in my own experience, haven't really looked into "official scientific" stuff)
- Takes little set after good seasoning. Norm for a 70" or so 70# at 28" bow would be about 1/2" for me.
- Light weight but at the same time strong. It seems that dense woods are desired mostly, but if the wood acts like a dense low set
taking wood with the added benefit of being light, I would see that as a performance plus. Now it will take more wood to make the same weight bow of other woods typically. But because of the lightness of the wood performance will not suffer like you'd think. It's strong but light. I know this seems like a catch 22, but if you take 2 50# bows of the same design, one hackberry and one probably any other common bow wood, the hackberry is gonna be way lighter. Anyway, this is just my opinion.
- Grows straight alot of the time.
- Polishes to ivory or bone likeness. Beautiful wood.
Or maybe I am just partial a little bit, :):):)
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A few years back my entry in the Mojam hatchet bow contest was a hackberry bow. Nice wood to work and very forgiving.
It's about the only tree that grows straight in the woods around here...
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Ya, they get real big like sycamores (american) too if ya give em time, ya can really get a good amount of staves out of a 10" or 12" diameter tree. Thing is, it does have a snake to it, but a "straight" snake. Just enough to make a cool curvy bow.Great for snakey flatbows, just the perfect amount.
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Ya, they get real big like sycamores (american) too if ya give em time, ya can really get a good amount of staves out of a 10" or 12" diameter tree. Thing is, it does have a snake to it, but a "straight" snake. Just enough to make a cool curvy bow.Great for snakey flatbows, just the perfect amount.
I've never seen the stuff, not sure it grows up here in MI but after reading your post above I sure want to get my hands on a stave in the very near future.
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Toomanyknots, We are almost neighbors. I live about an hour from Cincy. Across the river and into Indiana a little ways. Glad to hear that are some other bowyers nearby.
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There just like hickory if you watch the moisture and and don't ever over stress your limbs. They have no string follow and good cast,fast and just a snappy bow. Easy to work my log that no major knots in it. I once got on a hackberry kick. When I cut a tree and got 8 staves from it. Got nice staves from the whole log. Not one bad one all were nice and straight.
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"Toomanyknots, We are almost neighbors. I live about an hour from Cincy. Across the river and into Indiana a little ways. Glad to hear that are some other bowyers nearby."
Ha, I really thought I was the only one. I was still wondering though who was beatin me to all the good boards at lowes, ;D. I might have to let ya in ta all my secret bow wood stashes this spring, :):):) I can fell a 40 foot tree like a ninja. My 8 dollar handsaw is silent but deadly...
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"Toomanyknots, We are almost neighbors. I live about an hour from Cincy. Across the river and into Indiana a little ways. Glad to hear that are some other bowyers nearby."
Ha, I really thought I was the only one. I was still wondering though who was beatin me to all the good boards at lowes, ;D. I might have to let ya in ta all my secret bow wood stashes this spring, :):):) I can fell a 40 foot tree like a ninja. My 8 dollar handsaw is silent but deadly...
Wasn't me that got to the boards. I've only bought one. I'm more a destroyer of osage ;D