Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: cdpbrewer on September 28, 2014, 10:15:14 am
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Below are pics of a hickory stave with lots of wood pecker knots- some of which go through the roughed out limbs. Will it make a bow?
Thanks!
c.d.
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I would use it to cook brats as Pappy says. If the tree had woodpecker activity to begin with it was past it's point of being a candidate for bow wood.
Tracy
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If the tree had woodpecker holes it likely had insects and maybe was dead. Good firewood x 2.
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The tree was alive when cut a month ago and there's evidence of no insect damage.
c.d.
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I don't know why a wood pecker would just randomly peck holes in wood. They do it to get insects out of the wood.
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The wood still seems ok. If I were you I would try and chase a deeper growth ring. If you were using a stiff handle and you don't have enough wood left after you chase a ring you could glue on a riser or make a bend in the handle bow.
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You could find a better piece of wood for sure, but hickory is tough stuff and you can damage the back of it more than any other wood and still have a bow. I have taken pieces like that and laid the back straight on the belt sander and sanded it down smooth. If it were mine, I wouldn't bother with trying to chase a ring with hickory. If I were shooting for a medium weight bow of reasonable length, I would sand that back down flat and proceed. This will probably start a hail storm of disagreement, but I have access to lots of hickory and have made several good bows from really second rate boards and staves. It is very durable wood and will take a lot of ring violation on the back. Just my two cents.
PS: Oh, and here is me crawfishing - if it is bug damaged or fungus damaged from laying on the ground - it is doomed. :)
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I cut a load of similar elm recently.
Those types of marks tend to come from wood-peckers "sap feeding" The peck down through the outer to cambium and drink the sap.
Dam their eyes!
If there is a boat load of them on the surface you can guarantee there will be a load a few more rings down. All of mine is sat in the corner of shame likely to become firewood.
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Send it to me
I will make a bow from it
then you can decide if it will work
But I am keeping the bow LOL
Guy
If you don't break a few you won't learn much anyway