Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: IrishJay on October 31, 2019, 12:18:40 pm
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Black Cherry ELB I'm working on. 74" ttt, roughed out and created rounded ELB belly profile. I left a lot of meat on this one, hoping to keep it in the 65-70lb range @30-31". Question is about the profile. I'm not sure if it has enough RD to it to see any real benifit over a straight limbed bow. Tips about 1.5" positive right now.
(https://i.imgur.com/yaQAm4N.jpg)
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Been black cherry I would not risk adding more RD. Osage on the other hand I would say go for it.
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I will hit you square. Its what I do best. Cherry is miserable bow wood, a narrow/deep design is the worst cross-section possible for this wood, your bow is probably 4-8" too short for your draw. So, no I wouldn't change anything. Wear safety glasses the second you get any kind of string on it and every time you shoot it.
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Pearl is right. I say that from experience with it. Very short and high weight. Narrow to boot. Drop the weight to get it thinner to get it to hold. When BC goes its spectacular! Hope I’m laughed at for being wrong here.
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If you are building an elb you should not have any Rd you should have one continuous curve I built a 55 lb black cherry old about 2 years ago I build mine strictly by Mass it was about1 1/4 inches wide 69 in Long in a little over an inch thick in the center I backed it with either Hickory or red oak I'm not sure.
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I'm suprised everyone thinks 74" is short. How long would you guys recommend?
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Backed it will work like Badger did, or sinew backed. As a self bow it is a dangerous wood. Your not wrong slimbob. I nearly lost an eye with a Wild Choke Cherry self bow. Cherry explodes, and I mean explodes when it lets go.
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Well in light of the suggestions here I'm just going to abandon this bow. If you look at my Sioux bows post I had a black cherry gullwing fail on me earlier today. So I think I'll just relocate all my black cherry to the wood burner.
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It CAN be good backed, if that is your flavor. If not? Id burn it in the fireplace or smoker. I always say beware the first live trees to topple in a wind storm.
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Well in light of the suggestions here I'm just going to abandon this bow. If you look at my Sioux bows post I had a black cherry gullwing fail on me earlier today. So I think I'll just relocate all my black cherry to the wood burner.
Toasting and then bending the next day is risky but it's not a wood to stand on its own reliably.
Rawhide or thin tension strong other wood backing is your best bet.
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Probably a question I should have asked sooner, but how long is the recommended wait time from toast to pull?
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It’s just really...brittle in my experience. And that’s before talking about the sap pockets. Others have posted a few self bows, so it can be done I figure, but I would choose almost any “bow wood” ahead of BC. That includes Red Oak, which is only marginal, but it’s not brittle.
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You have a rock maple short bow that you are making. That is good bow wood. Show us some pics. when that one is done. Good building.
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No
Del
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Bass,
The rock maple bow is floor tillered, planning on doing some sanding and toasting today.
How long should I wait after toasting to get it bending? 2 days? A week?
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I dont know the rule on waiting after toasting,,
I think work on your other bow a few days or week and then go back to the toasted one,,
I live in high desert,, I have sprayed mine with water after toasting to speed up re hydration,, but dont know if that is a good idea,,,,I just thought it might help,, didnt seem to hurt anything,,
if you put rawhide on it after toasting,, it will be ready when the hide is dry,,
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I tiller the next day,but my basement is always 79 percent humidity.
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The one and only black cherry bow I built was I think 70 “ ntn 2-1/2 “ wide at the fades ten inch handle. 2-1/2 inch of reflex that all pulled out . Ended up straight stave at 44#. Not shot a lot but hasn’t blown yet Pearl . >:( it’s light in mass and I have been thinking about putting Gems Buck horn on the belly and checking it for flight. Good luck with your build. Arvin
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I too usually wait a day and then proceed. Longer may be better, but I see no ill effect from 1 day wait. That's on Osage for the most part, but Elm, Mulberry, Sugar Maple, Hackberry, ditto. 3 Texas Persimmon bows blew up, all right after heat treating, but I think they were all too high crowned to begin with, but I will wait longer from here on out if I ever touch the sorry @ss stuff again. I used the rest of my Persimmon stash as fence stays.
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I think bending too soon after heat is what killed my cherry sioux bow from my other thread. I toasted it after floor tiller, did final tiller the next day and it was bending great. It to very little wood removal to clean up tiller and get it drawing 40# @28" (@56" ntn). Everything was looking good and I was about to shoot some test arrows but I thought I should even up the heat treat in the areas where I removed wood. So I waited for it to cool back down to room temp, put it back on the tree and it kersploded. Probably would have been fine if I'd given it a day.