Author Topic: Hickory for elb?  (Read 1862 times)

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Offline Mafort

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Hickory for elb?
« on: November 14, 2018, 09:21:23 am »
Is it good for elb design? I didn’t think it’d be too bad but will it work?

Offline dylanholderman

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Re: Hickory for elb?
« Reply #1 on: November 14, 2018, 10:42:34 am »
It’s been done but there are better designs for it.
(Flatbow, molly)

Offline Del the cat

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    • Derek Hutchison Native Wood Self Bows
Re: Hickory for elb?
« Reply #2 on: November 14, 2018, 10:47:30 am »
A guy I know used to import cheap Hickory ELBs from the US as beginner bows, they were ok, but not very well made or seasoned. I took one of 'em, re-tiller it and heat treated the belly and it became very respectable :)
https://bowyersdiary.blogspot.com/2013/03/hickory-challenge-result.html
Del
Health warning, these posts may contain traces of nut.

Offline Bayou Ben

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Re: Hickory for elb?
« Reply #3 on: November 14, 2018, 12:40:13 pm »
Seems that Del hit all of the points about hickory in this style bow in his write up.  And I had a chuckle reading it...
"In the interests of a fair comparison I could make a Dacron string I s'pose, but I've got better things to do than make bad strings" 

Offline Eric Krewson

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Re: Hickory for elb?
« Reply #4 on: November 14, 2018, 04:31:18 pm »
I have limited experience with hickory ELBs, never made one but shot others bows. As built they were real dogs with a lot of string follow. It sounds like Del knows how to make one right, in spite of hickorys lack of compatibility to the design.

Offline Sidewinder

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Re: Hickory for elb?
« Reply #5 on: November 14, 2018, 05:17:12 pm »
I have made a few hickory bows but never an ELB. My biggest issue is the fluxuation it has with moisture. Pretty sure that would lead to sluggishness. Mine were all pyramids early on in my bow making journey. I have been told it does well in  the desert due to its ability to go real low in the MC without failing. The other aspect of some of the sluggishness was most likely also my inexperience. Saw a fella at MOJAM this year had a hot hickory bow and he shot it I think 212yds in the flight shoot. Now whether or not he had it in a hot box prior to the shoot or not is another story but it flung an arrow really well.
"You know a tree by the fruit it bears"   God

Offline bradsmith2010

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Re: Hickory for elb?
« Reply #6 on: November 15, 2018, 07:20:42 pm »
yes It will work,, maybe not as well as with other woods,, but it will definitely shoot an arrow,,
I think with heat treating,,,, it could make a nice shooter,, not as fast as some would like,, but definitely accurate,, go up a bit in poundage to get the desired cast,, etc, etc etc,,