Not sure why the other one was closed...Anyway...You people come in here and show pics of your beautiful osage bows and your smooth drawing hickory..I have been fighting the urge...I'm too old for a new adventure. ..Today my neighbor tells me that they have a big hickory on the ground at his Dad's house....soooo here I go.

Crow

Have fun

Be careful......can be highly addictive.

Good ol' Henry County, Missouri hickory...

You're doomed;-)

You are never to old to do something you have passion for.Their are many of us well into our 70,s that are still building selfbows. Enjoy the journey.

Nice staves! More on my site. Jawge

http://traditionalarchery101.com

Did you pull the bark off or did it sit on the ground long enough for the bark to turn loose.

If it sat on the ground for a month or so it is firewood not bow wood. Hickory degrades very quickly if left out in the elements.

It was down for a week. This part was on the top side...And my back is sore.lol

Ah but it's a good sore I hope. Yup taking care of a bunch of staves is a lot of work. There's a good reason they aren't free. Make sure you seal the ends and backs of them to keep them from getting drying checks. I think Bassman said it well. Good Luck and ask questions as you go.

Bjrogg

I'd try to remove the bark and cambium as soon as possible and seal the backs. It makes everything neater and keeps bugs out. I've never done hickory but I think it's a white wood and bark and cambium should peal off during growing season. I've had good luck using a hot water power washer for removing bark and cambium from winter harvested Elm and Hop Hornbeam.

Bjrogg

I may remove some today. I am going to reduce those staves down some first..I sealed the ends up good last nite..I cut them plenty long so I have plenty to work eith.

Hickory performs best when it is really dry. Those staves have a lot of moisture to lose. You are off to a good start!

No, don't need to seal the back of hickory staves. Good plan to seal the ends, or, cut the staves 6" longer than you plan to make the bow.

Selfbows are awesome! Enjoy the journey.

I didn't know that Jim. Just always sealed backs on all my staves. Didn't realize it wasn't necessary on Hickory.

Bjrogg

I've had hickory staves check so watch them closely. If the do seal the back pronto. Jawge

Your doomed like the rest of us. John

The next step should be splitting all the cores off the sapwood. You should get three splits off your quarters.

Here are som I split the cores off of.

So Eric are you building from heart wood or the sap wood?

You can split that wood to get both heartwood, and sap wood bows. I split green, and ax, and rasp the stave to about 85 percent. Then put on a form straightening ,and taking the twist out, and lining tips to the riser clamping as you go with heat gun.I then let it dry at it,s own speed in a cool dry place.When dry i double heat treat the belly. Take it off the form ,and tiller.Works best for me that way.A heart wood backed hickory can make a really fine bow.Sap wood bow is good also.I make mine Pyramid style around two inches coming off the fades to half inch at the tips, at 62,64,66,68 inches.Seal with a mixture of linseed, bee,s wax, and turpentine with a heat gun.Learned this from other Bowyers on Primitve Archer.Seems to work well for me . Hope this may help.

Hey, Arvin, congratulations on your Wendover shooting! Are you home now?

Crowfoot, Bassman said it, a lot of us are in our seventies, but that won't stop us from something so enjoyable.

We may not build as fast as some of the younger folk, but we still enjoy the challenge and as some have said you are hooked and there ain't no cure.

I felt it coming..Even though I was fighting it I found myself driving to places that I knew had osage trees and scoping them out...Now I have a line on some black locoust. .We will see how it plays out.

Crow

Those are some good looking hickory staves. You’ve done it now, no one to blame but your self.^<>^

wow some nice clean wood there . you are on your way

I should have added to the statement about not sealing the backs, that they should be put in a place out of the sun and wind. About any green wood will crack if it's in the wind and sun.

A dramatic exception to this is service berry. I have halved saplings and found that in drying, they shrunk so much on the surface that the formerly flat core face became convex--but there was no cracking.

Let me get this straight. Heartwood needs to be backed and sapwood is not? Thanks in advance John

The first sap wood growth ring under the bark is your natural back of a hickory bow if it is not violated.It can be backed if you choose to, but it is not necessary.When i make heart wood hickory bows i back them mostly with sinew.You can use others backings also,but for me sinew is the ticket.Makes a good solid ,sound bow.Go to Primitive Archer Forum, and their is a mountain of information on their with some of the best bow builders in the world.You will learn a lot in a short period of time, and with persistence become a good bow builder. IMHO.

When they see this thread they will chime in. Many are always willing to help you .Some names like badger, Jawge,Mark,Brogg, Pearl Drums, Jeff all come to mind, and their are many others.If i can help in any other way Pm me.

Were are you guys?

You don't need to back either if the ring is intact and solid. I have made them both ways. I prefer all sapwood hickory self bows. They are basically unbreakable. They rarely blow up, they just fold over nice and gentle like. But that's only if there are serious issues with the tiller. Otherwise, they last forever.

Enjoy. I hope to get back at making more. Been too busy with travels for work and home remodeling

I didn't get a chance to do much with those staves. I'm out of town for work, but they are sealed and put on my basement. I'm in northern Illinois Bass man

Crow

Crowfoot, I started when I was 71, not a problem I have learned a lot from the masters on this site, now if I can just remember where my bow shop is...UMMM!!! I think it's in the backyard....LOL!

I have a HHB almost finished, but I need to get back on it before it starts growing limbs.

You will love it.

Im gonna have to do some serious reading.... making my own bow has always been very tempting ??

Give it a good honest try fitter. Don't let anyone tell you you can't do it. There are some very helpful people willing to share their knowledge and hoping you succeed.

Bjrogg

Fitter as Bjrogg said there are a lot of very willing folks on this site.

I was so scared when I did my first, I was afraid I was going to bore everyone with all the questions and it took me forever to make that hickory bow, but these great people stayed with me and I made a bow that I am very proud of, but most of all the knowledge that I learned from these folks who spent countless hours and money to learn it the hard way and freely pass it on to us beginners is beyond comprehension.

HedgeHunter, yes mine is close to that poundage not ready to put it on the tree yet, working on the grip and the nock inserts. Good luck on your build, I'm sure it will be a good one.

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