I got this stave gifted to me by one of my wood suppliers . I want to do it justas. Never worked it before! Need recommendations from those of you that have ! Arvin

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Man....that's a beautiful stave! I've never done Cherry before either,but they claim it's weak in compression?

I'd remove the bark and have that sapwood be the limbs and that beautiful red heartwood as a solid one piece riser / grip. I think I'd opt for a pyramid style.

Can't wait to see where it goes!!! I'll be watching with great interest.

Cherry is not the most dense hardwood. I'd be tempted to leave it on the longer side and do a more bend through the handle design myself. A nice wide pyramid would might also work well Not sure I'd go very much over 50 pounds either way.

Arvin, I made some black cherry bows many moons ago. I struggled to find a design that I could be successful with, but I think your design and tillering skills now, are better than mine were back then. Cherry will test ya. It's not great selfbow wood.

I tried both sapwood and heartwood, selfbows, hickory backed, bamboo backed, etc. and did eventually make some nice bows by backing them with very thin hickory... 1/16" or so, pretapered and pulled into a gentle overall reflex during glue up. 1 5/8 to 1 3/4 wide, radiused belly... cuz I like em like that :^) The one I still have here is 68" long ntn, 58# @ 28"(if memory serves) and still holds most all of its glued in reflex.

If you can get it to survive, cherry is a feather light and lively wood.

No luck with Cherry when I tried it. Bow developed so much set that it looks strung when it isn't .It doesn't like compression.

I noticed when I tested the moisture that the prongs went in awful easy. It's 74" long and I can get 3-31/2 inches at the fade. Y'all keep the info coming. Does it take heat good? A bit of a propeller in it. Arvin

I'd smoke meats with it Arvy.

Yep, makes good smoker wood. I made some deer jerky, cherry cider based marinade, then smoked with black cherry wood, yum.

In a bow, it looks good under clear glass.

I'll use it as the center lam in trilams too.

I wouldn't bother trying to make a self bow out of it tbqh, unless you just *really* want the challenge - and even then pine would likely give you better results without the heartbreak. Cherry is simply too weak and absorbs too much moisture to make an effective self bow. It would make a pretty (and probably pretty good) core in a glass bow though. Also a fantastic wood for smoking, which is probably the best use of it.

Hey, it's already a stave, my vote is to go for it. Whataya got to lose? A little time and effort? Pfff. So what. Something different.

I'd probably thin the sapwood to 1/4" or so if it were me, for looks, but I don't think it really matters structurally. Remember, it's diffuse porous wood.

I have never made a 'good' black cherry bow myself...it's hard for me to tell if that's what you have but the bark should have pieces with lines on them from the original small tree bark...like this...

I have a long and wide pyramid bow that I made from a cherry board from my Dad's pile. It had perfect grain, and I was full of new-bowyer hope, so I couldn't let it be just a panel.

Had enough width for two tries. Turns out I had to back the bow with deer rawhide (the first un-backed attempt failed), but when straight-tapered from 3 inches to 3/8", the flat-bellied 50 pounder shows just a touch of set. But its long and wide and square and ugly and just hangs around not getting shot anymore. Mighta broke it by now if it wasn't so damn ugly.

Have you considered backing it with sinew? That would allow you to take off the sapwood without worrying much about ring violation. Theoretically, that would lessen belly strain, too. I once similarly sinewed a yew stave made to osage bow dimensions (it was too-short for a D-belly). I think this cherry stave would be very good for that.

So will it take heat??? Other than the BBQ wood. Lol. I think I will try 70" 31/2 at the fades 3/8 ar the tips, reduce sap to about 2 growth rings put a 10" handle in it . Assuming the heat gets the propeller out. I built one once out of pine . It was 3" at the fades but not a pyramid. It took about 21/2 inches of set. Arvin

Yes it has the little lines. Must be black cherry.

3 1/2" is too wide IMO... but I hate excessively wide bows. I could be biased.

Yes, it will take heat corrections. It's pretty stable.

That stave isn't even 3 1/2" wide, is it?

That's at the handle. Jeff it's not that I am fond of the wide fades but I am not getting near the set from fade to mid-limb with this design. Even in Osage especially when to much early wood is apparent. They have to be wider with less dense wood even in Osage. What I feel is this. If our bows are taking set in one area we are leaving mass out in thickness or width. Duh! Arvin But if the bow takes set thru the entire limb we tried to ask more of the wood than it had in it. Lower poundage of bow would be a better design. Arvin

I basically agree with that Arvin. Keep us posted on your progress with the cherry stave.

I would be glad to except your prototype for years of testing.

Good Luck Arvin. I'll be watching. I've never tried cherry. I built stuff out of it in 4-H. I like the color but it was a pain to run through planer. Would chip out in one direction, turn it around and it'd chip out in a different spot going the other direction. Haven't heard great things as a bow wood so probably right in thinking lighter bow. Just guessing though. Bjrogg

My brother Chuck made an all wood tri-lam bow using cherry in the middle, and it worked ok.

You would need to back it with something.

Ok 69 ntn roughed to 2-7/8 at fade 1-1/2 at mid limb. Ione ring sap wood. Now to see how it likes heat.

On the heat bench

I will say this, if this does not make a bow , it's going to cook some stakes. The wood smells real good in the heat process. Arvin

After first trip to the heat bench.

After first trip to the heat bench.

Ended up with a little natural deflex in the handle.

bumping this back to page 1... good luck Arvin... looking pretty good so far.

Been busy ! Will try to get back to it this week.

Making test limb since I have only one shot at this Black Cherry bow.

good idea... hope this works. There's lots of black cherry around here.

Yeah Arvin, don't worry if you want more, just say the word. It's everywhere around here.

Let's get this one built first. Remember Osage is the King.floor tillered pretty even. Probably in the 50# range now. I think I am going to go for 35-40#. We will see. I will be watching for set. The test piece leans toward 35-40 just guessing. Then starts to break down.

Badger what should this bow weigh in at for 35#? 69"ntn you know my style pyramid. Probably 3oz still to be removed from handle. Weighs 30oz now. Arvin

Spent some time on this barreled arrow today . Pics to follow latter. Arvin

Oh it's cherry too. Came out of drop below the limb. Straight grained stave for sure. Arvin

Ok strung and is 35@23. Osage tip overlays and final heat.

Oh I went thru the last sapwood ring so it's all heart wood now.

So far so good.

Arvin, I don't know how relevant it is because it's backed with 1/16" hickory, but I just checked this cherry bow, and it weighs 17.5 ounces. It's 66" ntn, and 58# @ 28". It's 1 11/16" wide and still as 1 1/2" of reflex. The cross section is 'squashed' pretty low, but it's fully radiused. Of course, the hickory may be contributing to its holing of the reflex... but those are good numbers and it shoots like a dream. I may have to take this old girl for a walk soon.

I made this thing 18 years ago. Seems like yesterday. Time sure flies, aye? I still have two more staves just like it from the same tree. Found em yesterday while rootin around in the shop.

Still watching Arvin.

Jeff I've been thinking of making a work bench similar to the one in your picture. Did you make it?

I want one heavy enough that it doesn't move to much when I'm using draw knife, but that I could move around if I needed to. Have drawers and a couple vices, but still use as a table for party.

Sorry Arvin don't mean to sidetrack your thread.

Bjrogg

Brian, yes, I'm making it. Still a work in progress. Been working on that sucker for 2 months and planning for much longer. Almost done. There's a few more things I want to do to it. It's heavy, about 750-800 lbs, has deployable casters and moves easily. I thought maybe I'd start a thread about it when it's finished. Don't want to derail Arvin's thread.

Great

Your bench may be a better thread. My hat is off to you Jeff. This thang is 36@25 and already took 1" set. Started with 1-3/4 from wall to back of handle. Lost half and never put more than 36# on it. I am pretty sure I prefer Osage. Lol Arvin

it'll smoke a delicious easter brisket.

No on smoking brisket.

Yes on lady's target bow. 35@25.

Shot it for flight today. May be possible to brake women's broadhead record. Not the flight arrow though. Arvin

Force draw but not broke in yet.

Force draw but not broke in yet.

Sure is pretty Arvin!! Great job.

WOW, Great job. Gives me the itch to try some other woods again. John

Yeah it sure is pretty wood. Works like butter, and finishes nice too, being diffuse porous.

Arvin, how wide did you end up making it? Shoot it much yet? I'll be interested to see how it holds up with a few hundred shots.

Did you get the propeller eliminated and do the limbs pull straight?

The selfbows I tried making with cherry were just too heavy which made them take enough set that I wanted nothing to do with them.

I prefer osage too :^) but it's fun to play with something different sometimes.

Thanks for taking us along Arvin. Now we know. It's pretty hard to hang with Osage. Bjrogg

No on shooting it much. Maybe 10-15 times. Yes I got the propeller out.yes limb pull straight.still out on shooting it in a couple hundred times. I am thinking it will break down a tad more. May keep it fresh for flight. I think I have better bows though.

Here is two good bows I built. The force draw on the right is my record bow.

Final weight.

Thanks guys it's been fun. I am thinking it's not the set in the belly but the back breaking down . No way to prove it though. No stress cracks on the belly. Arvin

Arvin, I think Cherry is about the fastest wood there is if you don't break it down. Most of my cherry bows have been backed with maple or hickory. Beautiful bow you made there. I think you did well keeping it long. I made a 50# English longbow from cherry a few years ago. The dimensions were larger than a 100# longbow from ipe.

Steve, I did that too. It was cherry backed with a thin piece of hickory. Glued up straight. Narrow, deep, rounded. Shot good but took 2 1/2 - 3" of set after a couple hundred shots and eventually the belly chrysalled. More kindlin.

Jeff, If you make the next one just a tad wider and flatter belly, maybe around 20 oz and see if it holds up better. The bow you posted is a beauty.

Thanks bud.

Test results in! 417 gr.-157 yds. 35@241/2

Well, that's a heavy arrow for it, and a short draw. I'm no flight shooter, only done a little bit of it with much heavier bows and arrows, but that sounds pretty good to me. Still standing straight. Nice!

Those are impressive results for a 35# bow. For that stave you get a "gold medal". Nice work on a difficult wood.

It's still holding Jeff but has not been shot a lot . Arvin

It's still holding Jeff but has not been shot a lot . Also not pulled past the 24-25 range.

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