Choke Cherry (I believe) Bow Attempt

[ber643]

This one I am not getting behind on to post here - LOL

My buddy and I were out scouting and moving sites last Sunday for Monday's hunt. We came upon a relativly fresh pile of cut brush and saplings. I salvaged this one. Neither Mike, or I, were familiar with the wood/tree (from this area) but both of us thought it reminded us of Choke Cherry from our original home areas (different ones). This sapling is just a tad over 68" and when you cut the bark off the wood is very white, and too hard to hardly mark it with a fingernail. Pretty stuff, oh, it also has wide rings (about 6 rings in this 2 1/2" sapling). Anyody else have any thoughts on what it is? I will try to get around to making another bow out of it, if all goes well (time-wise).

   

Tuesday: I didn't get any guesses as to what my new sapling looks like it might be. However the one that rwri showed, in the multi-sapling thread, (with the bark still on parts of it) looked a lot like it, and he called that Cherry also - maybe I was right on mine. Anyway, here is how it looks half, and fully, de-barked, if that helps any:

   

 

Wednesday: Today I checked a NC site on local trees, etc. and found enough pics of trunks, leaves, fruit to make me a little surer this is Choke Cherry (wasn't even sure we had them in NC before - LOL). When I went in to look at it today (after de-barking yesterday) of course it was all brown again from the wet cambium starting to dry. I set about scrapping the cambium off, uncovering white wood again:

   

A closer shot:

   

Here it is all back to white (more or less) again - wonder what it'll look like tomorrow - LOL:

 
 
Tomorrow, or soon, I will decide if I will shave and rasp it down to a bow shape, or if I will try to split, or saw, it, and maybe get two pieces out of it - not sure yet. Not even sure if I will do green reduction, or cure it, or use one for each process.

..................................

I went ahead and put a "good slathering" of White glue on the sapling while deciding (to forstall/prevent checking and/or cracking).

Luckily I use Washable (School) glue 'cause, in the process, I also slathered my workbench, vice, pretty much the whole room, not to mention myself. I've been trying to get up with someone to come with a bucket of water and separate me from the room. My wife will never notice I'm missing because she says I'm always "stuck" in that room anymore, anyway.         (Just kidding, I actually did a real neat job - with a foam brush, and only spilled one drop - I just can't behave myself for too long at a time -     :D    )

If/when I cut it into two, I will coat the sawn/split surfaces, and see if the outside needs another coat at that time.

I may or may not continue with this thread right away or pick it up again when the time is right (don't ya love suspense?)

[Pat B]

Bernie, When you split(or cut) this stave in half, instead of adding glue to the belly side, take it down to close to floor tiller stage. If you seal the entire stave you are trapping moisture in the wood and with white wood especially, fungi will set in. You may also have to clamp it to a form to help control the reflex and twisting.   Pat

[ber643]

I hear what you are saying, Pat (makes sense). I guess that's why one guy who was talking about cutting (in sted of splitting) said to put glue on the sawn surface just for a short distance from the ends (To aid in protecting the ends I presume), if it wasn't gonna be reduced (as you mentioned), straight away. Thanks for the tip (and clarification). I always need, am looking for, and am grateful for, those kinds of info-bites. Also, if I clamp it to either a form or a 2x4, etc,, perhaps I won't have the trouble I am having with "Hollyween" in my other sapling thread - LOL. Thanks again.

[Pat B]

Bernie, I may have misread your initial post. Coating the belly side down just a bit(a few inches) at each end is a good idea. I thought you were sealing the entire bow. See, we both need the help! Blind leading the blind! d;^)...I mean a valued symbiotic relationship.       Pat

[ber643]

Naw, you didn't really mis-read it, Pat. The "other" guy said that (in another thread) and I was actually struggling with whether to fully coat the exposed inner surface, or just a ways in from the two ends - so I was very pleased with your additional input on the matter. So, maybe we both benefit  - as usual, my friend - LOL (Don't we all usually learn, when we teach/help?)

Still gotta get it cut, though - soon.

[ber643]

Just an update. Not complaining - just stating facts - but the last two or three days (since Thursday PM) I've felt pretty puny, and haven't accomplished much of anything. A little better today and hope to be "right" again tomorrow - LOL.

[ber643]

As we all know, you can't always fully rely on folks doing what they say they will - and if you do, you put up with the consequences - LOL. Well my neighbor , couldn't get to sawing my sapling, and not feeling well kept me inside, so it slid. I finally decided today that since I am not very good a hand at sawing a straight line, I would try the sawn Kerf thing, and hope for the best cureing results. I did pretty good on the straight line part - but I sort of got off on the angle of the cut - yikes. When I saw how close that had put me to one side, I decided I'd better flip it over and saw the other half through and then perhaps work one stave and cure the other. Well I got off a little on that one two towards the end but not too bad for my first. The result is that I have one stave a little too big, and one, perhaps, more than a little too small - LOL - but we'll see. It seemed to be pretty dry inside but I still put white glue on about the end 10 inches on (all four ends) the belly areas, and took this pic - so you could see my "handiwork" - NOT!

 

[Dano]

Just keep this in mind Bernie, what doesn't make an adult bow might make a kids bow. So nothing is lost.  

[ber643]

Good point, Dano, very good point. I'm glad you mentioned that.  

[Shakes.602]

I Will Be Watching This Thread Bernie!! Sorry to hear yer a Little Less than 100%!!       Vitamin C !!!  I think its struck everywhere in and Around The  SCHOOL SYSTEM!!  
  Every Christmas, One or  ALL  of "My Brood of Heathens"!!! It is just a Tradition anymore during the "Holiday Festivities".
  I was a Little Concerned About Working a Stave That Wasnt Within  "A GOLDEN WOOD" Dry Percentage.
    Still a Rookie here for The Building ANY, so if I can, I "gank"     the Info for Self Bow and Possibly A "Glass Bow!!" You Take Care, and I will Check this out Wandering Aimlessly in the WWW !!      

[ber643]

Thanks for looking, Shakes. We have a Nurse friend who has had a "bug" and said the same as you about a lot of it going around. I feel better now (thank you, Lord)- just about 100%. Even hope to get out for a little more hunting this weekend, if I just don't freeze these ol' bones - LOL.

[crooked river]

Nice stave....it really doesn't look to me like cherry, but it is hard to tell in a photo. Kinda reminds me of Alder, but you said it was real hard...hard tellin...should be a fun project , or two.

[ber643]

I went back and took pictures of the leaves and fruit from the saplings like it in the pile but I deleted them by accident - my bad! They did look like the pic on that website about NC trees though.

[crooked river]

Were the berries dark blue-ish black??

[George Tsoukalas]

She's nice and straight, Bernie. Be a bit easier for you. Jawge

[ber643]

I was thinking that too, Jawge - LOL. (Also got a nice looking, interesting Osage stave in the mail, from Linc, yesterday - can't hardly wait to get to that one.)

They were that, crooked river. Small and had started drying of course. I couldn't believe I deleted the pics as I was getting ready to download them to my PC - did that with all my pics from a shoot once too - DOH!

Looked like this pic, though but of course it is not a positive ID:

 

[ber643]

Got a chance to use the draw knife to take the ridges (from the unequal sawing) off the two staves. The wood cut rather nicely under the draw knife.

 

A little closer look: