hickory heartwood

[Ollie]

I have some hickory that i split to dry about a year ago. It was only about a 5" tree and is mostly heartwood. I am going to make a few 3 piece t/d longbows and thought I would use the hickory for the riser. I have read that the heartwood is brittle. Is hickory heartwood a good riser wood or should I not waste my time? I just don't want my threaded inserts popping out when I try to draw the bow or the grip breaking   :D     Thanks all,  Ollie

[Pat B]

Hickory heartwood in brittle for selfbows(but not bad for selfbows)but it should be fine for a riser. Totally different stresses.

[bowur]

ive made bows out of the heartwood before and it didnt seem brittle at all

[Osagetree]

Many different hickory tree's out there. Shell bark, pig nut, butter nut, etc.

Whatcha got?

[Ollie]

It is what I have always called shag bark.  Thanks all, Ollie

[Dean Marlow]

I cut a big shag bark hickory last winter and got some beautiful all heartwood belly split staves out of them. I have chased a ring on a couple of them and will try for a selfbow out of them one of these days.Talk abouta nice color. I love the color of the heartwood in hickory. Dean

[Art B]

That shell bark hickory is the one hickory that concerns me Osagetree. Had a really nice recurve going one time and it broke outright. Nothing that I could see that was wrong with the wood. Come to think of it, you don't hear a lot about shell bark hickory bows. Anybody have any experience with this wood. Thanks........ART

[Pat B]

I'm sure hickory heartwood will make a good bow. The heartwood is more brittle than the sapwood. That was my point.
  Art, the only time I have ever seen hickory break outright is if it wasn't handled properly off the stump or stored properly. It doesn't take much for hickory and other whitewoods, to go bad.  If it lays on the ground for a week fungi will set in. It is the job of some fungi to eat wood and they are very good at their job.

[Roy from Pa]

Shagbark Hickory Bow.

   

[Osagetree]

I'll soon be able to tell you more about shellbark. I have several in progress but, from the white wood.
My only point was there may be a difference in the species?

Ollie, I did not have enough heartwood on these splits to try it. Let us know how yours do!!!

[Osagetree]

Very nice Roy!!!!!

 Whats the specs measurements on that baby? Was it heart or white wood and what stain is that?

[Stiks-n-Strings]

Joe,
I often wondered if butternut would make a bow, It's really hard to find around these parts growing. Most of it has been cut for lumber. It's real soft and not very dense at all, makes an outstanding turkey call. I use it for most of my box call bodies, got a really good sound if you tune it right.
 I know it's probably one of my favorite woods to look at, absolutely beautiful with a good finish on it. Bet it would look great in a lam bow with some osage accents.

[Art B]

Deteriation of the wood could certainly have been the problem Pat. But there wasn't any indication of that from start to finish. I've never seen a successful shell bark hickory bow posted on any board or even heard of one being made. That in its self makes me wonder if that perticular hickory is even suitable for bows....... ART

[Osagetree]

Internet source #1:
Shellbark hickory (Carya laciniosa) in the Juglandaceae or Walnut family is also called shagbark hickory, bigleaf shagbark hickory, kingnut, big, bottom, thick, or western shellbark. The wood is hard, heavy, strong, and very flexible, making it a favored wood for tool handles.

Internet source #2:
There are in the United States 21 species of hickory, eight of which are commercially important. Of these eight commercial species, the four that are Classified as true hickories are:
shellbark (Carya laciniosa (Michx. f.)
Loud.
pignut (Carya glabra (Mill.) Sweet)
shagbark
(Carya ovata (Mill.) K. Koch)
mockernut
(Carya tomentosa Nutt. )

Seems contradictory don't it? Though I've seen some tool handle bow threads on here and Roys bow above. I wonder what anyone is really using in regards to hickory. One statement I found says once hickory is cut into boards at a lumber yard they can not classify it by species,,, just hickory. Also, hickories are either from the walnut side and or the pecan side of the species.

Shellbark / Shagbark
I'm soon going to find out if what I have is good for Bows. Got 3 or four roughed out already.

[Pat B]

I have only made hickory bows with relatively small diameter trees and these bows were all sapwood (except possibly a small bit of heartwood in the handle). These were summer cut and the bark peeled off to reveal the bows back.  I have however made backing strips from a board that was bought from a specialty lumber co. No way of telling the species.
 I have never had a hickory bow or backing strip break except one backing strip that was unknowingly(no visible signs) cut from a diseased piece of hickory. That backing strip broke across grain when I first pulled the bow while tillering.
   Kris, Butternut(aka white walnut) is a first cousin to black walnut and is less strong that the black walnut. Even though both are the same family as the hickories there is no comparison to their strength.  Just like pecan(C. illinoensis) is the same genus(Cayra) the wood is not as strong as the other hickories.

[Art B]

Carya laciniosa - shellbark hickory

Carya ovata - shagbark hickory  

My search shows differences between the shell and shag.

Haven't tried the shag but on the shellbark I attemped, I did remove about 1/2" of the lighter sapwood down to the darker heartwood. That was probably my mistake......ART

[Osagetree]

Art, exactly! That is what I said. My 2 searches contridicted each other.