Bamboo backed mulberry? or hickory?

[Chisler]

I'm a little short on decent osage right now and want to get started on a bamboo backed bow.  I have some real nice, clear, straight-grained mulberry slats - can I expect a decent bow?  I also have some nice straight, clear hickory.  Which would you use?

I could rip these slats down to 1/4" or 3/8" and make it bamboo back, then hickory, then mulberry on the belly.   Any difference on which wood I use for the belly - the mulberry or the hickory?
If the mulberry withstands compression better then I would guess mulberry would be better for the belly ...?

If the quality of any belly wood is questionable (meaning it won't have the natural performance characteristics of osage) would there be any benefit to ripping the the 5/8" stock into two 1/4" pieces and laminating them back together, or gluing two 5/16" pieces together?  I guess I'm wondering if that glue joint will add performance to the bow.

I know, lots of questions... but you guys always have a lot of answers.  Thanks!!

[Osagetree]

Bamboo backed mulberry will be as good as a BBO!

My opinion, that is all you'll need! If you do the tri lam, then I would have the mulberry on the belly.

[Chisler]

Thanks osagetree,  I'm gonna go with the mulberry.  I redeuced a few splits last night and cut out a few more slats.  I'll try to add a couple photos of the process.  Hopefully the wood will perform as good as it looks.

[Diamondback59]

MAULBERRY WILL DO IT  WORKS REAl well with boo  brock

[Chisler]

Here's a couple photos of how I got the mulberry slats for belly wood:
This is a pretty straight piece I split from a log, cut to 40" length -

I figured if I could get this 1-1/2" x 2" piece out of the billet then I could end up with two 5/8 x 1-3/4" pieces that I could splice end to end -
 

Use this to help get one nice straight edge on the billet-
 

Keep sawing-
 

There, a couple of 3/4" x 2" quarter sawn slats-
 

I had another longer, pretty straight piece of mulberry.  Try to get a full length (66") slat to back with bamboo-
 

Take off the rough edges with the bandsaw-
 

[Chisler]

Then to the table saw and ta da !!  I've never been able to do this with osage, just never straight enough to begin with-
 

&
 

Toothed and ready to glue up-
 

The other side - nice wood eh?
 

And side view showing straight grain of plain sawn mulberry-

[Osagetree]

Originally posted by Chisler:
I've never been able to do this with osage, just never straight enough to begin with-
   

[Pat B]

Boy it hurts me to see a good stave sawn flat just to add a back. That stave would have made a jam up selfbow. Mulberry is excellent bow wood and can make a bow to rival an osage bow because it is physically lighter.
  My opinion. That's all you'll need. d;^)

[Stiks-n-Strings]

I'm with PatB, But a boo backed bow is pretty sharp to.

[ron w]

Keep us in the loop on how this comes along, looks good so far........