eastern red cedar bow

[ejwitman]

Have a eastern redcedar tree I took down in spring.  I might be able to get two boards out of it when I cut it down into board.  Would like to build a ELB and American flat bow with 1/8th inch hickory backed forced into perry reflex.  ? If I cut the boards to have approximately 1/4 inch of sapwood for looks reasons will I be risking separation between sapwood and Purple hardwood when I force it into reflex or shoot the finished product, or should I just glue hickory to purple hardwood.  Thank you for your support.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Im not sure ERC will take the belly compression a reflexed bow will generate? I have seen quite a few HBERC around, but all of them were wide, flat 66-68" bows. No relfex, just a hickory backer glued on flat.

[Living_waters]

OOHH PD they will for a while, if you recall I had a real beauty posted on here in a perry reflex back this spring. was a really sweet shooting bow until it violently exploded with out warning after being shot several hundred times.
ERC will work with a thin hickory backing but like PD said wide and long. And after being warned by EVERYONE here I now think the perry reflex was a little aggressive.  

[Dan Landis]

I had one blow during the final stages of tillering that had reflex glued into it.....Dan

[Living_waters]

I do have some ERC lams ground with the sap wood swirled in it waiting to be put in a glass bow. If you done have it  Board form you might want to consider a glass bow or maybe the core of a  trilam. Some one else might help here, I have not had any luck with ERC as the belly of a laminated bow.
If it was a split stave I would say sinew.

[PEARL DRUMS]

ERC under glass should be illegal! There is no prettier glass longbow veneer to my eyes. I want one Jeff......

[7 Lakes]

Wide and long.  
Thin Hickory Backing. Or. This bow begs for Ash or Maple backing.  Hickory, in almost any thickness is crushing.
No knots

[snag]

In the the book "Bows and Arrows" by James Duffy he says Tennessee red cedar makes a great selfbow. Right up there with osage and yew in 1920's opinion. Don't know if this is the same as what you have or not.

[LittleBen]

I believe ERC is actually very elastic in compression. Weaker in tension. According to TBB4 ERC sapwood will take more set. I'd minimize the sapwood, and back with the hickory. My guess is you could get away with a flatbow of roughly archer height with moderate perry reflex, ~ 2in wide limbs without much trouble.
For the ELB .... I'd go long, and not too narrow .... and did i mention long? and probably without much reflex. Did I mention go long if you go narrow?

[LittleBen]

snag:
I love my ERC selfbow. 62" 45# bout 2" of set. rigid handle and knotty with half a dozen knot holes through the top limb. Not as strong in tension as yew and osage.
In my opinion one of the most underated bow woods around, but seeming to get more attention lately.

[PEARL DRUMS]

If ERC wasnt pretty to look at, there wouldnt be ERC bows around at all. Its the last wood I would consider decent bow wood. Its horrible in compression strength. Sure there are always exceptions and somebody has a winner from it. In the long run ERC is pretty...........crappy bow wood IMHO.

[LittleBen]

Without trying to stir up trouble, or hijack this poor guys thread; compression strength is a combination of compressive stiffness or modulus and maximum compressive strain. You're right Chris, ERC is not stiff in compression (neither is yew), but it has a high maximum compressive strain.
I'd say give an ERC bow a shot and you're opinion might change, or it might not and you'll just have more fodder for the cannon. Happy hunting ... for deer or bow wood