Heat bending... too much?

[skeaterbait]

Howdy all,

It's been forever since I have done any bow building but I am finally making good on a promised bow. I was given some iron wood (that is what he called it, no clue on the actual species) that came from North East IA. I doubt that will have any bearing on the question but thought I would add it.

The issue is that the tree he cut, after splitting in half, took about a 90° twist as well as some other nasty contortions. So far I have been using heat and steam to try and get this to a workable shape.

My question is, how many times can I do this before the wood starts to become unusable. Or can I just keep heating and bending until I get what I need.

Normally I would scrap the project and find better wood but this guy wants a bow from wood cut off his property and that is what I promised.

[Pat B]

First of all pics really help us help you.
Are you trying to untwist the stave? I'd reduce the stave to floor tiller stage first. It is easier to manipulate less wood. Trying to remove a 90deg twist can be very difficult but it is doable. You will probably do this in a few different sessions.
 Did the stave have smooth muscular looking bark or was it shaggy? Smooth bark ironwood would be hornbeam and shaggy bark would be hop hornbeam.

[skeaterbait]

It is floor tillered and I have the twist out as much as I am worried about. At this point one limb has a bit of a kink I would like out and I wanted to add a little deflex before I start tillering. But as I have never had to manipulate a bow this much I wasn't sure if there is a limit to how much you can do it.

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[skeaterbait]

This is what I started with. Pretty sure the second bow from this tree will be spliced billets.     [/url] [/IMG]

[Pat B]

Looks like hop hornbeam to me. Do you have a form for inducing reflex?  If so you can even both limbs out with a heat gun and a little time. You can also temper the belly at the same time.

[skeaterbait]

I do have one. Thanks for the advice and ID

[Bowjunkie]

I've been doing the same thing to hophornbeam, which is what you have there, for three days. I have several done and will do two more today. I was very selective when I chose the trees though, so mine has little twisting to deal with in most staves. I've been able to get them quite nice and straight, with overall reflex end to end, with a single 1hr 10min steaming session, and then clamping them to a reflexed caul.

One of the ones I'll do today has about a 20 degree twist in both limbs. I'll get that out no problem. Hophornbeam works well with heat.

[Wolftrail]

"My question is, how many times can I do this before the wood starts to become unusable."

Experimenting is my passion so to speak, I dont learn by myself unless I experiment.  All these websites, books and magazines have tons of useful information and tips, but at the end of the day I learn by doing.
I have heated some laminated bows after glue up about 3 times without any ill effects. Go easy and slow.  And I also used TB3 glue,  over heating can cause separation...    

Selfbows I dont know.   :confused:

[Pat B]

I've had to use many heat sessions on some bow blanks to get them so the string would line up down the limb at brace and they are all still shooting as far as I know.

[Bowjunkie]

I tend to only heat with steam once, when the moisture content is still a bit high, and I do the entire bow. I leave it alone then until it's dry enough to begin working on, and then if another correction is needed during the process, I use a heat gun. I have heated stubborn areas of selfbow staves several times before I got them right where I wanted them.

I love unique bows with lots of character, but there comes a point where each of us must decide when to stop torturing a piece of wood, or when one is just too twisted, crooked, or knarly to be worth the effort.