Will hickory work for a belly lam.

[Buck Buckley]

I built a bamboo backed Ipe and it came out to light,  I have some hickory, will that make a good belly lam or should I use something else.

[Jeff Strubberg]

Hickory makes very good bows, BUT.....


it really depends on your climate.  The downside to hickory is that it is extremely hygroscopic.  It soaks up moisture like a sponge.

If you live in a fairly dry climate, hickory is an excellent choice.

[mmgrode]

I agree with Jeff. If you can get the moisture down and keep it there it will work well(otherwise you'll get massive amounts of set with a poor cast) though probably not as well as ipe will. Take care, Matt

[KrEn]

How long is it?
Bamboo on ipe should tolerate beeing pretty short, so maybe you could shorten it. 1% shortening ntn lenght should raise weight about 5%.
All the heavy tropical hardwoods and osage (and horn) will do better than hickory.

K