Sourwood??

[bucknut]

Anyone ever try to make a self bow out of sourwood?  Have one roughed out now 64” 2” to mid limb. Mostly sap wood with a thin heartwood streak through the riser fading out in the belly. Seems pretty soft similar to silver maple. Haven’t found any reference to it as a bow wood but thought I’d try it since it fell in the yard. Took me a long time just to identify it as it is fairly rare in my area. 

[Crooked Stic]

Never heard of that wood before

[Flem]

Ditto, I've never heard of it either. Had to look it up in the wood database. Looks nice and the specs are good. I will be curious to hear your results.
Interesting tree, the only one of it's scientific family.

[bucknut]

Yep it took a long time to figure it out. Looks like an immature hickory on the bark and leaves at first glance. It has bright white sap wood with a red Elm looking heart wood. Heart wood is pretty hard. Specific gravity is around 50 from what I’ve read. Knowing what I know now I would have tried to use heart wood only.  We’ll see where it goes. 

[Pat B]

I've heard of a few sourwood bows over the years. I think it a marginal bow wood. Like other whitewoods the wood under the bark is what would be used for bows.
The shoots make excellent arrows, one of my all time favorite arrow woods. Very tough with good weight.
Sourwood makes excellent honey. So good the bees keep sourwood separate from other honeys in the hive.

[bucknut]

Well I've got the bow close to putting a string on it.  The only problem I ran into, which might be a game ender is I dug in a bit to deep roughing  out the belly with the draw knife and it raised a sliver that wont go away! I've went over it many times with both a rasp and a scraper but it still raises up when I flex the limbs. I put some CA glue on it tonight hoping this may help.  Never tried anything but Osage before so this is a bit different.  Any Ideas? Or should I just go grab another piece of yella wood?

[Pat B]

Post a pic of the bow and the splinter. It might help with a diagnosis.

[Eric Krewson]

I don't think a drawknife has ever touched the belly of one of my bows, I have a bandsaw but for rough shaping I use a #49 nicholson on osage and a horseshoe rasp on hickory.

[bucknut]

Well the party is over for the Sourwood!  I did get the belly splinter fixed with the CA and had it looking pretty good.
I was pulling to about 20" and you can guess the outcome.  Had a little hinge I was working out and was pretty close. Was exercising the limbs and pop! The back cracked. Back to the drawing board!

[Pat B]

Did the back crack across the grain? I deal with sourwood a lot either in firewood or arrow making and from my experience it doesn't crack easily. Did you cut and season this stave to be bow wood?

[bucknut]

It lifted like a splinter.  I think it could be saved with a patch and sinew the back. But I think I'll just sit it in the corner as a reminder not to rush things! It still sits at brace pretty good. No pat it was sort of rushed.   I cut it about 3 months ago peeled off the bark and sort of speed dried it in the house.  Oh Well.  I'm just out a little sweat and a lot of saw dust.  Off to the next one.

[Pat B]

Patience, Grasshopper!