Hickory stave bent

[Frenchymanny]

Hi there,

I have awide (3" ) hickory stave given to me by a friend. The stave is crooked on the side for the last 18".
I  will make a bow for my nephew, so because of his draw I'll need all the stave's length.

Should I follow the bent and then steam back to straight or use the extra width and draw my blank straight?

First one with hickory!

Thanks,
F-Manny

[Luke Vander Vennen]

How crooked is it? Either way, I would try straighten it as best you can.


My two pennies worth

[Flathead Willie]

I cut a Hickory for a bow about a month ago. I split it in half and have it laying in the barn. How long should I wait to begin making a bow or should I use it "wet"?

[Frenchymanny]

Hi Luke,

The bent is light, about 3/4 of an inch on the last 18"of thestave.

I will go on a straight bow "by design"

This stave has propeller twist too, so it will be fun!

Thanks,
F-Manny

[Luke Vander Vennen]

If it's that small I wouldn't worry about it too much. I think you should be good. Straightening wood has turned into probably the thing I least enjoy in bowmaking  

[KyGal]

If you get down to heat, use grease on it. Hickory tends to come un-bent without shortening or oil.

[Frenchymanny]

Thanks Luke and KyGal.

This will be fun!

What are the quality of the dark wood?

F-Manny

[Luke Vander Vennen]

The heartwood? I don't think it's the same quality as the lighter sapwood. I think it lacks the tensile strength. Stick with the sapwood and you'll be good. Just so long as you have a sapwood back, a little heartwood in the limbs shouldn't be a major problem.


Good luck!!

[Pat B]

The heart wood is more brittle than the sapwood. It would probably be a little better for belly wood and the sapwood is better for the back. I've never worked with heart wood hickory so this is just a guess. I have worked with sapwood and it is extremely strong in tention.     Pat

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I tried once making a Hickory board bow, the board was almost perfect 1/4 sawn hickory but the wood was mostl heart wood and is blew up in a most spectacular way.

Razor sharp splinters went every which way, some were found in the snow 30 feet away and I was just floor tillering it.

[gordonf]

Follow the grain. A bow with curves is far more interesting to look at than one that is ruler straight (IMO).

[Frenchymanny]

All good info!

I have plenty of wood on this stave, so I will only keep sapwood.
I will post a picture of the roughed out bow.

How are you, and our family  Ragi? I will take your offer someday to work in your shop, when work will let me with a bit of free time.

F-Manny

[Tim Clark]

three-quarters of an inch, over an eighteen inch span?

Manny Manny Manny Manny Manny...... some of my wood is 3/4" over 3/4"!!! LOL!!!!

Go with it. I tell you this, it depends on what kind of hickory it is as far as heating it. Some varieties, once they've seasoned, any kind of heat will not only NOT correct the bend but can be detrimental to the wood cells.

I'd go with it as it is. Heck, I HAVE gone with worse, as it is!!! LOL!