Flame Temper

[Shakes.602]

I see the Boo Arrow has been Heat Treated for Straightness, makes sense to me. If I Back a Red Oak LongBow, will ALL of the Boo need to be Heat Treated as well??  :confused:

[Pat B]

Shakes, You only temper boo when you use it on the belly. It increases the compression strength but makes it too brittle for backing. You want to use raw boo for bow backings.
   Also, if you are going to the trouble of backing a bow with boo, use a more appropriate belly wood like osage and ipe. Hickory makes a good backing for red oak.         Pat

[Springbuck]

Yep.  Flaming bamboo hardens it, but doesn't increase tensile strength.

  You can use a boo back on red oak, but Pat is right.  If you use boo, Perry reflex it and keep the ratio of backing to belly low.

  Otherwise I second the hickory backing, or a fabric/fiber backing like linen, burlap, hemp string, etc..

[Shakes.602]

[gobbler716]

I'm going to Lowes tomorrow to check this out.

[LittleBen]

most saw mills/lumber yards will have hickory.

if not white is also very common, typically straight grained, and excellent for backing strips.