frustrating hunt for Hickory

[Toymaker]

I'm a little bit frustrated.
I've been on the search for some Hickory for using as backing,  a board bow, or both, for some wood bows I'd like to build. I've stopped by some cabinet makers and found none. Today I drove an hour to a lumber mill and wen through their entire stack and found nothing that was quartersawn or straight grained. Although I did find some plainsawn 8/4+ 16' boards, that I could have used part of, but I didn't want to spend the $200+ for the one board....
It makes me want to go find a tree and cut it myself  :(  

I think I'm going to start looking for red oak instead, although I'll probably still need a Hickory back...

[don s]

you can buy hickory or osage or backing from a few places. you can get it from sponsers right here.
     don

[PEARL DRUMS]

Check out Menards. I went to the store in west Lansing and was amazed at the variety of hardwoods they have. I get almost all my hickory from them. Often times you can buy one board and get two bows and backers from it. Red oak stinks in my opinion, sluggish as heck and retains too much set. Try not to be to picky, I am starting to figure out the grain doesnt have to be dead  perfect to make a good bow with hickory.

[Toymaker]

Pearl,
Thanks,I have never parused the hardwoods at Menards...I may just have to do that!! Thanks for the tip!
Where about do you live in Michigan?
Do you have any examples of how "Not Perfect" the grain can be?

[PEARL DRUMS]

The bow I posted a few days ago had not so perfect grain on the core or backing. It has been shot at least a few hundred times now, just perfect! Menards has Mahogany, oak, hickory, cherry, maple and all kinds of pines. They even carry 1/2" thick boards of various widths as to not waste so much making backers. I went to LL Johnsons in Charlotte and they had ZERO 1/4 sawn hickory. I left there with no wood, very dissapointed.

[beetlebailey1977]

Hickory wheel barrow handles will work good if you find them long enough.

[Pat B]

A few years ago I bought a 8/4x6"x10'hickory board for less than $30 from a specialty lumber company. They let me pick through the stacks but it took a few trips before I found what I wanted. I got lots of backing strips and a few staves out of that board.

[Toymaker]

I have to go on a solo road trip tomorrow to Ligonier, Indiana. I told them I could make it by 10:00AM.. If I leave at 6:00AM I'll have time to stop at the Menards in Jackson, Battle Creek,Angola, and on the way back Goshen. I hope I can find a piece of Hickory for a backer or 10  

[Pat B]

Do you live near any Amish folks. They usually have good 1/4 sawn lumber for their building chores and you might find what you need from them.

[Toymaker]

I just got home from a road trip for work to Ligonier, Indiana. I stopped at Menards in Jackson, Battle Creek, Angola, and Goshen. I came home with a flatsawn 1 1/2 X 3/4 X 6' Hickory board. I also got a flatsawn and a quartersawn 3 1/2 X 3/4 X 6'
 board. I searched through all 4 stores entire stock. Normally I would go right to the shop and start cutting, However I want to make sure I get the most bang for my buck out of these boards. SO I'm going to sleep on it and figure out what I should do with them later. Any suggestions? The boards are near perfect growth rings although the quartersawn board has two knots on the one edge, so only about 2 1/2" is perfect.

[PEARL DRUMS]

The first thing you need to do is get some good backing strips from the 1/4 sawn board, those are precious and expensive. Next, send me one backer for my "hot" Menards lumber tip! You can get 4 strips out of the 3.5 x 6' board. Rip it in half, turn each half on edge and rip in half again. Run the sawn side through your planer and you will get (4) nice 1/4 sawn backers.

[Toymaker]

That's exactly what I was planning on doing. How thick do I want the backers to be? i was thinking of using a laser cutter with .005 kerf. So I don't have any wasted wood. Just kidding....I wish I could do this!!    
Do you know if you can use a rip fence setup on a band saw? If I use the table saw I loose an 1/8" or so If I use the band saw I only loose 1/16" If I cut straight.

[Toymaker]

On the other two boards (flatsawn)I should be able to chase a ring for a back right? Than add a handle riser? I think I can chase a ring pretty well on those.

[PEARL DRUMS]

No ring chasing needed for a board bow, just glue a 1/4 sawn backer on the flat sawn board you bought. If you are backing hickory with hickory you could plane them down to .100-.125 thick, or less. The table saw would be easier and a 3/4 board has more than enough stock to allow kerf. I wouldnt mess around with an unbacked board bow, not worth it...to me anyway. Put a back on it and it will be much better.

[eagleone]

I would definately cut backing strips- as many as you can get.  It is easier to find a board to back than it is to find a back for a bow (make sense?) I agree with pearl -just back it- unless you are determined not to, thats fine too, but why risk it.

[Jeff Smith]

I hope more jump in and offer an opinion so you don't make a decision based on only a few.
 There's nothing wrong with red oak for one, tons of bows made from it. Board bows do not need backed if grain is good,proper selection, plus hickory tolerates mistakes better than most. And flat/plain sawn makes a better backer than 1/4 sawn so if you can chase a ring it is worth it.  These are my opions based on my experience so take it with a grain of salt.

[flungonin]

I have a pair of matched Hickory Axe handles that I got from going through some stock at a local company here at the beach. Just another option for you to think about.

[Ranger44]

You can rip on the band saw.  It's usually called re-sawing.  I do it just by clamping a 2X4 on as a guide/fence.  

There is some tricky set up depending on your saw.  You should practice on some scrap.  The blade tends to run at a bit of an angle.  The fence has to be adjusted to correct that angle to get a straight cut. On mine the fence needs to be farther away from the blade in front of it and closer beyond the blade.  I hope that makes sense.

I just cut 4 strips for backing out of a 1" X 2" X 8' hickory board for the first time and it worked well.