What wood should I use?

[stinkbelly]

I want to attempt my second bow.  As you probably read, my first attempt of a red oak board bow with a hickory backing began to crack.  I want to start a new bow and if possible I want to use one of the hickory backings that I already own, but I don't know what belly wood I should use.  

Can you recommend a wood combination I should use to make a bow with my limited experience and skill? Also where should I buy the wood?

[razorback]

Sorry about your first bow, sucks to loose the first one but most of us have.
You could always do a Hickory backed Hickory (hbh). That is a staple for several bowyers on here. The other option is to do an Hickory backed Osage (hbo). Roy from PA does a lot of backed bows with osage slats, check with him on where to get the osage board and ask lots of questions.

[PEARL DRUMS]

PM me your address stink. I will send you a couple 5/8 x 2 x 36 osage slats, from OLD wood. Do you have a band saw to cut splices in? Put a 1/16 - 1/8 hickory back on it and you will have it for life. No more fancy glass recurve looking handles either mister! These are wood bows your building!

[stinkbelly]

Thanks Pearl Drums, I do have a bands saw, but I don't know how to cut a splice in.  

You didn't like my handle?  I figure my longbow that I shoot has that same handle and if I kept the same one on my built bow I could easily change between the two of them.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I was picking on you. Build whatever kind of handle trips your trigger. I will draw the lines in for the splice and you can cut them in and glue them together.

[eflanders]

Hickory really likes to absorb moisture so keep this in mind as you work with it.  

I have made a number of Hickory backed all-wood laminated bows.  One of my favorite wood combinations is: Hickory backing, Black Walnut Core and a Black Cherry belly.  Now, all of the above woods are readily available in the upper Midwest where I live so I go to the local Lumber Liquidators.  I believe that Osage is commonly found throughout Texas.  Osage is one of the great bowyer woods that can be used alone or in combination with others.  Again, if you are working with "board lumber" go to your nearest cabinet or flooring wood sawyers / suppliers for materials.

[stinkbelly]

Originally posted by PEARL DRUMS:
I was picking on you. Build whatever kind of handle trips your trigger. I will draw the lines in for the splice and you can cut them in and glue them together.

The funny thing is that we were just talking about my handle up here at work.  My buddy said it didn't look as traditional as a basic straight handle with a shelf.

[PEARL DRUMS]

See whatta mean now! Dont forget to PM your shipping info to me so I can get some slats out to you next week.

[Cuban Missile]

At a boy Perly!  Share'n the bow makin love!  Raised up right!

[Art B]

I don't care what Pearly says, I LIKE your handle!

And on another note, good on you Pearly! Now don't forget to add a handle piece.

Speaking of handles, you ought to round you up some urac-185 for gluing if you don't already have some. Osage is oily wood and I personally don't trust the Tite-bond glues for this purpose.

I would recommend you use long fades on your handle if you go with what you've been making or go with a bulbous style handle where you wind up with long fades anyhow. 5/8" slats just don't give you much of a pedestal for a rigid handle to set on. Good luck.......Art

[PEARL DRUMS]

Javier when I decided to try an R/D BBO a few years back Roybert Redford from SW PA sent me a pair of slats to get me started. I dont forget things like that man.


And...Mr Artsy dont you sweat it. I will send along a cool handle section as well....it wont be yellow wood.

[Art B]

Roybert is the bestest! And Pearly too! Hey wait a minute, Mr Redford didn't send me no slats!!!

[stinkbelly]

Thanks guys.  

I have the 1/8" hickory backing from 3 rivers.  Should I thin it or keep it 1/8"?

[PEARL DRUMS]

Osage will handle that fine. Glue it up and sand it down later if you want to thin it some. 50 grit will remove wood quick and clean.

[red hill]

Pearl and Art are sending you down the right trail, Stinky. Hickory and osage work well together. Art, I've used smooth-on and Titebond without any trouble. Must be doing something wrong.  :confused:

[Art B]

I've seen where other folks have had success using the TB glues with Osage Red. Are you using the TB3? Only tried the TB2 myself which didn't hold very well on some test I done.  

Regardless of how well the TB3 holds the fact still remains, cause if any alignment/heat corrections is needed, I would prefer dealing with urac than TB glue.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I have used TBIII on osage/hickory twice. It worked great, but you better move fast with the clamps. I used URAC on all my bamboo bows.