Hackberry and hickory?

[Don Armstrong]

I have a good piece of hackberry and want to make an efficient bow. Have made several osage stave and hickory board bows. Kind of got the osage figured out but haven't figured out the hickory yet. Have made several OK hickory bows but they seem to be a little slugish even though they have no set? Hackberry is a total mystery to me. What length and deminsions should a good efficient hackberry have. Thanks, Don

[DVSHUNTER]

For your hackberry, I would make it 66in. Long and 1 3/4 wide forsix inches then taper to 1/2 in tips and heat in 2in. Of reflex. I go with a four inch handle and two in fades for a 28in draw. I like shorter bows and that is on the short side for hackberry. You could heat treat it though and probably go shorter. Use the same for the hickory and you should have good results as long as you keep the moisture around 8 or 9 percent.

[Don Armstrong]

Thanks,I didn't realize hackberry needed to be that long. I'm shooting for 45 to 50 @ 28". I am trying to keep my hickory bows as dry as possible. I kind of lean toward 62" to 64" bows for some reason but will try to go 66" and see how it goes. I was thinking of a hackberry recurve but am not sure if that is fesible. Thanks for the help, Don

[k-hat]

Give it a good tempering and hackberry is prime bow wood.  From what i've seen makes great recurves.  Search on the forum, there's several posted.  Pearl Drums had a good hackberry streak for a while there.

[DVSHUNTER]

Hackberry doesn't have to be that long, but I think the extra length will keep you set lower than if you went shorter.  The recurve is possible. Just be sure to leave your tips wide to help with string alignment.  If you wanted you could probably go with 64in.

[Don Armstrong]

Thanks guys. I have put the hackberry on the form to straighten. When tempering should I get it brown or black. I had to sand the back on one due to it getting to much heat. I will temper without putting it on the board, right. Thanks, Don

[PEARL DRUMS]

Hackberry steam bends like a cooked noodle. Very nice to recurve.

[DVSHUNTER]

I knew Pearlie couldn't resist a thread on hackberry!

[PEARL DRUMS]

Your right. Sometimes I cant keep that tongue bit!

Daves recipe is the exact I would suggest as well. If you want to add statics keep all the numbers and cut 1" off each end. You will have to temper it if you recurve it. It will take considerable set otherwise. I would temper it no matter the style. If its not osage it gets tempered in my very thin book with very few pages.......have fun.

[Don Armstrong]

Thanks guys. Don