hickory backing

[cobia]

I am wanting to make a hickory backed bow.  I am not sure how the grain on the hickory should be.  I understand on a self bow to follow one growth ring, but on backing strip from a board I don't see that being very easy.  I can't find any pictures of the grain on a backing strip.  Can someone please describe the process of making a strip. Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions.

[Pat B]

I've made lots of hickory backed bows and none of the backing strips were perfect and many had violations.
 Ideally you want the end grain to look either like this //// or like this IIIII, much the same as with a hickory board bow.

[Roy from Pa]

Use the grain pattern Pat shows, make the backing 1/8th thick and wide enough and long enough to cover your bow.

[cobia]

Thank you Pat and Roy I appreciate the help

[takefive]

Almost all of the boards I find are rift sawn with some degree of runoff or runup.  Ideally you want a board that has straight grain its entire length on the face and edge, but I've yet to find one like that.  Volume 2 of The Bowyer's Bible has a "Bows From Boards" chapter that gives you an idea of how much grain violation is acceptable for the draw weight of your bow and I use that as a kind of rule of thumb for my backing strips.  Here are three hickory backed osage bows I've made in the 45# range.  Like Pat said, hickory is strong enough to handle some violation and I make mine 1/8" thick same as Roy.
It is important to sand the edges nice and round.  That will help to keep it from raising a splinter if you have runoff along an edge.

 

 

[Snome]

Those look beautiful...how do you get the hickory down to 1/8" strips? Rip it down on a table saw?

[takefive]

Thanks Snome.  Yup, ripped it on a table saw.

[mikkekeswick]

Flat sawn, bias or quarter sawn makes no difference.Straight grain is what you are looking for. Do not buy a hickory board unless the grain is very straight. Sure you can get away with a little violation because of hickorys interlocking grain BUT it will break just like any other wood if the grain is cut through too much.
 I prefer my backing to be 3/16 to a 1/4 thick. Thicker backings hold reflex better.

[Pat B]

When ripping backing strips I cut them at 3/16". after sanding both sides smooth the strips usually come out at about 1/8" or slightly less.

[Roy from Pa]

Flat sawn is the last cut I would ever use as a backing. Unless it had one complete layer of growth ring which would be tough to do. I don't see how you get away with that Mike.

[cobia]

Your bows look great.  thanks for the pictures and advice

[takefive]

Thanks cobia and good luck on your bow!
I love hickory backing, especially with osage for the belly wood.  Makes it pretty easy to put 3" of reflex in at glue up, or if you add a center lam of say elm, maple, walnut, etc., you can form it into a sweet shooting R/D tri-lam like Roy has been known to do.
I agree that you want the straightest grained board you can find.  Last summer I bought two nice hickory staves.  I'm just finishing a selfbow from one, but I saved the nicer, straighter one to cut into quarter sawn backing strips.

[cobia]

I was thinking about a tri-lam.  I have some nice walnut and cherry that i think would work well.  I also have some hickory staves cut back in the 90's in the barn.  I might cut my backings from them.  thanks for all the suggestions.  I am in the process of cleaning up the barn to get back to it.

[takefive]

I've used walnut and cherry for core lams and I like them both.  When you're ready to get started, check out Roy's posts that show how he builds his tri-lams.  He makes some beauties.

[Pat B]

I'd use both cherry and black walnut for cores but not for belly lams. Osage, ipe, or other compression strong woods are more appropriate for belly lams.

[cobia]

Would you have any other belly lamination suggestions?  I have red elm, ash and black locust on hand now.  I would have to order osage or Ipe

[takefive]

Maybe hickory, but I think osage or Ipe would still be your best bet.  I'd hate to do the whole glue up and get it tillered only to have the belly fret because it didn't have the compression strength needed.

Come to think of it, I have done that, and I don't ever want to do it again.   :eek:

[Roy from Pa]

Mikkek, how about some pictures of your bows? I wanna see the flat sawn backing close up.

[7 Lakes]

Back in what I now call the good old days I experimented with 1/16th Pignut Hickory backing over some of the white woods that are compression handicapped.  It worked nicely over Ash, Cherry, Eastern Red Cedar, Hickory and several species of Oak.  I think the 1/16" put less pressure to compress onto the belly.  

I certainly had my share of failures but as far as I could tell every failure was due to the builder, not the wood.