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Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: Hermann From Bavaria on August 04, 2009, 01:46:00 AM

Title: hickory backing qestion
Post by: Hermann From Bavaria on August 04, 2009, 01:46:00 AM

hey folks.

i want to try a hickory backed white oak. has anyone of you guys experience in use of white oak with hickory? i guess the heartwood would work fine on belly. what do you think?

thanks for tips...
greets

Title: Re: hickory backing qestion
Post by: Pat B on August 04, 2009, 07:50:00 PM

Only time I used white oak it was a selfbow and it makes a good bow. A thin hickory backing should work fine. Maple, ash or elm might be a better choice.

Title: Re: hickory backing qestion
Post by: Jason Jelinek on August 04, 2009, 08:34:00 PM

I think if you toasted the oak on the belly it would work well.  I've made white oak longbows before and they work, just take a little more set than osage.

Title: Re: hickory backing qestion
Post by: Hermann From Bavaria on August 05, 2009, 01:47:00 AM

thanks for feedback guys,
perhaps i should do 2 hick backed bows?
one wiht maple or ash on belly,
and one with toasted oak!

Title: Re: hickory backing qestion
Post by: Pat B on August 05, 2009, 07:32:00 PM

Hermann, I was referring to the ash, maple and elm as backing strips. Toasting the oak belly is a good idea also but do it before glue up.

Title: Re: hickory backing qestion
Post by: Hermann From Bavaria on August 06, 2009, 09:20:00 AM

but how should i treat the maple, ash, elm strips? can i glue them up with violated rings like hick? or with standing rings?

greets

Title: Re: hickory backing qestion
Post by: Pat B on August 07, 2009, 12:02:00 AM

I think biased grain(/////) or flat grain should work. I haven't tried any of the three but I have seen others that have. The hickory should work fine also. That is hat I always used...just not with white oak, I used it successfully with red oak many times.

Title: Re: hickory backing qestion
Post by: Hermann From Bavaria on August 07, 2009, 01:38:00 AM

thanks pat. i think its time to try now.

greets

Title: Re: hickory backing qestion
Post by: dutchwarbow on August 07, 2009, 04:16:00 AM

Hermann, Hickory is likely to overpower both white oak and maple. Cherry or Black Walnut would be a better choice, but really, hickory is best suited for heavier woods; ipé, massaranduba, osage.

backing lighterwoods is ideally done with, indeed, a lighter wood aswell. Maple and Ash give excelent backings for these woods.

But, why back white oak? as it's very tension strong already. It's smart to back Cherry, B.Walnut, as they're tension weak, but not white oak.

Nick

Title: Re: hickory backing qestion
Post by: Hermann From Bavaria on August 07, 2009, 03:25:00 PM

why white oak? cause i have some hickorybacking strips and tons of white oak. but thank you for your tips. i am not so experienced in wood-backings. i´ve built only selfbows, glas r/d´s, and one try in boo-backing. my thoughts were: now its time to try wood backings. in my opinion it is a very interesting thing for build bows from non-selfbow-suitable woodpieces. -->this means: MORE BOWS!