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Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: YosemiteSam on April 12, 2018, 01:22:30 PM

Title: Hickory Board Knot
Post by: YosemiteSam on April 12, 2018, 01:22:30 PM
Between my recent blow-ups, I've been chipping away at a bendy-handle hickory board bow.  During the roughing out stage, I exposed this small knot on the upper third of the limb.  It was rather small at first but, as I floor tillered, it got bigger.  I kept that limb a tad wider than the other and, now that it's at brace, I've kept the knot area stiffer than the rest of that limb.  It is getting smaller as I scrape over it but I'm hesitant to scrape it all the way down to bend like the rest of the limb for fear that it will be the fail-point.

Is keeping the knot area stiff the best course of action to make the bow work?  Or am I now over stressing the rest of the limb?  Worth keeping at it or just add it to the wood pile?

The bow is a hickory-backed hickory board 68" long x 1.5" wide at the fades, tapering to 1/2" nocks in the last third.  Tips are stiff for about the last 4".

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Title: Re: Hickory Board Knot
Post by: George Tsoukalas on April 12, 2018, 02:16:18 PM
Knots on a board are never good no matter how small. I had a hickory board bow blow at a tiny knot.
If you must continue back  it with rawhide and leave that part of the limb slightly stiffer than the rest.

Jawge