Hickory Longbows

Joe(thebow)M · Hickory Longbows

Went throught the hickory that came in at work yesterday and picked out what I felt would make some good self/longbows... I picked enough for nine new bows. I'm chomping at the bit to get started on one as I'd like to see how this hickory reacts to working with it, and to see what kind of pull weight @ 28" I can coax out of it?

I also set aside a nice piece of birch that is ear marked for self bows. Right now I have another bow (birch) in the works for my son, Matt(the)Archer. I want him to have a quality backup bow for when we start shooting for record in the AR Target Archery League.

As you know, I've already made him a maple bow that he will be using, and he has a linen backed oak bow as a backup, but I want him to have something of higher quality then that as a backup should it be required. Also it will give him a chance to see which he likes best and he can decide which will be the backup...

As a side note. We got about another eight inches of snow today. I'll have to shovel us a shooting lane again I expect for the up coming January league shoot, but that's alright. The fun of it will be worth it!

kirk

Sounds like you are going to busy.
Hickory should be great for a selfbow, nice and springy and tough.

have fun Joe, can't wait to see the results

Onewackybow

This is sounding more like an obsession than a hobby - way to go Joe.

Looking forward to the results!

Joe(thebow)M

kirk

Be warned people, there is no known cure for toxophilite-itus

All you can do is feed the fever..

segolden

Best way to feed the obsession/addiction is to make it your work. Mine was and still is first-edition books, which is why I had a bookshop between regular stints in the military. My hobbies always seem to start out as a subject I've read about, like archery. In this Ebay age, Joe, you've got a potential living doing this once you've got enough experience to feel confident at it. Still, some people just don't like that four-letter-word connected with their passion, and there's nothing wrong with that either. Don't be surprised if it evolves into a life's work, though.

kirk

wise words Steve.
I'm on that journey now, just don't know how long it will take.

Joe(thebow)M

Joe(thebow)M

O'kay, tried the hickory today for making unbacked self/longbows and personally I think as a bow wood hickory is no better then Red Oak, in which case both IMHO would need to be backed with something like bamboo if I were to go beyond a #35 pound pull weight - unbacked. Personally I don't like backing on my bows.

For now, I won't waste my time using hickory! I broke two bows today;

#1 Hickory - broke at #41 @ 25"
#2 Hickory - broke at #42 @ 26"

I said it before and I'll say it again,,, from now on it's only birch and maple for me! Here is what I've broken in those two wood's;

Maple - None
Birch - 2 (#56 @ 30" x 72") (#52 @ 32" x 60") if memory serves?

On the other side of these two wood's here are the successful bows I've made with Birch & Maple. These measurments are after the bows have taken their set, each bow lost about two pounds pull weight. Also, each bow has had no less then 100 arrows shot from them, most have 300 or more arrows shot from them,,, and a few have close to 500 arrows shot from them. This is where they finish now after the shooting in process;

Birch

#36 @ 28" x 72"
#44 @ 28" x 72"
#46 @ 28" x 72"

Maple

#25 @ 24" x 60" (Matthew's bow)
#38 @ 28" x 67"
#38 @ 28" x 72"
#44 @ 28" x 72"
#48 @ 28" x 73"

As a side note I've also made some Ash self/longbows but they are not near as good as the Birch and Maple bows I've made;

Ash

#28 @ 28" x 72"
#32 @ 28" x 72"

I know there are some of you out there that have had good success with the Hickory and Ash, but it's just not the wood I prefer to use. So now I won't worry about trying hickory again. Birch & Maple, that's this ol' boys chosen bow wood!

segolden

Hmmm...well, that may explain why I haven't seen hickory used in selfbows by the larger manufacturers. Those cheapie "target bows" we used to see in school were made of that wood, but those never pulled more than 30#. They'd break if anybody besides the girls' badminton team drew them.

I do see hickory in laminated bows, and I have a nice ELB of maple and hickory lams, but that's about it these days. It was used long ago in Europe and Eastern North America, question is in what designs or combination of woods. Sounds like you've got the right formula, though.

Joe(thebow)M

Sorry about my mini rant over hickory, but I did have much higher expectations of that wood after what the 'Traditional Bowyer's Bible Vol One' said about it.

Well, I'm only out $12.00 dollars so it's a cheep leason learned and $12.00's isn't much to pay to get an education. I'll put the hickory aside until I decide what to do with it. Bamboo backing I suspect at some point, but I'll let the moisture content get down to about 8 - 9 %... A friend of mine took moisture readings of this hickory before I bought it and it read a range of readings from 10 to 12 %...

Maple & Birch! Good wood! Ash, good wood if not too dry. Hickory,,,,, don't believe everything you read or hear about it.

Segolden, you are on the money!

Joe(thebow)M

We closed at noon today for Christmas Eve so I hurried home and whipped out a Birch Longbow this afternoon.

Now this is nothing earth shattering, but after yesterday and the awful hickory self/longbow episodes with the breaking of two of them, I needed to get something solid made that wasn't going to break. At least that is what I was telling myself as I worked the Birch.

I made this newest Birch LB to finish at #35 @ 28" x 71"... I could have went with a heavier pull, but to be quite honest, I was worried I might break it after yesterdays 'hickory' disasters.

Well, this new Birch LB didn't break so I'm feeling confident once again in making self/longbows, and the next one's I will try for the 40+ pull weight range again. Funny how a set back like yesterday in the workshop can get a person second guessing themself as happened to me.

I think I'll take tomorrow off and just enjoy Christmas with the family. I'm kind of worn out with the bow making right now and I need a break from the building end of archey...

Perhaps this weekend I will start building again?

Joe(thebow)M

I decided to try and save Hickory Bow #2 (#42 @ 26")... This bow only experienced a grain fracture about one inch long and not quite 1/16th inch deep. It's located about 5" inches below the center of the bow (back side) and only in about 1/2" inch in from the side of the bow.

What I did was to flex the bow and squeeze Titebond III into the fracture, then clamp it for 12 hours.

I had some 1/8" thick x 84" long x 1 1/2" inch wide Ash in the workshop. I also had some Maple the same size, (thin strips I saved in case I ever wanted to back a bow but flet they were not thick enough). Over the last day and a half I've glued the Ash to the bow, let it dry for 12 hours, then glued the Maple to the Ash, (which is drying now since noon)...

When all the glue has had a minimum of 24 hours to dry, I'll cut the over hanging sides of Ash an Maple from the bow. Reshape the back of the bow, and get better side angles on the edges. I'm thinking I may 'not' have filed enough of an angle on the back sides before which may have caused this fracture?

If all goes well I will begin the tillering proccess again and see where I end up?

I will be happy if I can save this hickory bow to a #40 or better pull @ 28", I just don't want to give up on it at thsi point. I guess if I have to back the hickory, I will, and I think I'll use the Maple only for backing on the next build from Hickory.

I'm still learning...

Joe(thebow)M

The Hickory Longbow repair has been successful IMHO.

I've not shot it yet but I have strung it and did a weight pull test (#37 @ 28"), then worked my way slowly through 30 pulls at my pull length (27 3/4") and did not experience any problems at all.

I checked the bow by running my hand over and around the limbs after each pull looking for any indication that my Ash & Maple backing job was going to fail, especially in the repair area and I found nothing to indicate that this bow repair will not work. It appears to be very sound!

So, I will give the Hickory another chance but this time I will back it from the get go with Maple.

It's 1:18 am my time, so I'm headed to bed, but I wanted to pass this along.

Steve B

Joe(thebow)M, sounds like you have had a great time and made a successful repair, any chance of seeing the backing you have done? I am really interested to see what and how you did it......

Joe(thebow)M

I will post a picture of it, this afternoon Steve B. I have to work a half day today.

Backing the wood for a bow is easier done IMHO before a bow is made and then backed. I think it would look better too. Not that there is anything wrong with this one. The glue lines do show however as I had the backside edges of the bow beveled before having to add the backing. The next one should look a lot better.

By the way, on the next hickory bow I will use only one piece of backing, 3/16" thick Maple. It's really just a lamination onto the bow as I will run it end to end, as I did with this repair. I was so relieved it worked out. I was really down on the hickory until this point.

Joe(thebow)M

Can't seem to upload pictures, Steve B. I post about this in the Q&A above. Maybe they can help me out so I can get you some pictures posted of the Hickory backed LB.

Joe(thebow)M

Click to see full size image

Click to see full size image

Here are some pictures of the repaired hickory bow.
Not my best pictures I've taken, but I think it gives a
person a good idea. Just click on them to enlarge.

Steve B

Thanks for sharing those Joe(thebow)M, great to see how you repaired the bow... I am guessing that worked out the repair compliments of the Bowyers Bible ? or did you figure it out yourself? from all the bows you have made?

Joe(thebow)M

I actually figured the repair out myself, Steve B.

After 'Hickory Bow #1' broke, I should have done this backing here on #2 before I started it,,, and now I've learned.

I have #3 Hickory - backed and clamped right now. It should be ready to have a bow worked out of it this afternoon, if I decide to do any bow work today. The 3/16" Maple backing should be sufficient.

Steve B

Fantastic stuff, I love the way you do this Joe(thebow)M, I think it is fantastic to start with a piece of timber and then end up with a bow..... just so good..... and to boot you are doing a great job and alot of people are loving it along with you ...thanks for the interesting and valuable posts you make here on self bows Joe(thebow)M I know I for one have "nearly" got the bug for having a go and I am a technophobe (sp) so I love my compounds