will white oak work for a backing if its cut thin. i can get a lot of old white oak boards if it will work.
Why not make bows from the white oak boards? It makes fine board bows if backed with a strip of linen or rawhide, boo or hickory.
the boards arent long enough for a bow. i was going to but them together in the handle area and put an somthing across the front.
white oak is pretty strong, in fact the reference for woods i use says its near impossible to break a white oak bow if its made right. if there arent very many grain violations you might not need a backing at all, just reinforce the splice with something. epoxy is probably your best bet for splices so any gaps are filled. by the way heres the link to that reference http://www.briskybows.com/choosingwoods.htm it says white oak will take some set, but as long as its not horrible you should be fine. as for backings i think you would have to have very straight grain, and even then it may crush many other woods its glued to if not careful.