I built a bamboo backed Ipe and it came out to light, I have some hickory, will that make a good belly lam or should I use something else.
Hickory makes very good bows, BUT.....
it really depends on your climate. The downside to hickory is that it is extremely hygroscopic. It soaks up moisture like a sponge.
If you live in a fairly dry climate, hickory is an excellent choice.
I agree with Jeff. If you can get the moisture down and keep it there it will work well(otherwise you'll get massive amounts of set with a poor cast) though probably not as well as ipe will. Take care, Matt
How long is it?
Bamboo on ipe should tolerate beeing pretty short, so maybe you could shorten it. 1% shortening ntn lenght should raise weight about 5%.
All the heavy tropical hardwoods and osage (and horn) will do better than hickory.
K