chokecherry for bow wood?

[WINDTALKER]

Was wondering if chokecherry would make a good bow? cut one down on a jobsite and got 4 pieces that are 5 inch's around and 6 feet long.

[Dano]

Here's a handy link, Can't help ya much more.

http://onemississipp.googlepages.com/bowwoods

[Eric Krewson]

Go over to Paleo Planet and do a search in the bow making section for choke cherry, lots of info. Lots of people like it for bows on that site.

[Roy Steele]

I've made a couple light bows a 42# and a 46# these bows came out fine.

[Springbuck]

I love it. It is heavier than cherry, tho still light and more scrubby.  I think it acts more like plum.

 Those are pretty big staves.  It does like to twist, usually like 45* through a stave, and in my experience, due to small stave diameter, you are limited as to how wide you can go.  But, I have made some crowned, flat bellied, fairly parallel limbed, and fairly deep cored long bows, and it works great.  It will cryshal on you, but a longish design and elliptical tiller, not quite ELB tiller should get you a good bow.  They have light tips and shoot sweet.  A shorter, wider flatbow is possible, too.  I've seen it sinew backed.  Your staves sound like good ones.

 It is much stronger in tension than black cherry, and a mild crowned back will take a heat-tempered belly.