Heartwood Hickory

[Nim-rod]

Decided to make an all heartwood hickory bow. I love the orange color it turned into with jsut linseed oil and tung oil finish. 45# @ 28" but I draw a bit more than that so more like 50 lbs for me. I added reflex and recurved tips with a heat gun and it has a few inches after un strung. Dyed hemp cord wrap handle and leather arrow shelf, cherry tip overlays and a yellow and orage flemish twist string really pop on this bow. I wish I could take better pics because these do it no justice.

[okie64]

Great lookin bow! I never seem to have that much luck bending hickory with heat. Oh well, you did a great job on that one.

[dmikeyj]

Nice looking bow, well done.

[Nim-rod]

Thanks okie64.
I have not tried steam yet but a friend did one last night on the stove with a pot of boiling water and said it worked really good. I had a few problems with the dry heat. I use linseed oil to keep it moist but still get cracks on the belly. One limb it sanded right out but the other had a split that I glued down and it held since it's in the non bending part. I'm going to try the steam next time.

[fujimo]

good thing to see you keep a training bow handy with training wheels on it  
really nice HH bow!!!!

[Osagetree]

The hickory looks great!

Store them bows on that rack belly side down!!!

[pipedream]

Osagetree,
Why did you say store those bows belly side down?

[briarjumper12]

Great looking bow!  
I wonder why belly down also.  I usually store mine that way anyway but what's the reason?

[Nim-rod]

Yea I thought someone would mention the bow with training wheels! I love to shoot all sorts of weapons from self bows all the way up to M-16s and last month a Mark-19 full auto grenade launcher. New Hampshire is tough to get a deer with a gun let alone a bow so any advantage I can get I use. If I still lived in PA maybe I could make the switch to just self bows but here that isn't going to happen.
Yea what's the reason for belly down storage? I've never heard that before and am curious why that is a better idea. If there is a good enough reason I will definatly make the switch though.

[Roninrus1]

Very nicely done!!

[DVSHUNTER]

Very nice looking bow. Super clean lines as well.

[crgibson]

I like it Nice job Nim-rod,
I got a board of Hick in the shop I should get started on. And Im also curious about Osagetree comment belly down. I looked at my bow racks and also tuned every one belly down. I did notice one bow with paper backing that were it lays across the pegs it has pulled some finished off in a few different places.. Crg

[coaster500]

Looks like you nailed this one!!  Very nice bow sir. I've been collecting wood and I've got some hickory. Your bow makes me want to play with some....

 

[Nim-rod]

Thanks all!
Coaster I really like working with Hickory but I want to get something else just to change it up with some BL, Hophornbeam, ERC or Birch maybe. Someday maybe I'll get some osage and do it up. I just wish the osage grew up here.