Hickory Grain Violation

DLH · March 02, 2011, 11:04:00 PM

How bad can you violate the grain for a hickory board bow? And how much if it is backed with wood, linen, paper, and etc.

Ryan Yoon · March 03, 2011, 02:21:00 AM

Hickory can take more grain violation than almost any wood but you're still going to want the best grain you can get. You probably wouldn't have to worry about it with a wood or linen backing. Not so sure about paper.

matts2 · March 03, 2011, 08:56:00 AM

What kind of grain are you looking at? When I first started (a few weeks ago) I looked at every web site and every video I could find. Everyone had a different opinion on what cut was the best. One guy would show plainsawn cut is the best while the other would say to never ever use plainsawn boards. If I look at the failures and successes I have had with board bows, the ones that failed were plane cut and the ones that were a success were quartersawn. There is another recent thread one here that shows a plainsawn hickory board that failed also.

PEARL DRUMS · March 03, 2011, 09:09:00 AM

Build one and see what happens, thats my advice. Matt nailed it with the million opinions he read. I have good grain bows and bad grain bows that work. I have the best 1/4 sawn HBH a guy could make, it splintered and I would have bet 2 pay checks it wouldnt. Wood is wood and nothing is sure. I dont give up on a bow until it gives up on me!

DLH · March 03, 2011, 11:59:00 AM

Its bad I bought a 1x12x12 and got two good attempts out of it and the rest of it don't have good grain like the parts I cut off did. Kind of stuck with it lol wanted to do something with it...

PEARL DRUMS · March 03, 2011, 12:09:00 PM

Use it for handle sections. I pick out the gnarliest boards I can find to make nice handles sections. You could make young childrens bows also, they dont need much more than 10-12# @ 15-18", most boards will allow that at 36-48" long.

okie64 · March 03, 2011, 12:35:00 PM

I used to take the left over pieces of hickory and maple boards and make arrows out of them. Usually they had decent grain, just not long enough to make a bow.

George Tsoukalas · March 06, 2011, 03:37:00 PM

DLH, what is a grain violation to you? What I look for in a board is straight grain lines tip to tip. I do allow to run outs or t=run ups per limb for 50-55# bow. There is more info on my site. All 3 of the board cuts will make a bow. One is not better than the other. Jawge