Author Topic: Black Walnut  (Read 4538 times)

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Offline John K

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Black Walnut
« on: September 15, 2009, 10:35:31 am »
Just wondering who has worked with it, and if they have any advice  ???

Thanks John !
The only way to fail is to never start !

Offline adb

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #1 on: September 15, 2009, 11:45:02 am »
I've made 2 walnut bellied bows... both chrysalled badly. I'm not a huge fan.

Offline John K

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #2 on: September 15, 2009, 12:50:34 pm »
Thanks Adam, Guess i'll go long and wide. I just got a boat load of the stuff !
The only way to fail is to never start !

radius

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #3 on: September 15, 2009, 03:12:00 pm »
i made a beautiful elb style walnut bow once, but it broke (no backing)...

Offline Hillbilly

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #4 on: September 15, 2009, 07:07:31 pm »
I've seen some nice walnut bows over the years. Treat it like it was hickory. Straight walnut is sure a pleasure to split after fooling with osage, elm, and stuff like that.
Smoky Mountains, NC

NeolithicHillbilly@gmail.com

Progress might have been all right once but it's gone on for far too long.

Offline John K

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #5 on: September 17, 2009, 10:34:04 am »
Thanks Hillbilly, Once i got the sucker in half it split great !




Sure is some pretty wood  :)
The only way to fail is to never start !

Offline Pat B

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #6 on: September 17, 2009, 10:39:20 am »
gun stocks!  ;D
  I have had limited success with BW. I've made flat bows; self and backed and a few ELB type backed(with hickory) bows but most fretted.
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline John K

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2009, 10:43:20 am »
Good idea Pat, let me know if you need any  :)
The only way to fail is to never start !

Offline Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #8 on: September 17, 2009, 11:05:04 am »
i made a really nice little , all heartwood, walnut recurve. unbacked.  its a great little bow i absolutely love it...but since i moved to montana i dont have the pic on my computer right now....but its on this site here somewhere.   lol  its only 56" long i think.  give a search for it if your interested in seeing it  or maybe someone else could find it and post it on here.     have fun with it.  if you decide you would like to part with one of those staves give me a shout. but i would only be interested in heartwood, i dont much care for the sapwood!  but go slow working it b\c it will fret if your tiller in uneven.  mine crystalled a little bit b\c it is so short, but it hasnt hurt anything i still shoot it and it shoots great! - Ryan
Formerly "twistedlimbs"
Gill's Primitive Archery and HuntPrimitive

Offline Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #9 on: September 17, 2009, 11:14:28 am »
ahhh.. here is the link to my walnut recurve   http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,9730.0.html
Formerly "twistedlimbs"
Gill's Primitive Archery and HuntPrimitive

Offline John K

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #10 on: September 17, 2009, 11:16:28 am »
Good to hear Ryan.I'll be in touch when the wood is a little drier, it was only cut a couple of weeks ago.
I have some nice belly splits ! 

I'll check out the link  :)
The only way to fail is to never start !

Offline Pappy

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #11 on: September 17, 2009, 12:45:07 pm »
Nice looking bunch of stave's,I made one years ago and it turned out OK,may try another
since I have learned a little more about bow building.I look at that old bow in the rafters and can see a whole lot of things I did wrong.  :) If I remember right it was pretty springy and quick. :)
   Pappy
Clarksville,Tennessee
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Life is Good

Offline comix

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #12 on: September 17, 2009, 07:18:59 pm »
I backed one with bamboo once... but she's a wall-hanger since draw weight wasn't what I#d expected (btw. this was no problem with the wood, but with the bowyer) ... sometimes my wife shoots her.

Offline John K

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #13 on: September 17, 2009, 07:26:44 pm »
Good to hear Pappy.

comix, at least it get the wife shooting !
The only way to fail is to never start !

Offline acker

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #14 on: September 17, 2009, 07:34:11 pm »
well I hope not ad him ;D

I like black walnut, I´ve build severel Bamboo backed bows where I used it as the centerlam and a selfbow - pyramid style.

acker