Big Leaf Maple

[iskummulak]

Hello all, I hope this is the proper place for this question.  I have read quite a few of the posts and replies, and haven't noticed any mention of bows made with Big Leaf Maple.  Any thoughts, experiences?  It is the common maple species in western washington and oregon.  And while I am at it, how about mountain ash.  I just came from a trip of gathering high elevation Yew, and hope that will fuel future projects to share with you all.  hayu masi, (many thanks)  Greg

[Jude]

This site has a list of bow woods compiled by Tim Baker:  http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/topic/6213/t/List-of-Potenial-Bow-Wood-Species-With-Comments.html  though I noticed that the same list appears in TBB4, with more recent updates.  I blatently plagarized the entry for Maple below:

MAPLES: bigleaf, silver .47; red .54; black .57; rock/sugar .63; vine, about .60. A vinemaple bow is thicker than most. John Strunk discovered and announced the good qualities of this wood. He points out that when felling staves its important to indicate which side more faced the sky, which side the ground. Important because most vinemaple leans as it grows. Even more so than with other branch staves, if a vinemaple bows back is made of side wood it will twist during tillering. This is an important consideration when ordering staves. As with other strong-in-tension woods, there can be an advantage to a crowned back in medium to narrow designs. The crowned back has less mass, the flat-belly takes less set, so outshoots flat-back versions. The lighter maples are somewhat brittle in tension. All maples are diffuse-porous. Rock and sugar maple are the same wood.

It looks like bigleaf should work in a flat backed design, but you should avoid high-crowned staves from small-diameter trees.

PS: Buy TBB1-4, and read them start to finish.  You won't be sorry.

[Gordon]

Big Leaf maple is not the same as Vine Maple.

[Jude]

Big Leaf maple is not the same as Vine Maple.

Was that for me or Iskummilak?  I was saying go with a flat back because the wood may be weak in tension.  Or were you implying that he may be looking at vine maple and calling it big leaf?  Does big leaf/silver maple grow in WA and  OR?  I'm from the east coast and silver is relatively common here.

[jthompson1995]

That puts big leaf maple as the same SG as silver maple, which doesn't bode well for it as a bow wood. Silver maple is notoriously soft and weak wooded and I don't believe it would work well as a bow wood and I would think the same for Big Leaf Maple, though I've never tried to bend any. The wood is very valuable (especially the burl) for woodworking and woodturning, though.

Mountain Ash, also known as Rowan, has been used quite successfully to make some bows. If you search in the Bows subforum for rowan you should be able to find some examples.

[El Destructo]

If Big Leaf and Silver Maple are in the same category.....I have made several Bows from Limbs that I have saved from my Silver Maples here in Texas...they have all made nice Bows in the 50-60 pound Range...nothing heavy...and I have had no trouble with set....and definitely no trouble with breakage or Chrycalling either...but thats all got to do witj Tiller...and Bow Layout too....Wide and Flat...I would never try to make a 60-70 pound ELB from Silver Maple myself....would reather make a 50 pound bend through the handle flat Bow...and be able to shoot it without worrys....JMO

[Gordon]

Jude,

I would not worry about the orientation of the wood relative to its lean with Big Leaf maple - it is not tension wood like vine maple.

[jthompson1995]

If Big Leaf and Silver Maple are in the same category.....I have made several Bows from Limbs that I have saved from my Silver Maples here in Texas...they have all made nice Bows in the 50-60 pound Range...nothing heavy...and I have had no trouble with set....and definitely no trouble with breakage or Chrycalling either...but thats all got to do witj Tiller...and Bow Layout too....Wide and Flat...I would never try to make a 60-70 pound ELB from Silver Maple myself....would reather make a 50 pound bend through the handle flat Bow...and be able to shoot it without worrys....JMO

I never would have thought that with how many branches you see broken off of the silver maples around here after every storm, even smaller storms. It seems like if you sneeze on one of the trees around here limbs break off.

[El Destructo]

Jason...it's not so much how brittle the Silver Maple Wood is....it's the way God made the Trees....They are very prone to breakage where the Limbs grow from the Trunk...They are very weak at this point

[aaron]

Klahowya from ilwaco, Greg and welcome to the forum .I have never used BL maple, but love vine maple.  Just wanted to write 'cos we're in the same corner of the state.  Have you heard of the Glass Buttes Knap-in? It's comming up next week!

Taking a wild guess here- are you Greg. R. ?

[iskummulak]

I kind of figured BL Maple was marginal, but thought maybe some builders here had had some success.  It is seductively tall and straight before it matures.  I know vine maple well.  I spent many years on the Olympic Pennisula and had access to vines that had diameters of 6" plus and relatively straight if you searched hard enough.  I collected a few logs with thoughts of bow making, but life back then was good at throwing wrenches.

Gordon, I am a big fan.  I live in your general neck of the woods port/vanc. area.

Jude, great link.  I copied and saved the wood density info.

Aaron, good to see an aquaintance here!

I will see if I can find the Mt. Ash posts.  I hunt in Cent. Washington and the ash I am eyeing grows up at around 5000'.

I am a long time carver, but bow making is something I have yet to sink my teeth into.  You guys are all excellent inspiration towards that end.  masi, Greg

[Gordon]

iskummulak,

Give me a shout. I hang out with lots of folks that like to build primitive stuff. Keenan's annual bow building rendezvous is in mid-May. Several of us West-siders will be heading over the mountain for that. Let me know if you are interested in joining us.

Gordon

[loefflerchuck]

 I have never seen or heard big leaf maple being used by the California or northwest indians. That is a good indicator. I'm sure they tried it and decided there are better options.