that first straight edge

[billmac]

You guys who rough out your bows with machetes, sharp stones, and your teeth can probably stop reading.  I'd like to find a reliable way to cut my staves down to about 2x2 inches, into a nice square cross section.  But how to do that with a quarter log stave beats me, apart from taking it to a saw mill. (obviously I want to keep the outer growth ring as one side, otherwise I'd just get boards)  One straight edge is all you need and the other two will come easily.  Does anyone else worry about this?  I have a 10" radial arm saw and a 14" bandsaw.

Thanks,

Bill

[tom sawyer]

Can't you do that with your band saw?  Once you freehand one corner off the pie (keeping the "crust" side on the talbe and doing your best not to let it rock which will cause the blade to bend and be ruined), you have a flat-enough surface to run the tip of the pie off, and then the other side.

[tom sawyer]

For that matter, you really don't want the first edge to tbe straight, so much as for it to follow the grain of the split (assuming you didn't cheat and kerf).  Then you can straighten with heat once you are near dimensions.

[Pat B]

I usually pop a chalk line down the center if possible and measure on either side, out each limb, the shape of the bow. I don't try to cut my staves square or rectangular.   Pat

[billmac]

Tom Sawyer,  You raise a good question.  I'd rather (I sound like I'm experienced don't I?) would rather have a straight bow than follow the grain unless that is a major no-no.  I know alot of people do it, but it usually seems be be with sapling staves.  Obviously if the grain is way off then I would be in trouble, but I'd rather go for symmetrical, at least until I'm more experienced.

To answer your first question, yes I can eyeball it on the bandsaw, but keeping it from rocking is not so easy.

[Hillbilly]

If you want a straight bow, use straight wood. Ash or hickory can usually be found in nice straight-grained pieces, but most other woods don't come like that very often. If you make a straight bow out of a crooked stave, it will likely either break, warp, or twist badly. You can fudge a bit, but the first three rules of selfbow making are (1)follow the grain, (2)follow the grain, and (3)follow the grain. A 14' bandsaw works great for roughing out staves. I do like Pat said, find the centerline, lay out the outline of the bow just cut down the lines. A bow doesn't have to be perfectly square, plumb, level, and straight, you're not building furniture. You're going to have to cut the bow to shape sooner or later, making a perfectly square, straight 2x2 out of the stave just adds an unneccessary step and more work.

[DanaM]

Isn't there a chapter or section in TBB about stave reduction stratgies?
It seems to me straight grain = cut it like a board. Snakey = hand tools and follow the wood(grain)

billmac don't over analyze have fun if you have access to wood try some different things. experience
is the best teacher. I learn just as much from my failures as my successes. My first bow pulls 10# LOL
I'm on #15 now still learning but gettin better. When ya put hours in a bow and it comes out different than ya pictured at first yer disappointed then ya get mad, then ya vow to do better! Oh yeah did I mention always have fun eh

DanaM

[GregB]

I agree with Hillbilly and Pat. We've popped a line but only on hickory and ash out of the woods I've worked with. I've always had to follow the grain with osage and hornbeam with the centerline, then work off the center line to lay out bow width, handle etc. If the string doesn't cross the handle, then tweak with dry heat to align the tips to center through the handle.

Learning to do this, and work with the wood in its natural state is part of the proper learning experience. Attempting to violate the wood grain in order to have a straight stave is the wrong way to go about it, and will cause problems possibly resulting in a broken bow.

[Coo-wah-chobee]

 Agree with all the above advice. "Follow the grain" like Hillbilly said and others, imo no matter what the wood is. By following the grain yu will accelerate your learning curve. It may seem frustrating at times...................bob 

[jamie]

with tough grained woods i dont even touch the tree if it has the slightest twist in it. this way i use my chainsaw to split the wood . i only do this with hickory and elm.  as for getting a straight edge on a bandsaw you should invest in a book on jigs or bandsaws. jigs take time to make but once you learn what could be done with jigs they are well worth the effort. one tip i can give you is to make your first cut over sized. its much easier to cut truer lines on smaller pieces of wood. also dont even think of cutting staves with the radial aside from shortening. its a good way to lose a limb. learn everything you can about the bandsaw its the most complicated tool to set up but its also one of the most important tools in the shop. peace

[George Tsoukalas]

Bill, you must follow the crown or the vertical grain or the stave may break. Look at the stave closely you will see lines running the length of the stave. That's the vertical grain. Snapping a chalk line doesn't always work even with typically straight grained trees.My last hickory turned out to be snaky grained. Jawge