Author Topic: Making bows from twisted wood?  (Read 6569 times)

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Offline markinengland

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Making bows from twisted wood?
« on: April 26, 2007, 05:55:02 pm »
A friend who does forestry work has kindly giften me a fair quantity or nice yew wood. I have one full length straight stave, one straight billet that may just about make a bow and five billets that are twisted but should each comfortably make a bow. The wood looks quite fine except for the twist. I know I have a fiar amount of time to wait before the wood is dry enough to make bows but what are the best things to do with twist?
Mark in England

Offline GregB

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Re: Making bows from twisted wood?
« Reply #1 on: April 26, 2007, 11:09:05 pm »

Mark, I've never dealt with yew...but I have dealt with osage with a lot of propellar and dips and curves. We use a form that can be used to add both reflex and to straighten a bow. By using dry heat (heat gun), first clamp the bow in the middle of the form at the handle. Heating about a 6" section at a time starting at the fades, use clamps and shims to rotate the limb around and remove propellor. By using c-clamps to clamp near an edge (not center of limb), you can start to rotate the limb removing the propellor. If the bow is out of line where the tips aren't lining up center with the handle, secure the limb at the point just before the out of alignment starts by putting a fulcrum shim under the edge of the limb and clamping to the bottom of the form. The handle will also have to be shimmed up off the bottom of the form to accomplish this. You can then use another clamp out toward the tip and crank the tip down to align the overall limb. Go past where you need the tip to end up, because it won't hold all the adjustments you're making. Remember you have to really get the wood hot before you try and bend it. But keep that gun moving, easy to burn the wood if you hold the gun still in one spot. Ask anyone on here, I'm good at burning wood!  :) Work a little way down the limb at a time making adjustments as you go.  Very difficult to explain this only with words, but I hope I'm making some sense! ;D
Greg

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Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: Making bows from twisted wood?
« Reply #2 on: April 26, 2007, 11:12:20 pm »
Well how much twist does it have? I generally don't worry about twists unless they are really excessive. Jawge
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Offline Pat B

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Re: Making bows from twisted wood?
« Reply #3 on: April 26, 2007, 11:22:47 pm »
If you have a steam chamber you could probably work them green. It would also help dry the green wood a bit too.   (Oh! and by the way, I have very little experience with yew ;D).  Glenn St Charles says that yew and osage work well with heat, both bending and straightening.
   I would first split them at least in half if possible and seal the ends and down the split side 4" or so. That way the internal moisture will have a way to go and your ends are protected.
Sounds like you got a nice haul of yew.   Have fun!   Pat   
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC