what order to layer

[fishfinder401]

i was thinking of making a bow out of either maple red oak and poplar, is poplar worth using, and which which should be the back and belly, thanks, by the way this will be 80 inches long, an elb style and 100+lbs

[ken75]

forget the poplar for that bow unless you use it as a core wood between maple and hickory or some simliar combo. as a bow wood poplar will work for mid to low weight given enough length and width.

[fishfinder401]

forget the poplar for that bow unless you use it as a core wood between maple and hickory or some simliar combo. as a bow wood poplar will work for mid to low weight given enough length and width.

so just red oak backed with maple?, by the way, i think im going to aim for 200 , i know a little lofty of a goal, but i can already pull 140, so some more training and i think i can do it

[ErictheViking]

love your enthusiasm, but to go from 140 to 200 is a HUGE leap. go to you tube and search for "warbow"(i am sure you already have ). and listen to some of the guys talk about how hard it is to go up just ten pounds once past the 120 or 130lb mark. not trying to be a stick in the mud but  be sure to get proper form and technique. btw none of those woods could make the 200lb  mark I dont think. the red oak could get you 80 I think at the most(more if you are a really good bowyer and patient)poplar is way out of the picture and the maple may get you a 100+lb bow but if would have to be a good hard maple typical from the east. go to the warbow section and search for the handle "adb" he really likes maple and is an excellent bow maker. if someone has done it he probably has. stay safe and good luck.

[Matt S.]

I think you could get a Red Oak self bow to reach 80#-90# if made long enough. It would probably have to be 76-80" long (assuming 30-32" draw). Not sure about Maple, but I would be interested in learning which wood is better in tension and compression between Maple and Red Oak since these are the two hardwoods most commonly found as lumber around here.

You could always back the bow with some linen. It won't add any draw weight but will help insure against catastrophic failure when you're at full draw!

Good luck and keep us posted.

[bubby]

maple is better as a backing than red oak, but I feel that white oak is on a par with hickory as a backing for bows

[fishfinder401]

love your enthusiasm, but to go from 140 to 200 is a HUGE leap. go to you tube and search for "warbow"(i am sure you already have ). and listen to some of the guys talk about how hard it is to go up just ten pounds once past the 120 or 130lb mark. not trying to be a stick in the mud but  be sure to get proper form and technique. btw none of those woods could make the 200lb  mark I dont think. the red oak could get you 80 I think at the most(more if you are a really good bowyer and patient)poplar is way out of the picture and the maple may get you a 100+lb bow but if would have to be a good hard maple typical from the east. go to the warbow section and search for the handle "adb" he really likes maple and is an excellent bow maker. if someone has done it he probably has. stay safe and good luck.

thanks, the size i am looking at is 80-84 long, 1.5 thick at handle, mabey more and 30-32 draw, i think i might be able to make the jump, as i have no trouble at all pulling 140+ at 30-32 and i  don't tire after an hour of shooting
if i were to double up on either of those wood for more size, which wood it be. sorry, bad pun but im thinking, maple backing and belly, and oak core, not sure if there will be any other types, i have only look at online catalog, they are .75 thick
by the way i think 140+ is pretty impressive for my age, wonder what i can do in a nother few years when i fully mature, as im only 16 now

by the way, thanks everyone for the responses
noel

[bucksbuoy]

I dont think red oak is gonna do you any favors. The experts have told me you should stay on the lighter end with oak. You might want to go all maple. Try to find some with some nice tight grain. Im working on a 150# all maple D bow right now. Still waiting on that darn dacron from 3rivers. It kept snapping my hemp and linen string attempts. And yo, 140 is impressive for sure, but check your ego bro. Karma is a "you know what." I used to split the arrow robin hood style, all the time till I had a bad bike accident and couldn't pull a bow for ten years. Now Im kissing the nock at one fifty and I thank the gods for it.

[fishfinder401]

I dont think red oak is gonna do you any favors. The experts have told me you should stay on the lighter end with oak. You might want to go all maple. Try to find some with some nice tight grain. Im working on a 150# all maple D bow right now. Still waiting on that darn dacron from 3rivers. It kept snapping my hemp and linen string attempts. And yo, 140 is impressive for sure, but check your ego bro. Karma is a "you know what." I used to split the arrow robin hood style, all the time till I had a bad bike accident and couldn't pull a bow for ten years. Now Im kissing the nock at one fifty and I thank the gods for it.

don't worry, i will check my ego, i was just really impressed with myself after the shooting i was doing today, granted i am easily impressed, if anything i have a very small ego in general, now to see if my obsession with making and shooting large bows will last long enough to reach my goal of 200+( i get very addicted to many different pastimes, most don't last but some do, im hopping this is one of them) if i can get some ash, would that work along with the maple or should i just go for a few maple boards together, any other wood commonly found in board form that would work?

[fishfinder401]

i just found out that a place near my house supply's gold grapa and ipe, would maple backed ipe core with gold grapa belly work the the size bow i'm looking for?, or should it just be ipe and maple or ipe and gold grapa
thanks
noel