Will silver maple make a d section longbow?

[toomanyknots]

70# is the highest I really am looking at. The maple I was thinking of making a d section bow I believe is silver maple. I have never made a maple bow, is it typically any good in compression? Take lots of set? Chrysal?

[Cameroo]

I don't know about silver maple, but all the maple I've used has been great under compression.  It takes a little set (mine have all been around 3/4"), but there's nothing wrong with that.  Maple will easily make a 50 lb bow.  70 is probably possible, I'd back it with rawhide though.

[George Tsoukalas]

Tim Baker doesn't say much about it in TBB 4 except to say its specific gravity is 0.47 That is awfully low for a bow wood and especially low for a 70# d section longbow. JMO.  Jawge

[Badger]

   I have made quite a few silver or soft maple bows. Not a great bow wood but does hold up fairly well considering how light it is. About 55# is the heaviest I have gone, for a d section bow @70# I imagine about 72" long and 1 3/4" wide might work pretty well. Steve

[half eye]

Toomany....,
       I checked my wood properties chart, and if ya want to go that heavy....get ahold of me and I'll get a piece of hard maple to you it's nearly indestructable in compression and has a 12% specific gravity of .64 which is better than Ash,Elm, Hackberry and Black Walnut.
rich

[Dauntless]

I got into some silver maple a couple of years back.  Chrysalled easily but became ok enough when heat treated and left wide.  A better wood for carving than for bow making.

[toomanyknots]

Hmmm, after hunting around some I have read alot of people talking of chrysals... Thanks yall for the heads up. I got 82" to work with so far on this stave I got today. Just something to play with I guess. Rich, I might have to take you up on that soon as I get something worth trading, .

[Dauntless]

Hey if you make a warbow weight bow with silver maple, you'll get my undying respect. 

Get that stave nice and dry and round the edges or she might just fold on you.

[Matt S.]

My experience with Silver Maple is from observing how the trees in the yard hold up to storms. Silver Maple seems a lot more brittle than sugar maple, with limbs easily cracking or breaking off during harsh mid-west storms. I think the tree is very popular in landscaping because it grows rather quickly, but its hasty growth comes at a price.

Just leave it wider and longer than a sugar maple and see what happens! Hope it works out 

[crooketarrow]

  I agree with dauntless I've never made a bow that heavy from any maple. Have made a 45 pound bow out of maple along time ago but not silver maple. I was'nt impressed with mine so I never tryed it again. I think 70 pounds would differntly over stress your limbs. But I only had one try at it but I would'nt try it. But take my impression the a grain of salt.