bow building grain orientation

[CelticArcher]

Hey guys
This is my first post. I'm interested in building medieval style warbows. I can get wood of the required dimensions from a local timber merchant (i'm in Australia), however I'm wondering exactly how important the growth ring orientation in each stave is?? 99% of the stuff I see there has the grain running on an angle somewhere between 30 and 45 degrees from what would become the belly or back of the bow. I saw one stave which looked like it had the grain running at 90 degrees to the back/belly side (the ends weren't cut neatly so it was difficult to tell for sure); has anyone had experience with building bows with grain like this (directly from back to belly)
cheers guys

[aznboi3644]

The grain is more important than the type of cut.

As long as the grain is running full length that is all that matters

[fishfinder401]

make sure the grain doesn't run off on the sides or the back of the bow
welcome to the site
noel

[Inuumarue]

I'm assuming you're talking about quarter or rift sawn lumber.  If thats the case then you're fine provided that your grain is fairly straight and clear.

Adam

[CelticArcher]

thanks for the input guys
i did manage to find a piece that doesn't appear to have grain runout and the growth rings run from side to side. should i put a backing on it when finished just to be safe?? what would be considered a "traditional" backing for an english warbow?? linen?? i have some rolls of brown waxed paper lying around, i think i saw sonebody using that as a backing on here, i could be imagining things though.

also, this is the 7000th post in the warbow section 

[fishfinder401]

a few questions, what type of wood, desired weight, and length, you might just ry backing with some other wood that is good in tension
good luck
noel

[CelticArcher]

despite what some say about it, i've had good results in the past  with australian mountain ash, eucalyptus regnans, (this is the 3rd bow i've attempted; it's a learning process) and so that's what i use. as for draw weight, anything over 100lbs and i'll be happy. my main bow is a Richard Head yew warbow, 175 lbs.
length of the billet i've started on is 77 inches, and my draw length is 32

[adb]

How about a picture of you shooting that 175#@32" yew warbow?

[DarkSoul]

For a board bow over 100 pounds, I would HIGHLY recommend a working backing. For Eucalyptus wood in an ELB, I would HIGHLY recommend a backing. The combination of both factors just screams for a backing. Paper will not suffice, IMO. You need a solid backing, such as hickory, sinew or rawhide. Linen is borderline in this case, I think. Some extra length and excellent tiller will provide you with some additional safety.

[CelticArcher]

... Some extra length and excellent tiller will provide you with some additional safety.

I took the length factor into consideration with this bow, giving it an additional 5 inches of length over previous bows which I have made, which have all measured in at around 72 inches, and the heaviest of which came in at about 65 lbs until it developed chrysals and was promptly retired. I found a good length of some shiny snakeskin pattern fabric in mom's sewing basket, probably polyester. Would this work as a backing?? It would certainly look killer!!

[nidrinr]

If the wood got compression marks and had to retire from 65#@32", 72"ntn bow, I'd just recommend you heat treat the belly even with 3" extra if you're going to aim over 100#. Don't you have access to some good boo?

[DarkSoul]

A polyester fabric is not a good backing. If you want to use a cloth/fabric backing, it needs to be linen or silk.

Nidrinr, if the previous selfbow developed compression chrysals, that indicates a compression weak wood, right? I would therefore think a bamboo backing may stress the belly even more. I think bamboo is probably too strong for eucalyptus. You could trap the bamboo though, and keep the belly flat and wide.

[CelticArcher]

A polyester fabric is not a good backing. If you want to use a cloth/fabric backing, it needs to be linen or silk.

Nidrinr, if the previous selfbow developed compression chrysals, that indicates a compression weak wood, right? I would therefore think a bamboo backing may stress the belly even more. I think bamboo is probably too strong for eucalyptus. You could trap the bamboo though, and keep the belly flat and wide.

thanks for your input!! i'll try to find some linen at a craft store somewhere. and thanks for the tips on shaping the profile flat. looking at my previous attempts at bowyery, the oned that developed compression fractures have all had rather round bellies, so i'll make sure to keep this one flat as possible

[bow-toxo]

Hey guys
This is my first post. I'm interested in building medieval style warbows.cheers guys

You said you were“ interested in building medieval style warbows”. If you are actually serious about that, you might first gather some info about medieval warbows as a start. Seen from the end, the grain would be parallel to the back of the stave, and of course not run out the sides as has been said. I do not mean that end grain is not OK running from back to belly, but it is not medieval. Apart from the naturally grown yew sapwood, here is NO known backing for a medieval warbow, not paper, not fabric, not snakeskin, not bamboo, not sinew, nothing .If anyone has evidence to the contrary, let me know. Also, eucalyptus was not used, or even known of. It is true that a flat back will shift compression stress toward tension stress. Of course if you are really not interested in medieval style warbows, you can ignore this post

                                                                         Cheers for our royal wedding
                                                                                 Erik

.

[CelticArcher]

You said you were“ interested in building medieval style warbows”. If you are actually serious about that, you might first gather some info about medieval warbows as a start. Seen from the end, the grain would be parallel to the back of the stave, and of course not run out the sides as has been said. I do not mean that end grain is not OK running from back to belly, but it is not medieval. Apart from the naturally grown yew sapwood, here is NO known backing for a medieval warbow, not paper, not fabric, not snakeskin, not bamboo, not sinew, nothing .If anyone has evidence to the contrary, let me know. Also, eucalyptus was not used, or even known of. It is true that a flat back will shift compression stress toward tension stress. Of course if you are really not interested in medieval style warbows, you can ignore this post

                                                                         Cheers for our royal wedding
                                                                                 Erik

.

"Style" can have a number of meanings. Had I said i want to build authentic medieval bows, I would be using Spanish or Italian yew. Do you think i'm stupid or something?? I know that eucalyptus wasn't used; for heavens sake, Australia wasn't inhabited by caucasians in the medieval period. I simply use it because it is what there are plentiful supplies of at the timber merchants here. A medieval bowyer did the same thing, they used what woods were in plentiful supply, be it yew, elm, ash or any other of a number of woods. as for backings, I have read in a number of places that linen was used at the time.