Author Topic: Anybody made a birch molly?  (Read 1149 times)

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Offline dbb

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Anybody made a birch molly?
« on: May 08, 2011, 10:31:32 am »
I'm starting to like those quirky looking bows, and since birch is the only reasonably dry wood i have im gonna try it if nobody says it isnt wort the trouble....
i probably try anyway ;D but then i know what to expect.

/Mikael
It's better to ask and look like a fool than not to ask and remain one...

Offline Jude

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  • Julian Benoit, Black River, NY & Kandahar, Afghan.
Re: Anybody made a birch molly?
« Reply #1 on: May 11, 2011, 01:15:16 am »
Most folks report good luck with birch.  I had bad luck with Alaskan white birch, but I believe that is an exceptionally weak variety.  The Athabaskans made birch bows with string blocks, so the bows had nearly no tension at brace hieght, so evidently, I wasn't the first to run into that problem.
"Not all those that wander are lost."--Tolkien
"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer."--Benoit

Offline DEllis

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Re: Anybody made a birch molly?
« Reply #2 on: May 11, 2011, 03:28:19 am »
My experience with paper birch has been that you need to use as much of the limb as you can as evenly as you can. It will fret if you give it any chance at all. Maybe with a fairly wide limb and long NTN you might get away with it?? Try it and let us know ;D
Darcy
Darcy Ellis
Fort Fraser BC Canada eh!

Offline dbb

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Re: Anybody made a birch molly?
« Reply #3 on: May 11, 2011, 04:08:50 am »
Looks like i have a challenge at hand,thats fun :)Perhaps the swedish downy and silverbirches is stronger than paperbirch...i hope.
Darcy,when you posted that birch longbow and said it liked long and deep i just knew i would have to make a short wide and flat one >:D..Just kidding.
Birch is what i have available and i need the training.Ill keep you guys posted however it goes.

/Mikael
It's better to ask and look like a fool than not to ask and remain one...