Making Bows From Saplings

[Beleg]

Hello everyone on Primitive Archer! This is my first posting to this great forum.

I'm in the process of making my second bow using a hickory sapling  and the procedure attributed to Jim Riggs on page 95 of The Traditional Bowyers Bible, Volume One (a 2-inch thick sapling is cut, split, de-barked, strapped to a 2X4 and re-curved while drying for a month).

I have finished re-curving my stave and am beginning the rough tillering and it occurs to me that when one makes a bow in this way, a cross-section of the limbs will actually be a reverse "D", backwards from the traditional "D" that one hears about in, say, an english warbow. Is this right? I'm a little scared to proceed until I have someone confirm this for me. I don't want to waste a perfect, straight hickory sapling after waiting a month.

[Youngboyer2(billyf)]

well if you recurve the whole bow it should look like a reverse D but at full draw or even just braced that shape should decrease of even start to turn into a regular D at full draw if the limbs do a lot of work and bend evenly... I think, it depends on how severe the recurve is, and whether or not you flipped the tips more than the rest of the limb... once again before acting on what i say you should take suggestions from someone with more experience

[Matt S.]

That is right. Most often the back of the bow will have a crown and the belly will be nearly flat. This usually is fine because most wood is much stronger in tension than compression, so the back can tolerate being crowned.
If the crown is too excessive you can always decrown the sapling; essentially turning it into "lumber." Since your wood is hickory I wouldn't worry about it.
Best of luck!

[Beleg]

Thanks for the sanity check Matt S. I will proceed.

Youngbowyer: Thanks for the feedback, but I was referring to the shape of the limbs in cross-section, not the shape of the re-curve. I could have been clearer in my description.

Cheers

[Lee Slikkers]

Use the search function and look for some of Druid's bows...he has made a number of sapling type bows and often shows the views of the limb cross-section and it may be helpful and useful for your current bow build.  Good luck (and share some pics, we love them here on PA)

[DRon knife]

Beleg these are some some pics of the second bow that I made,I was looking for success on my early attempts and read that a hickory sapling was a good way to go,my sapling was about 3" in diameter and this made the back a little flatter than the usual sapling bow but the result is in essence the same. My inexperience caused me to over build this bow,its longer than it needs to be,but it shoots well and its tuff !! It was a good way to go because the successful completion gave me desire rather than frustration,and fuel to continue on to harder techniques and designs,good luck and hope this helps,Ron

[George Tsoukalas]

Just a caution. 2 inch sapling bows have a  lot of a crown. Adding reflex,recurves, etc adds stress to an already stressed stave especially if you don't leave the bow a couple of inches longer. Jawge

[Dictionary]

Yea in my area i have a lot of small maple saplings that grow. I cut them from as low as 1 inch diameter so the crown is often excessive. I'm making them around 66-73 inches long though bending throughout.

[Elktracker]

I have never worked with hickory but from what I know about it its very strong in tension so this will apply, I coppied it off of a list of bow woods and I think it is info from Tim Baker it was in the Vine Maple section of the list.

 "As with other strong-in-tension woods, there can be an advantage to a crowned back in medium to narrow designs. The crowned back has less mass, the flat-belly takes less set, so outshoots flat-back versions"

This principle applies to saplings staves when the wood is strong in tension and also helps relieve stress on the flat belly when the wood is not so strong in compression as the back is not over powering the belly. This is the way I understand it but please speak up if anyone disagrees

Josh

[missilemaster]

Beleg, If the back of the stave is sound, do not decrown. Hickory is very good in tensile strength, and having a crowned back only reduces the bows physical weight  I would recommend Heat tempering the belly of any hickory bow, but even more so with a sapling bow, since they are typicaly narrower than one from a larger stave. Depending on the length and your perferred draw weight, I would not recommend taking down the sides of the bow until after mid limb,(this only makes it narrower). Tiller sapling bows very critically, remember that wood you take from the belly not only makes the bow thinner, but also narrower, due to the back's constant curvature in cross section. Also, make sure that the bows crown is consistent or you will have narrower sections of limb than others. I love building hickory sapling bows!!!!!! hope yours turns out.

                                                    Cody

[Beleg]

Thanks for all the tips everyone. Here are some pics. The view down the sapling shows the recurve I forced during it's month drying out on the form. Pretty sexy, huh? The 2nd shot shows the winter pattern on the back I got after de-barking — a kinda' willow leaf pattern that I really like. 3rd shows the sapling on my tillering grid and the gentle 1-inch curves I ended up with after taking it off the form. I'll post more as I go. Cheers!

[sweeney3]

Beleg, a crown on the back of a hickory bow is often a good thing.  It's super strong in tension and relativly weak in compression, so the back crown allows the back to work relativly more and the belly relativly less.  That's one of the handy bits of hickory saplings.  Ready crowned backs.

[Lone500]

nice beleg the back of my staff has that cool pattern too. its really nice looking. wonder how it looks when the bow is finished.