« previous next »
Pages: [1]

Author Topic: bandsaw american elm  (Read 2172 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Matt A

  • Member
  • Posts: 123
bandsaw american elm
« on: June 28, 2012, 12:49:42 am »
i cut a pretty big elm awhile back, took me two hours to split one of the logs in half >:(
so i took one of those halfs and sawed it into a quarter on the bandsaw.
now i scraped one quarter and my initial idea was to saw it into a simple pyramid, but i seen it had a little character. the stave is about 3 1/2 inches wide. Do I dare follow a grain line with a pencil and saw this in half again and start rasping away from here? I really don't wish to try splitting it agian, I might not get any bow at all then lol  ;D
Logged

Offline Badger

  • Member
  • Posts: 8,124
Re: bandsaw american elm
« Reply #1 on: June 28, 2012, 12:56:58 am »
Elm is one of the few woods I don't split, I just saw straight. Never had a problem with it.
Logged

Offline Matt A

  • Member
  • Posts: 123
Re: bandsaw american elm
« Reply #2 on: June 28, 2012, 01:01:23 am »
think i could saw like this and get 2 skinny character bows maybe??
Logged

Offline soy

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,897
  • pm106221
Re: bandsaw american elm
« Reply #3 on: June 28, 2012, 01:38:46 am »
I have yet to make a bow of elm ...i to hated splitting it(even though it splits like butter  >:D)
So i ran it through the band saw and when i debarked it found that i had cut through a lot of character so from now on everything gets hand split...mine was red elm (minnesota osage  >:D)
It is almost dry, hope to try it out soon
Logged
Is this bow making a sickness? or the cure...

Offline Josh B

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,741
Re: bandsaw american elm
« Reply #4 on: June 29, 2012, 11:07:05 pm »
Quote from: soy on June 28, 2012, 01:38:46 am
I have yet to make a bow of elm ...i to hated splitting it(even though it splits like butter  >:D)
So i ran it through the band saw and when i debarked it found that i had cut through a lot of character so from now on everything gets hand split...mine was red elm (minnesota osage  >:D)
It is almost dry, hope to try it out soon


Man!  I am never gonna live that 'minnesota osage' bit down! :-[ >:( >:( ;D.  But to the point at hand, with elm, I only split it down to the point where I can safely saw it.  I end up with more and better staves that way.   Josh
Logged

mikekeswick

  • Guest
Re: bandsaw american elm
« Reply #5 on: June 30, 2012, 09:55:07 am »
Our elm splits well with only a few stringers. Of course it makes a big difference if it's green.
At 3 1/2 wide I would just get one perfect bow. Stiff handled flatbows, 66 inches from typical elm here need to be around 1 7/8ths wide at 60lb.
Logged

Offline Matt A

  • Member
  • Posts: 123
Re: bandsaw american elm
« Reply #6 on: June 30, 2012, 11:18:09 am »
gundoc, idk what it was but the tree was a beast to split. i was using one of those mammoth 14 lb. steel mauls and another 8 lb. maul and I broke the weld off on the handle of the 14 lb. one.
Logged
Pages: [1]
« previous next »