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Author Topic: bandsaw american elm  (Read 2208 times)

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Offline Matt A

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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
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Offline Badger

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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.
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Offline Matt A

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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??
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Offline soy

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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
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Is this bow making a sickness? or the cure...

Offline Josh B

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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
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mikekeswick

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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.
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Offline Matt A

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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.
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