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Author Topic: UK Grown Wester Red Cedar?  (Read 2375 times)

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Offline Del the cat

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UK Grown Wester Red Cedar?
« on: August 16, 2012, 12:41:54 pm »
Our local conservation group is felling some Western Red Cedar here in the UK.
Anyone know if it's worth my while going to 'help' them with it? O:) for bows or maybe even arrow shafts.
Del
PS We are low altitude here just North of London.
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Offline Pappy

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Re: UK Grown Wester Red Cedar?
« Reply #1 on: August 16, 2012, 12:47:59 pm »
Not sure on arrows but western cedar here in the US ant much,to brittle.  :)
   Pappy
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Offline coaster500

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Re: UK Grown Wester Red Cedar?
« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2012, 12:53:58 pm »
Don't know about bows n arrows but makes great roof shingles  :)
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Offline DarkSoul

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Re: UK Grown Wester Red Cedar?
« Reply #3 on: August 16, 2012, 01:33:27 pm »
Western red cedar from Europe grows a LOT faster than the American wood. It can have a lot of knots, and I guess the faster growth makes the wood softer, instead of stronger. I think I'd personal prefer the imported wood, since it's straighter and stronger.
I'd never use it for bows - ever. Arrows only.
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Offline Bryce

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Re: UK Grown Wester Red Cedar?
« Reply #4 on: August 16, 2012, 02:05:08 pm »
excellent split timber shafts.
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Offline Del the cat

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Re: UK Grown Wester Red Cedar?
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2012, 02:30:27 pm »
Cheers guys, I'll prob give it a miss if it's no good for bows. I'd have to take a day off work to join the task.
Del
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Offline Dazv

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Re: UK Grown Wester Red Cedar?
« Reply #6 on: August 16, 2012, 02:31:45 pm »
Hi Del there is a large plantation of it where i work and i find it can vary tree from tree. I have a Friend who is a making a bow from it at the moment so i can let you know how it turns out. personally i would not use it for bows because it is just so soft but who know it might make a good one.
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Offline Dazv

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Re: UK Grown Wester Red Cedar?
« Reply #7 on: August 16, 2012, 02:32:09 pm »
im sure it would make great arrows.
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Offline randman

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Re: UK Grown Wester Red Cedar?
« Reply #8 on: August 16, 2012, 05:52:55 pm »
I'm one of the people that still thinks a WRC bow can be done with the right branch. Notice I said branch - splits out of the trunk are only going to give you excellent arrows. I have spent lots of time in the forests around here and have harvested a few branches from the lower parts of old growth western red cedar and they are quite dense with very tight ring counts. I have not tillered any of them yet but I guess I will have to get started to verify my suspicions. I don't believe WRC (old growth branches) is any more brittle than any other cedar species (incense or otherwise) or juniper that I have come across. I believe if you treat it like an incense cedar or juniper and back it with sinew and have a good dense branch and have a good combination of sap wood and heart wood, it could be successful. That said, If the tree in the UK is not at least 300 years old, it's probably not going to have a sufficiently dense ring count to be successful. Some of the 2 and 3" branches I've harvested from old growth are at least 75 to 100 years old by themselves.
Give it a go Del. A guy with your experience should be able to make a good run at it. Get a good backstrap from one of the horizontal branches, (think ELB) oval or lemon cross-section and rawhide or linen back it. A Challenge! >:D
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Offline bobnewboy

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Re: UK Grown Wester Red Cedar?
« Reply #9 on: August 16, 2012, 05:54:17 pm »
Good for arrows, but not for bows.  Eastern Red Cedar is what you want for bows, but it is a juniper.
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Offline Bryce

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Re: UK Grown Wester Red Cedar?
« Reply #10 on: August 16, 2012, 08:36:42 pm »
Quote from: randman on August 16, 2012, 05:52:55 pm
I'm one of the people that still thinks a WRC bow can be done with the right branch. Notice I said branch - splits out of the trunk are only going to give you excellent arrows. I have spent lots of time in the forests around here and have harvested a few branches from the lower parts of old growth western red cedar and they are quite dense with very tight ring counts. I have not tillered any of them yet but I guess I will have to get started to verify my suspicions. I don't believe WRC (old growth branches) is any more brittle than any other cedar species (incense or otherwise) or juniper that I have come across. I believe if you treat it like an incense cedar or juniper and back it with sinew and have a good dense branch and have a good combination of sap wood and heart wood, it could be successful. That said, If the tree in the UK is not at least 300 years old, it's probably not going to have a sufficiently dense ring count to be successful. Some of the 2 and 3" branches I've harvested from old growth are at least 75 to 100 years old by themselves.
Give it a go Del. A guy with your experience should be able to make a good run at it. Get a good backstrap from one of the horizontal branches, (think ELB) oval or lemon cross-section and rawhide or linen back it. A Challenge! >:D

After reading the Lewis and Clark journals I'm also inclined to say that it could work.
Though they mention either white or yellow not sure but a cedar non the less. I'm guessing it would be a good frame for sinew. But maybe there's more to it, with the higher density cedar branches. Maybe we need to measure out the compression value of the sapwood and heartwood. It's obvious it weak in tension. But might be a decent enough compression wood.

-Bryce
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