Bow Three: Ash Longbow (finished bow on page 2)

[Matt Heppe]

*Edit: I'm changing the theme of this post. It used to be "Help me cut this nice piece of ash". Instead I'll post as I make progress with this bow. We'll see how it comes out.



I went to my favorite sawmill and they had this great piece of ash.



It is 3" x 3" x 8'

The growth rings run true the entire length. I recently posted on the "Is this 80# board bow longbow possible?" thread. But now that I have found this piece I'd like to attempt an ash longbow. The great grain of this board will let me follow growth rings and use the board like a stave.

Given a 3 x 3 piece, how many longbows can I get out of it? What should the rough width and depth be for each bow?

If my goal is still 80# how long should my ash bow be?

What dimensions should I shoot for at my widest and narrowest points?

Thanks for your help. This will be my first English warbow. One of the bows from this piece will be a gift for a good friend, so I'd like to do a good job on it.

[fishfinder401]

is it a true 3x3, or like allot of boards, slightly smaller?

[Matt Heppe]

Good point! 2 7/8 x 2 7/8

[}|{opukc]

70-72" long, 1 1/4" x 1" in center and basic 1/2 x 1/2 " at the tips will provide between 60-80 #. But it would be good to have and backing. 1/6 " hickory will work fine.

[fishfinder401]

really, i would mabey go longer and a little bit deeper, also, if he is going to chase a ring on the back why would he need or want to back it?

[}|{opukc]

really, i would mabey go longer and a little bit deeper, also, if he is going to chase a ring on the back why would he need or want to back it?

I would not risk it without the support of ash, without natural back then.

[Matt Heppe]

I have plenty of length in the board, and would be perfectly happy to only get two bows out of it. So no problem going with a very long bow.

Would a traditional ash warbow still have the Yew D-shape? Or would they flatten the belly a bit. I would like to make it as traditional as possible.

[adb]

If that board was mine, (and the grain is as good as you say), I'd cut it into backing strips, and use something like osage on the belly. Especially if you want a deep rounded belly.

[Matt Heppe]

Deep belly isn't really important. What I really am trying to do is to make a proper, traditional ash warbow. If ash warbows had flat backs, that's fine with me.

[adb]

Almost all bows have flat backs. An ash self warbow can still have a rounded belly, but perhaps not as deep as yew, ipe, or osage. Being that ash is a whitewood, make it a wee bit wider and flatter if you want 80+ #s draw weight.

[Matt Heppe]

Sorry, meant to say flat belly.

Thanks for the info.

[mikekeswick]

Rough out to 1 1/4 wide by 1 inch thick at the handle. 73 inch long. Taper to 1 inch wide 12 inch from the nock then down to 1/2 at the nocks. Chasing a ring will give you a very strong back . Ash is very strong in tension and therefore I would trap the back quite severely and also heat treat it. Mildly rounded belly will be fine if you get the heat treating and trapping right.

[Del the cat]

Go with what Mike says.
If the board is a little narrow you can cut it to start one bow at one end and the second one at the other end, that way the widest bit of each bow will be next to mid limb of the other and you will save a bit of width.
(It's easy to forget the width of the saw cut and any wiggles in the cut).
On the other hand you don't want to get too greedy and end up with 4 forty pounders!
In these situations I always aim for one really good stave, anything else is a bonus. Better one good one and a kids bow than two more 40 pounders.
Del

[fishfinder401]

Rough out to 1 1/4 wide by 1 inch thick at the handle. 73 inch long. Taper to 1 inch wide 12 inch from the nock then down to 1/2 at the nocks. Chasing a ring will give you a very strong back . Ash is very strong in tension and therefore I would trap the back quite severely and also heat treat it. Mildly rounded belly will be fine if you get the heat treating and trapping right.

i also agree, but one suggestion,if you do make it 1 inch deep, you have enough depth to cut the second off the bottom and have extra width to work with

[Matt Heppe]

Well, with a friend's help I cut the board. It looks like I'll get two bows out of the board. One "stave" and one nice quartersawn board bow.

I started the process of reducing the "stave" to one growth ring. I've been using my draw knife and it is going well. I've been using the draw knife upside down and pushing it instead of pulling it. When I pull it right side up it just cuts too deep and creates splinters.

I have some thicker sections of wood to remove and I'm not sure of the best way to approach it. I'm talking 1/4 inch over a three foot section.



So far I have managed not to violate any growth rings. The darker patches are very thin remnants of the previous layer. The darker "crack" is just a discoloration of the wood. I have plenty of depth to the board, so have plenty of room if I have to go down a ring (or three).