vine maple bow dimensions?

[BigNocker]

I'm just looking for some rough dimension ideas...

I have several 7' long, large diameter (4"-5") vine maple sections that I have been curing for the last year.  Can anyone give me some basic dimensions I should be shooting for with this wood.  I could use a couple different ideas of ways to go at it.  Even though its wide for vine maple, I think I want to stay away from flat bows.  Too much tillering work.  But I don't know how this wood will turn out so maybe a wider flat bow would be good?  I hope to get atleast one bow that I can hunt with in September so I'll need one bow to be minimum 50# at 29".  But Id also like to try to make a short horse or stump bow if this wood can take it.  IDK...I'd just like some ideas instead of just jumping in with no direction.

[randman]

That's plenty of wood for a 50 Pounder. 1 1/2" - 2" wide is a good place to start. Don't know what you mean by flat bows being more work to tiller. I would think rounder bows would be harder to tiller but that's probably because I've not done any rounder or squarish cross section bows. I've only made "flatish" bows with it an not had any experience with deeper cross-section or elb dimension bows from it although I do have one that is 1" dia, full round at the handle and about 3/4" thick at the fades so it is "roundish" with a flat belly. There's lots of "viney" boys on here with much combined experience with that wood that'll probably jump in with some good advice. And be sure and do the heat treatment it likes it.

[vinemaplebows]

Randman,

                  I have PERSONALLY seen no gain in heat treatment with vinemaple. Again this is my personal expirience. 

[Bryce]

I have.

[vinemaplebows]

Bryce,

                 What gains exactly? I have seen gains in hazel (works very well) but not with vine maple. Gains in weight only slightly with VM but no reduced string follow at least from what I have seen. What have you seen Gordon?

[steve b.]

If you want a longer bow, like 66", you could stay at 1.5" wide or below.  I 'd probably go 1.75+ for anything shorter.  Flat bow, meaning, flat belly and sides.

Vinemaplebows, how do you heat treat, with fire or gun?  How do you go about it?

[vinemaplebows]

Heat gun very slowly...like golden brown pancakes...

[steve b.]

And so you have not noticed that you were able to make your heat treated VM bows any thinner than normal?  That is what you are saying?

[vinemaplebows]

It really is what you expect out of a heat treatment. I expect reflex, and the ability of the wood to retain the reflex through final tillering. If you have to retiller the bow after a treatment (excesively removing the heat treatment area on the belly) you are doing nothing more than drying the wood to a lower MC in my opinion. Then leave it in a hot box longer, you will achieve the same thing. IMO


VMB

[Gordon]

What have you seen Gordon?

I have found that heat-treating vine maple can yield some rather unpredictable results so I don't do it to this wood anymore. And I've not found it not to make much difference in performance. Hazelnut, on the other hand, responds extremely well to heat treating.

[vinemaplebows]

I have found the last third of the limb heat being a help to lighten the limb, and dry it well enough to have a narrower limb in general.

VMB

[Bryce]

When I heat treat I use a heat gun. After getting the bow to a low brace 4" or so.  I clamp the VM down so it doesn't loose it's reflex and with a little bear fat I heat up the belly very slowly. Heat gun is held 4-5" away so it gets good deep heat. Each limb takes well over an hour.
And the VM bows I've done this way have taken less string follow.
I'm not so sure about weight gain, as I've never measured it.
It's not as a dramatic change as when you heat oceanspray, but IMO it's worth doing.

[Gordon]

So when I say I don't "heat treat" vine maple, I mean where you heat the belly to where it turns dark brown to almost black. I do use dry heat on vine maple to flip tips and correct alignment issues.

[Bryce]

I burn mine lol

[ionicmuffin]

seems to work fine Bryce. Although you may not be some bow wizard you sure do know your way around the shop and know how to get things going right. Reminds me that i need to burn that one explosion waiting for me to restring and pull... So VM likes a good heat treating then eh?