Ashe backed red oak longbow?

[kevinsmith5]

Anyone ever tried this combo? i kniw its nit precisely a "top of the line choice" but im looking to get a lot made in a short time (cheaply too). ive got the materials on hand for 8-10 of them. Thinking of a continuous tapered bow from 1 1/2" at the handle to 1/2" tips, following the 5/8" rule all the way. 70-72" nock to nock. Should be a relatively easy tiller (I hope). Really only shooting for draw weights in the 25-40 lb range (40 being an absolute max).

[Thesquirrelslinger]

if you have red oak 1x2 you don't need to back it if its 70" or so.
unless grain bad. I think Ash is better in compression than tension, but don't take my word for it.
if you have the ash, go for it.

[kevinsmith5]

I've always heard Ashe was a tension wood?
The red oak I have is mostly straight grained, but when I cut it into "staves" there will be side run offs. Since I'm making bows for VERY novice archers I'm trying to come up with a way of making durable bows in quick succession.

[Thesquirrelslinger]

ah. then go for it.
Not too long ago somebody(actually multiple people) stated that ash was a bit better in compression than tension.
heck, its good stuff. use it.

[kevinsmith5]

I've made a 72" 1/8" backing piece out of it and actually bent it in a full circle (was a bit surprised).

[Bryce]

Ash is better in tension.

[DavidV]

ah. then go for it.
Not too long ago somebody(actually multiple people) stated that ash was a bit better in compression than tension.
heck, its good stuff. use it.

Really?

[huisme]

Tests say it's tension wood. Trap it pretty heavily when I make bows out of it.

[Ifrit617]

I would not back the oak with another wood, unless the grain was god awful. From my personal experience, I have never had a red oak bow fail on me in tension, they have all failed in compression first. I have found that the key to  prevent this is to trap the red oak heavily before tillering. JMHO.

Jon

[BryBow]

What does trap mean?

[huisme]

What does trap mean?

Reducing the area of the back by grinding/cutting/etc the top edges diagonally. It does the same thing as a stave with a lot of crown, reducing stress on the belly. Usually done along with a flat belly, though my ash D bows don't complain being almost completely round.

[koan]

I have made one R/D ash backed red oak bow... I was basically experementing with narrow scraps i had left over and i had never tillered that style before.. It held up well, i would use that combo again... If i had to do it over again i would trap the ash tho. It was 1 1/4" wide x 60"long and pulled 38#'s @ 26"... really wish i hadnt gave that one away, lol... Brian