Recurve Question

[bowhntineverythingnh03743]

Alright guys... I will attempt a straight forward flat bow to start with. If I am able to come up with something out of that then I will move to a recurve. I do have a hickory, elm, and a crooked yew stave as well that I could attempt the recurve with.

Can I get away with a 66 inch tip to tip bow with a 2 inch wide limb at the fade to 3/4 pin nocks and still hit 50ish pounds??

[mikekeswick]

From what I've seen ,ash doesn't like to bend readily and is more apt to fail than other white woods in regards to recurving the tips.in your region ,elm and hop horn beam would be much better candicates for what you have in mind imho!like stated trees of the same species can show very different characteristics so there is nothing really etched in stone! Nothing to lose but a bit of time and knowledge gained.

Ash is THE wood for steam bending. It is used to make those fancy steam bent chair backs that bend a full 270 degs!

[mikekeswick]

Fraxinus excelsior - which is our ash will make very good bows. However I have no experience with your white ash. _{Has anybody out there worked both woods to tell the difference.
My 2nd bow was a sinew backed osage recurve. It can be done you just have to think about it}

[bushboy]

yes i'm sure ash will bend like a noodle with enough heat but at what cost to the integrity of the wood?my point was that it doesn't bend as "READILY" as elm or hhb with minimal steam treatment to form tight recurves that will hold in place and do minimal damage to the wood cells.also i agree that the curves are not under as much stress as the working portion of a limb,but albeit more than a chair back.

[Joec123able]

yes i'm sure ash will bend like a noodle with enough heat but at what cost to the integrity of the wood?my point was that it doesn't bend as "READILY" as elm or hhb with minimal steam treatment to form tight recurves that will hold in place and do minimal damage to the wood cells.also i agree that the curves are not under as much stress as the working portion of a limb,but albeit more than a chair back.

Have you actually recurved ash before??

[bushboy]

Joe I woundn't offer untested advice!after trying it several times with unsatisfactory results.both recurves were atempted using the same method,form and every thing.the one in the back is elm and the forward ash.the ash suffured tention fractures and didn't really conform.

[Joec123able]

Ok man I was just wondering

[mikekeswick]

yes i'm sure ash will bend like a noodle with enough heat but at what cost to the integrity of the wood?my point was that it doesn't bend as "READILY" as elm or hhb with minimal steam treatment to form tight recurves that will hold in place and do minimal damage to the wood cells.also i agree that the curves are not under as much stress as the working portion of a limb,but albeit more than a chair back.

 
Seriously do your research and you'll find that ash is one of the premier woods for steam bending applications. I know this for a fact 
Just try perserveering with ash, maybe adjusting your methods will work.  I've made many recurves with very sharp bends and ash has always held the bend better than any other wood....osage comes a close second.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Ash varies incredibly up our way. One stick wont hold much and the next is great. The key is learning what quality of ash you have in your hand and over bend/heat accordingly. I watched walking canes being made from ash and they bent them suckers into circle at the handle dang near. That was round stock of course and not flat.

[PatM]

European Ash is slightly stronger than American Ash according to stats. Ash here does vary tremendously from species to species and within each species.
 It is know for its bending abilities. Many old snowshoe frames are of Ash and the toe area is bent in a sharp circle.

[dwardo]

Very mixed bag my experience of ash.
I have two roughed out bows in my stash that have been almost abandoned. Both are two inch plus at the fades, still very thick and neither of them floor tillers with a feel over 40lbs. Another before that I heat treated several times as it just kept taking follow all across the limb and eventually crystaled. The thing that stuck out here was the early to late ratio being rubbish, all from the same timber. I rekon if I shone a torch down one end of the stave I would see light out the other. The better ash had much better early to late.

[Badger]

  Several years ago I did a search for the most elastic of all woods and english swamp ash came up as the mosy elastic. I called a lumber dealer in England and bought myself some english swamp ash. Well, It was light, weak, and chrysaled very easily and ended up becomming very attractive door jams which I still step on everyday.