2 questions plz...

[arachnid]

Hi Guys.
I have 2 questions and I`ll be most thankful if any on you can answer:
1) Which of the followin wood (in board form) are the most bendble using dry heat (like a stove top)- White oak, red oak, beech,
maple, ash.
2) How much time does a board bow need to survive in order to be considerd a good quality bow?
Is there any other indication I can use to evaluate the quality of my bows (I build from board only), assuming
a sound tiller and good board selection?

Thanks.

Dor.

[Pat B]

Dor, I don't build many board bows but I think steam is your best option for bending board bows.
Once you get 100 shot or more through a bow you can consider it shot in. After that the sky it the limit.
If you enjoy shooting our bow I would consider it successful.

[Blaflair2]

I'm going with none of the above. Put a pot of water on the stove, rub crisco on the wood where ur bending. Steam for about 45 mins. And go slow. If it doesn't wanna make the whole bend then steam some more

[arachnid]

Thanks Pat.
But, I don`t think 100 shots is enough to be called a "good bow".
I mean, a well tillerd bow should last a life time or at least a few years, am I right?
If I want to start making bows for other people, I need to make them durable. Can I call a bow a good quality bow if
the belly frets even after a 1000 shots?
So, how do you know your bows are good?

[kleinpm]

I think he meant that if the bow survives 100 shots it will probably survive for a long time.

If bows only lasted 100 shots I would have to make a bow a day in the summer.

Patrick

[DarkSoul]

Thanks Pat.
But, I don`t think 100 shots is enough to be called a "good bow".
I mean, a well tillerd bow should last a life time or at least a few years, am I right?
If I want to start making bows for other people, I need to make them durable. Can I call a bow a good quality bow if
the belly frets even after a 1000 shots?
So, how do you know your bows are good?

In my opinion, if you're wondering about this, you are by no means ready to start making bows for other people. A bow that breaks can seriously harm people.

A bow that hasn't broken or chrysalled after 100 shots fired, will not suddenly start fretting after 1000 shots, 24,964 shots or by the first full moon in October. A bow can still break after surviving a long time of shooting, but that is often the fault of the archer (overdrawing for instance) or by bow's owner (storing a bow in winter near a heater, so the EMC of the wood becomes critically low, making the wood more brittle). A bow that has survived 2000 shots of 'shooting in' is not more durable than a bow that has survived 100 shots of shooting in.

To answer question 1) in the opening post: probably beech. But all the woods you've listed are good candidates for heat or steam bending.
Question 2): how do you define "good quality bow"? Quality has many facets. "Surviving to be shot" is not a quality, but a necessity for a bow.

[SLIMBOB]

For me, it's not so much about what anybody else thinks at all.  Yes, it is nice to receive all the recognition from fellow bowmakers on PA, but in the end, this is one of those pursuits that you are the final judge.  Do you like it?  That's enough.

[Pat B]

Well, I'll put it another way...after you have successfully built 250 bows and you totally understand the process then you can decide if they are good enough to sell. Like DarkSoul said a bow that breaks can seriously harm someone.  When you are ready to take on the responsibility that comes along with selling bows you have made then you might be ready to sell them. 
 Wood bows are not indestructible. Will you be willing to replace broken bows from your clients if the bow or the materials use are at fault. Will you be able to tell who or what is at fault by looking at the broken bow?
 After almost 35 years of building wood bows I don't think I am ready to sell bows. I have a hard enough time making the 2 or 3 I promise to make folks each year.  How many bows do you think you can build each year? How many will you have to build to make it a successful business?  Talk to a few folks that do build wood bows for a business and get their take on it.
 I'm not trying to discourage you. If that is what you want, then go for it. We will all be cheering for you. But, don't forget to become a PA sponsor when you become successful.    Remember your roots! 

[arachnid]

Thanks a lot guys.
I don`t mean to open a bow selling business, I do it just for fun.
I`m only a year into bow making and I know I have a lot more to learn.
All I wanted is to have some indication about the quality of my bows.
But, your answers have cleared up some things I was wondering about so, again, thanks a lot.

Well, back to the work bench....

Dor