Oak??

[Blkbear234]

Good Monday morning to you all. I am a newbie here and to primitive archey snd bow building. I have a piece of found, well aged oak. 59 inches long and 2inches in diameter. Is oak suitable?? Of all the woods that I see people using, oak is not one wood that I see.
A bt of background. My daughter's boyfriends family issues challenges to each other. For fun and education. Currently there is race to abs, body fat reduction. Coming up is bow building. Thier family has srong Algonquin blood in the family and they want to explore that heritage. So Mom decided to try and build a bow. And everyone else is jumping on board. Great fun, education and family bonding. No compound bows and the bow actually has to shoot and hit a target. There is an entry fee and prize money. So if you pay the entry fee are you not going to build and let someone else take your hard earned money??! NO!!
Anyways, if you could weigh in on oak, I would appreciate the help.
Thanks

[BOWMAN53]

yup im working on a white oak bow right now for the trade.  do you know what kind of oak it is? do you have pictures?

[Bogaman]

Oak is about in the middle of my list of decent bow woods. I have made about 6 oak bows, all from staves. Design, moisture and tiller are key to a good shooting oak bow. Many of our ancestors lived off oak bows. Some of my friends say have had good luck with oak board bows.

[redboard]

I think that 59" might be pretty short for oak. I'd try to find something longer or wider if you're gonna go with that wood.

[George Tsoukalas]

White oak is a very good bow wood. I'd rate red oak a little below it.
59 in is short depending on draw length.
Jawge

[Bogaman]

Blkbear, It's hard to judge a piece of wood without seeing it. Post a picture or two, let us know your draw and what poundage your interested in. Like several have mentioned, 59" is a little on the short side unless you have a short draw length.

[Blkbear234]

Hoooo boy!! I have been having difficulties posting from my phone. I have tried several times to upload photos of the oak, but no success. I was able to determine from my Trees of Ontario guide that the piece is Bur Oak, a very common type of oak in eastern Ontario.
I have also been able to measure my draw legnth st 27 inches.
The oak is well seasoned snd still has the bark and there is very minor checking on the ends. Will find out the rest when I skin it.
I am also a wood carver so I end up ith all kinds of wood, in the shed, in the basement, in the backyard, until my wife calls a halt. Whenever I see a puece of wood lying sbout and I can see potential for something, I bring it home. This is the case with this piece of oak. Originally I had intended to make a walking/hiking stick with it. With the familial challenge of bow building I was curious if it could be crafted into a bow.
Perhaps it needs to stay a walking stick??

[Bogaman]

Blkbear, you may be better off making something else with it. I went back and reread your first post. Two inch diameter is pretty small to get something out of for a bow. If you have access to more wood, try to get one at least 6' long and 3" wide across the top of your wedge. That way you will have plenty of wood to get a bow without cutting a lot of corners. Some one with a lot of experience could sneak a bow out of the piece you have, but I sure wouldn't recommend it for a first time bow. Do your carving thing and turn that one into a nice walking stick for some one.