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Author Topic: Bow wood preferences wanted  (Read 4013 times)

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Offline PNewton

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Bow wood preferences wanted
« on: September 23, 2014, 04:31:40 pm »
I have a variety of trees I'm going to be cutting down for staves. I was hoping to get some opinions of the following trees by listing in order of preference for making bows: Hop Hornbeam, Black Locust, Elm, Mulberry , Sugar Maple and Ash.

Thanks.
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blackhawk

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Re: Bow wood preferences wanted
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2014, 04:58:54 pm »
I don't see osage on your list  ???  :P  :laugh:

I'd cut any healthy,clean,and straight grained of any of the species you listed with HHB elm and locust being tops and ash the last... But don't focus so much on species,and rather on good quality wood like I memtioned
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Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: Bow wood preferences wanted
« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2014, 04:59:57 pm »
+1 on ChickenHawk's comment.
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Guns have triggers. Bicycles have wheels. Trees and bows have wooden limbs.

Offline IdahoMatt

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Re: Bow wood preferences wanted
« Reply #3 on: September 23, 2014, 05:00:52 pm »
+2,  good advise
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Offline PNewton

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Re: Bow wood preferences wanted
« Reply #4 on: September 23, 2014, 05:08:48 pm »
I do have a place I cut some osage a few years ago that I'm going to try to get some more. I was just assuming that would be first.

Thanks, Paul
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Offline huisme

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Re: Bow wood preferences wanted
« Reply #5 on: September 23, 2014, 05:09:31 pm »
I am heavily biased in favor of locust. Not only have I taken more punches from locust than any other wood, it's made all my best shooters-- whether that's from my experience with the species or the woods stiff, snappy nature is hard to tell.

Sure, in a test where I had to take one stave of either Osage or locust I'd take the Osage 'cause I'm no dummy. If I could take five of either wood, on the other hand, I would take the locust to make the fastest bow I can.
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50#@26"
Black locust. Black locust everywhere.
Mollegabets all day long.
Might as well make them short, save some wood to keep warm.

Offline bushboy

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Re: Bow wood preferences wanted
« Reply #6 on: September 23, 2014, 06:33:18 pm »
I would have to say elm!very user friendly!no rings to chase,no pin knots to worry about,bends like butter and very easy to straighten, has a low sg. 56 I think? And reacts to heat correction superbly!the only down side is the time to temper it properly!
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Bow wood preferences wanted
« Reply #7 on: September 23, 2014, 08:23:03 pm »
Straight and clean!
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Offline Pappy

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Re: Bow wood preferences wanted
« Reply #8 on: September 24, 2014, 06:22:13 am »
Yep straight and clean,from that list it would have to be HHB for me,even tho so Far I am really liking this Mullberry I am finishing up. :) Only Elm I have use is Winged Elm and it is very good bow wood also,I assume most Elm is from what I hear. ;) :)
   Pappy
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Offline Blackcoyote

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Re: Bow wood preferences wanted
« Reply #9 on: September 24, 2014, 09:06:43 am »
Paul, i'd throw in hackberry...it's real nice to work with, and pretty easy to find decent stuff in MI.
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Drew - St. Johns, Michigan

Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: Bow wood preferences wanted
« Reply #10 on: September 24, 2014, 09:39:53 am »
That's quite a list of very good bow woods.
Black locust and mulberry do better with heartwood backs. which involves ring chasing.
The others are "take off the bark and there is the back" woods but taking off the bark when the growing season has passed can be done but difficult.
Jawge
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Offline PNewton

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Re: Bow wood preferences wanted
« Reply #11 on: September 25, 2014, 08:27:37 pm »
Thanks everyone for the good advise.

Drew - I havn't come across hackberry  before, but I'm going to look around my area. I see it's part of the elm family.

Paul
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Offline bow101

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Re: Bow wood preferences wanted
« Reply #12 on: September 25, 2014, 08:47:37 pm »
Quote from: PEARL DRUMS on September 23, 2014, 08:23:03 pm
Straight and clean!

+2 and also make sure its well seasoned, to many try working it before hand.  I have found that at least 8 months in a dry environment sealed ends and bark left on.
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Offline PatM

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Re: Bow wood preferences wanted
« Reply #13 on: September 25, 2014, 09:55:44 pm »
Quote from: PNewton on September 25, 2014, 08:27:37 pm
Thanks everyone for the good advise.

Drew - I havn't come across hackberry  before, but I'm going to look around my area. I see it's part of the elm family.

Paul

 Not that it really matters but Hackberry has recently been removed from the Elm family due to genetic studies.
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Offline Scaramouche

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Re: Bow wood preferences wanted
« Reply #14 on: October 01, 2014, 03:42:47 am »
Quote from: George Tsoukalas on September 24, 2014, 09:39:53 am
Black locust and mulberry do better with heartwood backs. which involves ring chasing.

Can I ask why you say that about mulberry? I had one break tonight with a heartwood back, while I was tillering it out. Looking at the fracture, I kinda wish I'd left a ring of sapwood on it for the elasticity.

I'm still new to this, and not at all constant, but...*gestures helplessly at broken bow
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