Birch and Ash board bow projects

[PlanB]

I keep wondering if I can make a decent bow from the black birch that grows here (Betula lenta). The first two I tried from that, a board bow, and a sapling didn't work out. The second almost did, and lasted a short time.

My last (third) bow from an elm stave did work out, and I'm enjoying shooting with it every day. I've learned a lot through these three, and I do know my first two didn't work because of my own inexperience in both tillering and design. So there's still this nagging question in my mind, can I make a successful birch bow from what I have here?

I have a really nice straight grained birch stave cut, but that will take awhile yet to dry, yet. So not much I can do with that now. But I had also cut some birch boards on my bandsaw, and I stacked and stickered a few months ago. So I thought I might have a go at a board bow. I checked today and they're down to the teens in moisture content, so I thought I'd rough out a board blank and bring it indoors to dry it further.

I picked a board that had straight grain and also had flat grain -- the second flitch cut on that particular log.

[bowandarrow473]

It will be interesting to see if you can make a bow from it, best of luck!

[PlanB]

I drew out the blank with a pretty big margin, in case I got any checking or other problems. I'm thinking a bow about 66" long and 2" wide limbs, tapering in the outer foot, similar to my elm stave bow. I'm thinking it will be interesting to compare the two.

I cut the blank to68" long, 3" wide, and tapered the ends to 1". I should be able to fit the finished bow in that, once it dries more. I did notice about 1" of reflex (toward the bark side) and considered strapping it flat to dry. But actually, I'd like the reflex to stay, so I'll just keep an eye on it s it dries.

[PlanB]

Thanks Bowandarr0w473 -- it's either going to work, or not, I figure! I kinda hate to give up on something, unless I'm really sure I did all I could to figure it out.

I've been re-reading Paul Comstock's Bent Stick, and a white birch bow is mentioned there, which performs very well. But reading through it again this time, I noticed it was sinew backed -- hadn't remembered that. I also read a tantalizing bit where he says he had a "dark" barked variety of birch he'd wanted to try, but it was lost somehow before he had made a bow from it.

I also started thinking today that I might as well also try a white ash bow, since I'd cut ash boards at the same time as the birch. So I pulled out a similar edge flitch with clear straight grain, and used my first blank to mark out the ash.

Altogether I will end up with similar dimension bows of elm, birch and ash to compare -- I hope.

Here's the ash board:

[bowandarrow473]

When speaking about the ash board, I see major violations everywhere but off to the right side, that is the side that you are thinking be used for a bow correct?

[PlanB]

Hmm, bowandarrow, doesn't a board bow almost by definition violate the back?

I thought it wasn't the fact of violation but what the pitch of the grain was. From the side the grain is really parallel to the back. The figure is a very slight variation. But willing to live and learn, if I'm wrong here.

[bubby]

Birch makes a good bow and so can ash i have a bow from halfeye that i believe he said was green ash nice shooting bow that i have had for some years, birch I've even used as a backer on a walnut bow that was a sweet bow, don't worry you'll get some bows there

[bowandarrow473]

The fibers must run straight down the board on every face, especially the back I think, that's what I always looked for and it never let me down, I tried a bow once that had three violations on one limb on the back at a sharp angle and CRACK. Never had such a problem with totally straight grained wood, after that I stuck with stave bows, don't much like making board bows now.

But, like I said, I see a bow off to the right side, but I see the middle part as unusable.

[willie]

Plan B

Hmm, bowandarrow, doesn't a board bow almost by definition violate the back?

the run of grain stays between the rings. therefore ring lines can tell you a lot. If the grain spirals around the tree, you may not see it looking at the ring lines, but if the flat sawn board splits on a diagonal, then you can see spiral runout. If the spiral changes directions from year to year, then take your chances I guess. Some find that if you split a flat sawn board then glue up the planed faces, after turning the pieces 90, then you have straightened it some. Some swear by rift sawn so that you are not putting earlywood on the back or belly. More of a problem with ring porous ash than ring diffuse birch.

willie
 

[PlanB]

Thanks Bubby, Willie. I could lose this board and pick another board in the stack for the ash, with any grain orientation, depending on where it was sawn on the log, even quarter sawn.

But, just to clarify, the ring lines on the sides of this board are very straight, evenly spaced, and nearly parallel with the face. To me that would mean there isn't any spiral grain. If there was spiral grain, I think I'd see angled ring lines  with a positive angle on one side and the opposite angle on the other. Like if you ripped a board out of a barber pole. Viewed on edge the stripes would angle.

Also the figure on the back runs down the middle of the board and doesn't curve, which would mean the tree's camber was also straight and was located over the board centerline. The figure does show the center grain wanders up and down a little (the rings are finely spaced so even a tiny amount of wander will create figure), and I don't know how serious that is. But almost all ash will show that figure in a flat sawn board. On this one, the figure is relatively even in width, rather than tapering, meaning that the board was cut parallel with the bark, rather than angling through the log. I dunno seems to me it's the best I could ever get from a flat sawn ash board.

I can imagine quarter sawn would give a more homogeneous back, but I just wonder.... seems like people often make successful ash board bows, and I wonder if they are all quarter sawn.

BTW the photo of the end grain is confusing because I turned the board over apparently, compared to the overhead view (of the back).

[bubby]

I do think that halfeye xuts his own board stock and usually i think it is fully quartersawn

[PlanB]

Hmmm, maybe that's the way to go then. Bubby you've done a lot of board bows, right? But the one in your how to is maple, not ring porous I think. I think George Tsoukalas did red oak, and that's pretty heavy ring porous, right? Does he use quarter sawn?

Maybe the flat sawn board bows use backing -- that would make a difference. I don't want to do that, so maybe quarter sawn is right for an unbacked board bow in a ring porous wood. Don't know -- never seen that as a rule before. Maybe it was just assumed....

[PlanB]

Rings should be parallel on the sides and the back. They ideally should run the whole length of the board. However, on a plain or flat sawn board the back ring lines may come to a V. This is quite acceptable

That's from George Tsoukalas board bow description on his website. Maybe I'll go ahead with this board anyway, just to see what happens. I kinda remember something similar from the TBB's, but I can't remember which one it's in.....

[bubby]

Flatsawn bias full quarter will all make a good bow, flatsawn you can take it to one single ring if you feel like it and no body will know it was a board

[wizardgoat]

Might be the self bow guy in me talking, but I would just chase a ring on that ash board