Author Topic: Red Elm Stave.... Need Help Please  (Read 3457 times)

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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Red Elm Stave.... Need Help Please
« Reply #15 on: March 06, 2018, 08:32:37 am »
Worse case scenario you tear all the sapwood off. I made a rawhide backed elm heartwood several years ago. I got a report this weekend that it still shoots. Its incredibly light in physical weight, even with rawhide.
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Offline BowEd

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Re: Red Elm Stave.... Need Help Please
« Reply #16 on: March 06, 2018, 08:38:58 am »
Red elm and me have a history.Tension strong of course and plenty elastic too.Light weight though.Very innerlocking grain.Worked best with a rasp and sand paper.Chasing rings with a draw knife no problem though.Watch any knots though.Leave them proud.They make bows that's for sure.I used to call them tastee freeze bows.Light chocolate brown heartwood and white/vanilla sapwood.
« Last Edit: March 06, 2018, 08:42:32 am by BowEd »
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Offline PaSteve

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Re: Red Elm Stave.... Need Help Please
« Reply #17 on: March 06, 2018, 04:53:34 pm »
Well, it took me a few hours but I got the stave worked down to one sapwood ring. I now know what you guys mean about the grain on elm. I still have about 1/4" of sapwood after chasing a ring. Roughed out the stave to 2" wide & 66" long...sealed the back and ends with wood glue. Here's a few pics before I applied the wood glue. Hopefully the pics are clear enough. Thanks again for the help.
"It seems so much more obvious with bows than with other matters, that we are the guardians of the prize we seek." Dean Torges

Offline PaSteve

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Re: Red Elm Stave.... Need Help Please
« Reply #18 on: March 06, 2018, 04:55:20 pm »
More pics
"It seems so much more obvious with bows than with other matters, that we are the guardians of the prize we seek." Dean Torges

Offline PaSteve

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Re: Red Elm Stave.... Need Help Please
« Reply #19 on: March 06, 2018, 04:57:13 pm »
 more
"It seems so much more obvious with bows than with other matters, that we are the guardians of the prize we seek." Dean Torges

Offline PaSteve

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Re: Red Elm Stave.... Need Help Please
« Reply #20 on: March 06, 2018, 04:58:38 pm »
1 more
"It seems so much more obvious with bows than with other matters, that we are the guardians of the prize we seek." Dean Torges

Offline Morgan

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Re: Red Elm Stave.... Need Help Please
« Reply #21 on: March 06, 2018, 06:13:35 pm »
I’d very much like to see the finished bow when you’re done

Offline BowEd

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Re: Red Elm Stave.... Need Help Please
« Reply #22 on: March 06, 2018, 07:03:19 pm »
Yep just like chocolate and vanilla ice cream.Sounds and looks good for your intentions.Should get 50#'s for sure.It likes heat treatment like most all elms.That can narrow the limbs some then after that then because it will gain draw weight.My red elm here I could'nt get too extreme with the designs on it.Took too much set to suit me.Red elm here is'nt very dense.
« Last Edit: March 06, 2018, 07:07:00 pm by BowEd »
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Ed

Offline Marc St Louis

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Re: Red Elm Stave.... Need Help Please
« Reply #23 on: March 06, 2018, 08:22:01 pm »
Good luck with it.  I'm not terribly fond of Red Elm as it is too variable of a tree, sometimes the wood is good but more often than not it is not so good.
Home of heat-treating, Corbeil, On.  Canada

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Offline Springbuck

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Re: Red Elm Stave.... Need Help Please
« Reply #24 on: March 10, 2018, 05:04:27 pm »
Looks a lot like most of the elm I have available, and Marc is right.  Slippery elm especially varies all over in quality.

Chasing a ring on elm is no harder than osage or locust for sure.  The rings are usually thick and well defined, and the difference between the summer and winter rings is obvious by look and texture.  It's about the only direction you can cut into elm without it trying to split out a deep gouge.  The gouge will usually run out at the next ring (but don't push it.. :P)

Elm does like to heal over lots of tiny surface pin knots, which leaves unexpected lumps.  If you chase a ring, you will be exposing little pin-bumps you don't know are there.  That can be tricky.