Juniper (whoops I mean incense cedar) run!!! WOOHOO!!!!

[Taxus brevifolia]

Talk about straight and clear...very hard to find in juniper, nearly as rare as straight/clear yew. that's because it's not juniper but incense cedar

6'6" long. One side is completely clear; the other has knots on the upper half, but will produce limbs for splicing.

Thanks to this forum, or I would not have even thought of splicing, I'd have left that half in the woods...I love you guys!!!!

[Grasshoppeh]

The top picture is a danger to the community, everyone is going to start drooling on their keyboards.

Any plans for what you want to make yet?

That is quite the find congratulations!

[Limbit]

AGAIN?! You are far too lucky

[Taxus brevifolia]

Lol thanks guys. Luck plays a role, but also a lot of sweat. I had to look at a lot of trees today over a large area to find this one. I expect there are enough staves in it to try my hand at a few different designs. But I need to come to terms with some kind of bowyer bench. The stavemasters are available again, can't afford one yet so I guess I'll make do with a homemade shave horse. (Still need to make it). I've got several staves now roughed out as far as I dare go with hatchet & sandpaper. Soon as I set up a bench I'll get after them with the draw knife. Meanwhile, guess I'll get this new juniper split into billets and cleaned up.

[Eric Garza]

If you have a little $$ to spend you can buy a portable workbench and a couple portable vices to clamp onto it. The pic shows the setup I use. It is nice because when I am asked to teach classes or do demos I can take it with me and setup on-site.

[DC]

Do you anchor the workmate down somehow? I tried using one of those and I just dragged it all over the yard.

[Taxus brevifolia]

I'm saving for a stavemasters, but until then I'll make do with material I have around the place. I have a workmate, I'll see about that

[meanewood]

I love making bows, don't doubt that but those photos remind me of the best part of this hobby

The Hunt!

Wandering through the countryside searching for that stave, at one with nature.

Then the thrill when you find something, cut and haul it out

It doesn't get any better than that!

[Taxus brevifolia]

My sentiments exactly! I'm taking things one step at a time. I've become adept at the harvest, and I'm pretty good at roughing out. Once I get it together with a bench, I'mma get good at tillering, though I figure that'll take awhile to master

[Eric Garza]

Do you anchor the workmate down somehow? I tried using one of those and I just dragged it all over the yard.

I will step on the step that is near the ground to hold things steady. That seems to be enough.

[Taxus brevifolia]

Well get this guys: After my vine maple-big leaf maple mix up, it crossed my mind to confirm this one...according to plantsnap, it's not juniper, but incense cedar. Calocedrus decurrens.

So I guess I'll find out if incense cedar makes a decent bow. It sure looks like juniper. Glad I checked, I'll start confirming before I post. I was quite surprised, as it so closely resembles confirmed juniper I've harvested. I think though it's a different species, it's clearly very closely related and my hope is that it shares the desirable qualities.

[Hamish]

+1 for Eric's foot anchoring method. Useable when you can't find a more secure method.

[Ryan Jacob]

AGAIN?! You are far too lucky

I think ya jinxed it.

[turmoiler]

Wikipedia says yes:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calocedrus_decurrens#Native_Americans
In another page it says The Washo people from near Lake Tahoe used small limbs of the Incense Cedar for bows.

So I suppose it is worth a try

[Taxus brevifolia]

It makes sense to me they would being using more limbs than trunks. It's a lot more work to get at the trunk! I have a good feeling about it, despite the mis-ID