What kind of elm?

[Fox]

What kind of elm has almost all heartwood?

I have tons of staves of it that have been drying for Year, but the one bow I made with it was really sluggish, and the wood felt crappy


Is whatever elm this is known to be good bow wood? Was it just my skills as a bowyer the bow was terrible…. Oh also it broke later on…

[loefflerchuck]

Are you sure it is elm? where was it cut?

[Fox]

Yes it is elm. Leaves had the uneven place at the stem… it was certainly an elm leaf…. I’m just not sure what kind

[Fox]

It was cut in a friends yard in town, so it could be an elm from anywhere

[H Rhodes]

Slippery elm is mostly heartwood and isn’t near the bow wood that American or winged elm is.

[loefflerchuck]

Lol, I mean where in the country. I don't know where your friends yard is

[Don W]

What was the moisture content when the bow was being built?

[Pat B]

I've only made a few elm bows, one was red elm the other winged and I was very impressed with elm as a selfbow wood. Both of these bows were 60" static recurved and I tempered the belly when I reflexed it before recurving the tips.

[Fox]

Lol, I mean where in the country. I don't know where your friends yard is

Im in southwest VA... why I said town was this elm could likely not be native...

I was told its Siberian elm but I was not sure that was correct

[loefflerchuck]

Siberian elm has black and grey deep fissured bark in older trees. Small diameter trees have a bit lighter bark. It can have thick heartwood. It grows here in Utah, but it is one of the fastest bow woods I have ever used. If it is Siberian elm then it must not be seasoned.

[loefflerchuck]

I use small diameter trees with a flat belly and the naturally crowned back to take advantage of this stronger in tension wood.

[Fox]

Hmm alright then thanks. I’ll give it a few more goes… it must have been me and not the wood

[loefflerchuck]

I will point out it is a much drier climate where I live. One of the other best woods out here is hickory and that surprises bowyers where you live. Yes, perhaps heat treating the belly will work for you out there.

[Fox]

yeah, I use lots of hickory. The bow I make in the summer though is often slow and sluggish because of humidity (I hate summer) ...... but the woodstove will dry my hickory drier than 6% if I'm not careful, the bows I make in the winter usually turn out pretty sweet

[Morgan]

This may seem like an off question, but do you guys have 120v electric? From some other posts it sounds like y’all may be off grid? If you do, you ought to make you a hot box or pipe with incandescent light bulbs to get your stave moisture down and keep it down while you’re working it. If you don’t have power, you can make a mini solar kiln easy enough out of some glass and black tin.