Small diameter maple

[WhistlingBadger]

I'm thinking about harvesting some Rocky Mountain maple this coming spring.  These are small diameter trees--4" would be a nice, big one.  How would you work these?  Strip the bark and use the sapwood as a back, or chase a ring to heartwood?

[Pat B]

I haven't used RM maple but I'd guess you would use it as a sapwood bow. Peel the bark and build a bow. If it is 4" in diameter I'd leave the bark on for now, split or saw it in half, lengthwise, seal the ends and bind them back together with spacers between for good airflow. I've done this with osage as small as 2" in diameter. For 2" to 3" I would only make one bow from each pole by removing wood from the belly side of the bow limbs. For small diameter staves with a high crown make the belly flat...and make them a longer bow. 66" or more for a 28" draw.

[George Tsoukalas]

Good advice from Pat. Consider harvesting it in the growing season so the bark will peel of easily. I assume it is like other maples. Jawge

[WhistlingBadger]

OK, thanks guys.  For a high crowned stave would it work to decrown and back with rawhide?

These are probably dumb questions, but bow woods are so rare around here that I want to understand as much as I can before I start whacking down trees.

[Pat B]

I've only decrowned a few bows but if you do be sure the grain lines run parallel with the limbs and do back it with rawhide.  If you leave the crown high be sure you make the belly flat.

[WhistlingBadger]

I've only decrowned a few bows but if you do be sure the grain lines run parallel with the limbs and do back it with rawhide.  If you leave the crown high be sure you make the belly flat.

I've never done a high crown/flat back bow, so that might be fun.  All of mine have been the opposite.  Actually I did do a lenticular cross section juniper bow once, but it broke.

[Aksel]

I usually work with small diameter elm, up to 2 inches dia and they make great bows with high back/ flat belly, almost impossible to break in tension. I have also made a couple from maple but the most successful ones I had decrowned. It is a little  trickier to follow the very vague semi-ring porous grain on maple but I donīt believe decrowning is a rocket science. Maple is very easy to work and it splits nicely compared to elm. Enjoy

[WhistlingBadger]

I usually work with small diameter elm, up to 2 inches dia and they make great bows with high back/ flat belly, almost impossible to break in tension. I have also made a couple from maple but the most successful ones I had decrowned. It is a little  trickier to follow the very vague semi-ring porous grain on maple but I donīt believe decrowning is a rocket science. Maple is very easy to work and it splits nicely compared to elm. Enjoy

If I decrowned I would back it, either with rawhide or with some sort of fibers, since I don't quite trust my decrowning technique.  Anyway, I believe that would give me more margin of error.

[Pat B]

WB, if you decrown properly with the grain lines running parallel with the limbs you shouldn't need to add a backing. Rawhide, linen or silk backing might give you more confidence in the build and won't hurt a thing.

[WhistlingBadger]

WB, if you decrown properly with the grain lines running parallel with the limbs you shouldn't need to add a backing. Rawhide, linen or silk backing might give you more confidence in the build and won't hurt a thing.

That's a pretty big "if" though...ha ha ha

If I get one built, I'd like to try backing it with dogbane/Indian hemp fiber.  It's a weed around here, very plentiful, and it makes crazy strong yarn when reverse wrapped.  I think it would make an amazing bow backing applied sinew-style...We'll see how things go.

Thanks for the wisdom, everybody.