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Author Topic: Black Walnut  (Read 4756 times)

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Huaco

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Black Walnut
« on: August 19, 2008, 02:57:39 pm »
Just curious... How is black walnut for bow-wood?  My neighbor has one that "may" need some trimming...
Would the branches be any good?
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Huaco

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2008, 03:00:36 pm »
Oh... I should have searched first.

Nevermind... :-[
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Offline DanaM

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2008, 03:04:30 pm »
Never used BW but I believe it ok not great but ok. Anyway I never pass up any free wood, take it and try it :)
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"Prosperity is a way of living and thinking, and not just money or things. Poverty is a way of living and thinking, and not just a lack of money or things."

Manistique, MI

Offline david w.

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #3 on: August 19, 2008, 04:22:16 pm »
makes great gun stocks too.  My house is full of black walnut my dad builds his guns from
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These pretzels are making me thirsty.

if it dont go fast...chrome it - El Destructo

Offline Pat B

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #4 on: August 19, 2008, 04:36:35 pm »
I'm building a hickory black walnut bow for someone right now. This bow will be light(35#@26") but I could easily gotten a 55# bow.
  I have built self bows from BW but it was a larger stave. Make an overbuilt bow(68" long, 1 3/4" to 2" wide out and taper the last 8" to 3/8" tips). If you use a limb mark the top of the limb. That is the tension side and that should be the back of your bow. Just peal the bark off and mark out your bow.    Pat
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline tom sawyer

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #5 on: August 19, 2008, 05:08:47 pm »
Black walnut is light so don't push it with the design.  And branches might not have much heartwood, in fact it takes a pretty decent size tree before you get much heartwood, in the ones growing around here.  I think you can use the sapwood though.
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Lennie
Hannibal, MO

Offline Pat B

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2008, 05:40:06 pm »
Lennie, On all of the self bow of BW I've made they were all sapwood with a bit of heartwood in the handle.     Pat
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline acker

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2008, 05:57:47 pm »
Hello,
Black Walnut is a realy nice wood to build a bow from but it is not good for strong bows.
Take a look here:

[attachment deleted by admin]
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Offline acker

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #8 on: August 19, 2008, 06:06:33 pm »
Hello,
1st  photo is the back,
2nd photo the belly.
The bow wasn`t finished as I shoot the photos.The collores of the wood are great and the different look between the heart and the sapwood couldn`t be better. I like that wood.
Gruß Acker

[attachment deleted by admin]
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Offline acker

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #9 on: August 19, 2008, 06:11:54 pm »
and  another picture

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Offline david w.

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #10 on: August 19, 2008, 06:55:19 pm »
black walnut is beautiful wood.  I like the contrast between the haeart and sapwood. 

I use black walnut on bows i make built up handles on
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These pretzels are making me thirsty.

if it dont go fast...chrome it - El Destructo

Offline sailordad

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #11 on: August 19, 2008, 07:03:21 pm »
acker

thas an awesome looking bow

ive waiting for fall to caom,my SNAP ON TOOLS rep is going to cut me limb of his tree for bow wood,its about 35 ft long and about 10-12 " in diam

man those pics make me want to go cut it for him alot earlier,but i'll wait since hes just giving me the BW for free.

                                                  tim
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i always wanted a harley,untill it became the "thing to ride"
i ride because i love to,not to be part of the crowd

Offline acker

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #12 on: August 19, 2008, 07:27:03 pm »
@ Sailordad: Thank you! yeah its a nice wood and easy to work with too.But I wouldn`t build a selfbow much over 50# out of it.The one showed has around 48# @ 30" 1,8m N-N  and is quit fast.


[attachment deleted by admin]
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Offline sailordad

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #13 on: August 19, 2008, 07:36:16 pm »
50 lbs works for me

i dont like my bows any heavier than that, 20+ years of wrenching and my shoulders wont let me pull much more than that any how.

when i get the BW limb and its all processed and dried,i was thinking a matched set of target bows for me and my awesome wife of 20 yrs,with rattle snake skin grips.

besides, a well place arrow from 50lb bow kills a deer or turkey just as dead as a well placed arrow from a 70lb bow,plus i can shoot more of them before my shoulders give out lol


                                                                            peace,
                                                                                  tim
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i always wanted a harley,untill it became the "thing to ride"
i ride because i love to,not to be part of the crowd

Offline acker

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Re: Black Walnut
« Reply #14 on: August 19, 2008, 07:49:00 pm »
@ Sailordad:  ;D ;D ;D
You gona get your fun with that wood. I was realy glad to get it because, Black-Walnut is not commen over here in Germany -a carpenter next door had a bit of it and he is a nice guy, so he gave it to me as a gift.
Well I fixed his heatingsystem ...so... ;)
Gruß Acker
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