Another "what tree is this" thread

[Huaco]

This young tree is growing just inside my property line in my back yard.  I just moved here and have no idea what most of the trees are.  This may be JUNK wood, but I want to know before I try to make a bow out of it!
I will post some pix in a minute... as soon as I figure out how!

These are actually 2 trees. One is an evergreen... I don't want to make a bow out of the evergreen, I just want to know what it is.


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[Huaco]

Also, Look at the 4th picture down. The first one with the evergreen in it. 

On the left side of the picture, there is a Water Oak.  I have 4 of these on my lot.  This one has a LONG horizontal limb that you can see in this picture.  It has some offshoot limbs on the top half, but pretty clean on the underside.  Is there any hope for this to be a stave?

[sailordad]

i think the big one there may be a maple,possibly sugar,if it is you need to cut it ,split it,peel the bark,seal it and send it to me ASAP

cause i see BOWS in that tree

ya that one in the fourth pic



                                                                          tim

[Ryano]

Maple and cedar....

[n2everythg]

you need to get a good tree ID book dude.

agreed on the maple for the first. hard to tell which species with out close ups of leaves and bark. would make nice bows from the look of it.

second looks like a planted cyprus. a typical landscape tree round here.

luck
wade

[Justin Snyder]

Yep, cyprus..... There are about 8 billion varieties of hybrid being planted in peoples yards so it is real hard to ID which one it is. I can tell you a fe it isn't, but that doesn't narrow it down much.    Justin

[El Destructo]

Definitely Maple....most likely Southern Sugar Maple....by the Shape of the Leaves...not a Silver or a Painted....wrong shaped leaves

[Huaco]

The "maple" has to be cut down anyway.  I am building a shop in that corner of my lot and I don't want trees that close to it.

What should I do with this thing to give it the best chances for successful bowcraft.  How long do you think this thing needs to dry.  Should I just prepare it and forget it for a few years?

Tell me the procedure...

[El Destructo]

unless you hotbox it....the old norm is 1 year per inch of thickness......I don't wait but about 9 months here....but it is super dry here anyways.....I would definitelycut it and use it....but then I like Maple Bows too!!

[Pat B]

Hey Destructo, He lives in Greenville SC...a HOT BOX!!!
Craig, The evergreen is a Leyland Cyprus(Cupressocyparis leylandii) a hybrid landscape tree. The other looks like a maple but I'm not sure which.     Pat

[sailordad]

if you live in sc then a hotbox is the ticket

so cut it,split it,peel off the bark,seal the back and ends,you can leave some to dry like said 1 yr per inch of thickness. take somedown to rough bow
demensions,strap the back of the stave to a 2x4 to help keep it straight,stick it in the hotbox and she'll dry purty quick then.
dont rush it though,if you rush it you will either come in lighter weight than you wanted or youll have fire wood.
i hear that maple makes great fast bows,havent tried my self yet. waiting for fall when a friend is gong to cut down his sugar maple,i get to pick what i want
before he cuts it into fireplace lengths.


hey i'm in sc right now as i type this. sitting in a quality inn motel in north charelston. came on vacation to visit our oldest son thats in the navy before our youngest ships out for navy boot camp on 9-3,this could be the last time them too get to hang out together for awhile.
damn i'm prou of them sons of ours.
you wouldnt know by chance where i could go and find some cane while i'm here,thats not too far away.


                                                                                tim

                                                             

[DanaM]

Maple but not sugar maple at least not what we have up north, looks like red maple and the evergreen looks very similar to our
northern white cedar or a Arborvitae. If its red maple then its soft maple.

[El Destructo]

well if it's not a Southern Sugar Maple....must be a Norway Maple then...but the Leaves look like they have too pronounced Lobes to be......but they are the only two I can find with this leaf design .....Red Maple has 5 Distinct lobes.....and Silver Maple had 5 Distinct Lobes with smaller point on each........cant be mistaken for another Maple Tree.....and definitely not Red....Red only has 3 distinct Lobes on their Leaves

[DanaM]

If its Norway maple the leaf stems will bleed white sap when broken

[Hillbilly]

First one is definitely red maple (Acer rubrum). (El D, red maple often has only three lobes, there is even a variety trilobum that is common in the SE.) It will make a bow. It's not as hard and heavy as sugar maple, but just make the bow a little wider/longer. I agree with Pat on the second one-it's Leyland cypress,( X Cupressacyparis leylandii), a common landscape tree.