Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: sound maker on May 14, 2012, 08:34:18 pm
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So I happen to have some cotton wood (black cotton wood i think) saplings that I can get and i was
wondering if they can be made into bows. I can get them about 3inches thick and about 6-7 1/2 feet tall. So would I debark it and set it to dry after some rough shaping?? And would I be making it into a flat bow or is the a better design for this wood??
Thanks for any advice!!
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You can make a bow with it but it probably won't be much good. I've never tried cottonwood so this is just a guess.
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Cottonwood will be soft, so the wider and flatter the belly the better. It might make a 'serviceable' bow but it is not a 'good' bow wood by any means.
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well mostly the reason I'm asking is because theres alot of it around me and I want to get practice on making bows and I want to get a nice load of wooden bow that I don't mind being broken by people :-\. you know these people, the ones that go "how far back can this go?!?!?" people (theres going to be effort but I'm not going to do anything fancy just shotable bow) for a group I'm with until I can get some 'good' bow wood from around to make the different draw lengths and weights. The 'good' bow wood would be vine, curly, and other maples with some oceanspray, bamboo, hickory, and the random one from my neck of the wood that I am going to be getting from now till fall that are going to need to be dry and such.
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I was not trying to talk you out of it. By all means, go ahead. You will get some experience getting limbs bending evenly. I was just warning you not to expect a rocket launcher.
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I already have a stave coming from a friend that going to be a rocket launcher! ;D! ;D! and I understand you were not talking me out of it and as you said they will make 'serviceable' bow and with the people that are going to use them will need those kind from a wood that I can get alot of because I know that they would end up breaking them ::) :o ::). Then I can makes some nice bows from the ;D'good' ;D stuff so they can appreciate them when they shoot them and by the time they shoot the good ones they will know what not to do. :laugh: I hope anyways ::) ;D ::)
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makes decent arrows if you wanna put in the work.probably better arrows than bows.
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My opinion is it is junk...most people won't even use it for firewood. It sucks water up like cotton, and the wood it less then durable. The only use I know of is plywood filler, and cheap skids for trucks.....good luck!
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Its a great way to hurt your buddys that want to shoot them, if one holds together to even make a bow. Dont spend your time on it friend. You wont gain anything from working it.
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Uh...wouldn't be easier to instruct your friends on proper bow deployment ?
Just sayin'...
Lane
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"proper bow deployment" . . . for some reason creates funny images in my mind ;D Seems like I've done that with bows that wouldn't cooperate ::) :P
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I've made a couple bows from cottonwood and it is very light and weak. It feels and acts almost like pine. If it wants to break, it won't give you any warning... it just explodes. I don't recommend it for bows that will be abused. Rattan or Ramin wood is much better for that kind of bow.
If you have lots of cottonwood, I would use it for arrows if I were you.
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I agree with jackcrafty-my lesson was not to use it again for a bow---we solely heat and cook with wood--it has its use in getting a quick hot fire going-but that's about it. I never thought to even try to use cotton wood for arrows. Around here went log out the property cottonwood goes for pallets.
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@Soundmaker - cottonwood has been used to make flutes.
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Soundmaker, there are so many better woods around your neighborhood to spend your time on. You got tons of hazel real close. Easy to season and work and a much better choice than cottonwood. Hazel shoots make good arrows too.
By the way, did you ever find yourself a drawknife in any of those places I told you about?
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makes decent arrows if you wanna put in the work.probably better arrows than bows.
ditto.
Dont waste your time making bows with it. It may work, but you will still have a garbage bow that nobody will enjoy shooting. Time is usually the most expensive part of a bow so why not invest in good wood before you waste valuable time.
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randman: haven't been able though I have had some friend looking for some good deals since they get around.
Yes I will not be making any bows from it since the fountain of knowledge here says its explode when it breaks and that's not going to end well :o. I'll just go for a walk and "pick up" ;D ::) ;D some wood from around where I won't get in trouble.(have a park behind my house so if some of the trees there drop branches in my yard its all fair!! ;D ::) ;D) I will go with the arrow comment there though but for that do I just get the wood cut and debarked followed by splitting it to dry faster? that would mean I would have them dry in a few weeks and ready to shot vs months if left whole?
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Yeah with the Hazel that's around here (with a stave that's 1 1/2" to 2 1/2" dia.) you can debark it, rough it to bow shape and get it close to to floor tiller and let it sit for a couple of months inside and she's ready to work further. Another good wood that's plentiful and easy to get and work with around here (nobody cares how much you take and it gives up it's moisture REAL fast) is scotchbroom. It makes some great shortys and sometimes you can find some long staves. Find one of those forests of broom that are around (I usually take my folding Japanese pruning saw), fight your way into the middle (that's where you'll find the tall stuff) and look for ones that don't have too many branches and knots sticking out of the surface that's going to be the back (although I've found that a few small knots and holes don't bother it at all). Let it sit in the round with the bark on for a month or so (specially in the summer). then rough it to bow shape get it to floor tiller and let it set for another month and it's ready to go (debark it then). Don't debark it too early or it'll crack and check all over the back surface (because it dries REAL fast) and will also dry into a crazy amount of reflex that's harder to deal with. With debarking at the right time, you can control the amount of reflex you will get and you will swear the stuff has sinew built into it. I've gotten 35 and 40 lb. bows from 1" dia. staves. Fatter ones will get you lots more weight.
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randman: is this scotchbroom??? got a bunch of it near me at a empty lot,
and could I debarked it and just put some glue on the back???
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Yep that's it. Looks like you got a little forest of it right out your back door. Glue would probably work on the debarked back. Or some spray shellac if you have access to it (shellac would give it a nice color). Acrylic or latex paint would probably work to seal it too. You would have to paint it anyway for it to look nice in the end because glue would prevent it from taking a good stain color. Debarking is much easier green for sure.
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Here's some pics of a couple scotchbrooms shorties. The one on the left is sinew backed and the one on the right is about 35lbs at 24" (1" dia.) and I could probably pull it to 26. Both were heat treated on the belly (broom really likes it).
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how are their lengths??