Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: RobWiden on May 24, 2012, 05:30:47 pm
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We don't have much really good bow wood where I live but we do have lots of birch. I went out yesterday and cut one down. I brought home about as much as my half ton pickup felt comfortable with, and today I got the rest. If I've got this figured out right, here's a picture of the first load.
<a href="http://s1169.photobucket.com/albums/r505/1025VS/?action=view&current=DSCN0130
Guess I don't have it figured out yet.
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(http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r505/1025VS/DSCN0132.jpg)
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Well, obviously, I don't do pictures the way I should. Anyway, I got enough staves for a long time, some (http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r505/1025VS/DSCN0130.jpg)
that I intend to cut into backing strips, and some for arrows.
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Nice haul. Your using what you have available and thats the best you can ask for! Any elm or HHB in your neck of the woods?
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No, none. You have to go way east to find much hardwood in Canada. We do have a bit of Douglas maple, saskatoon (serviceberry), and red osier dogwood. All of them are hard to find big enough to make a hunting weight bow out of. I have some red osier drying but it's only about 1" diameter. Just want to see how much bow I can get out of it.
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Logosol? ;)
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It will be interesting to see what you can come up with, Rob. Is there much difference in dynamics between "Birch" and "Yellow Birch"?
Is the yellow growing locally?
I bet good birch strips would be a decent trade item.
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I don't know anything about yellow birch, never tried it. The paper birch makes a nice bow with the right design. It needs to be wide and/or long enough to compensate for its low compression strength.
I never thought of the backing strips as a trade item, probably because I haven't tried them yet myself. All the problems I've ever had with birch came from compression failures, so I think it's good in tension. After I've got a few bows with birch backings under my belt I'll know if it's good enough to trade.