Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive on February 10, 2013, 02:01:37 pm

Title: Any notice White Ash?
Post by: Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive on February 10, 2013, 02:01:37 pm
Anyone notice that White Ash  exploded at the drop of a hat when it has a little crown to the stave??? Sapling bows are some of my favorite and hickory, elm, dogwood, etc lend themselves well to sapling bows.  Just the feel on my white ash staves made me think they wouldn't take much abuse. I just busted one bracing it...that has happened in a long time!   lol  I took the side that wasn't broke and  bent it a little and it blew up in the same fashion......not very much bend at all.    guess wide and fat are in order for ash from now on.  I have made three other ash bows and they did well....but they were flatter backs.     same experience anyone????  or did I just just a fluke, bad tree or bad batch of trees in an area?
Title: Re: Any notice White Ash?
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on February 10, 2013, 02:06:06 pm
Depends on where that stave came from Ryan. Northern white ash has been pretty well 100% killed off my the Ash borer. If it was cut dead and split, I can see that happening. Considering ash is much stronger in tension that compression, I would say you had a bum stave. A higher crowned back SHOULD have complimented ash's tendency to compress.
Title: Re: Any notice White Ash?
Post by: Buckeye Guy on February 10, 2013, 05:42:01 pm
The white ash bows that the fellow from Wisconsin used to bring to Marshall were all wide and flat and awesome !! No noticeable crown on them !
I don't have any white ash here to use ,in fact not much ash of any kind left after the borers move thru !
Have fun !!
Guy
Title: Re: Any notice White Ash?
Post by: Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive on February 10, 2013, 07:22:31 pm
thanks, I was kinda thinking the same thing. came from a swampy area here in Florida. The rest feel exactly the same. I may try one more from that batch.
Title: Re: Any notice White Ash?
Post by: Arrowind on February 10, 2013, 10:32:10 pm
I really like White Ash.  The ones I've built have been from boards... if you look you can find really good straight grain.  haven't had one explode yet but I havn't tried a sapling stave either.  Anyway don't discount the wood yet man.
Title: Re: Any notice White Ash?
Post by: turtle on February 11, 2013, 12:13:32 am
The only white ash bow i have made was from a 3 inch sapling and its holding up fine so far.
Title: Re: Any notice White Ash?
Post by: Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive on February 11, 2013, 10:46:38 am
Yeah the three ask bows I made a couple years ago, along with all your testimonies, have me thinking I have a Bum batch. During the wet season they grow right in the water....so it might have been this particular bunch..they all feel the same. After I cut them I thought there were awful light.... even posted on here back then asking how light they should be????  they were way lighter than I remembered. i Even went back to double check and make sure I did cut White Ash b\c it was unlike the previous ash I had used
Title: Re: Any notice White Ash?
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on February 11, 2013, 11:03:20 am
Yup, be sure you have white ash. Blue ash, green ash and black ash arent nearly as tough from what Ive read. We have all them growing around the house. The leaves are distinctly different and easily identified.
Title: Re: Any notice White Ash?
Post by: dwardo on February 11, 2013, 01:33:11 pm
I have made quite a few bows from ash and some have been great and some terrible.
The evidence seems to point to the early to late ratio as it should I suppose. The early seems incredibly porous and weak.
But the problem is finding nice straight fast grown ash without lots of side branches :(