Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Marc St Louis on January 28, 2015, 12:47:32 pm
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There's been a few questions over the years about whether Beech will make a bow. I've made a few in the past, like about 20 years ago, and I still have some Beech staves from wood I cut back then. I'm not really making bows right now as I'm spending most of my time cutting and pulling out my next Winters supply of firewood but it was 30 below the other day and it's just too bloody cold to do that so I decided to make a bow instead. I went out to one of my stashes and noticed this Beech stave sitting there so I pulled it out. The stave never saw the Sun but it had been outside in a shelter for all that time and this is what the back weathered to looked like.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/Marc-St-Louis/Selfbows/Beech/Back.jpg)
And here is the finished bow. I's 62" long and pulls 30# @ 25"
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/Marc-St-Louis/Selfbows/Beech/Braced%20amp%20Full%20Draw.jpg)
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Tiller looks nice. Do you know what species of beech?
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Mark, is that the same as blue beech? is it a heavy wood? I have always wondered about beech, my brother in law has it growing on his property.
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Marc
I like the way you get it to bending right out of the fades. is there any reflex when unbraced?
willie
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Beautiful, Marc! Jawge
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Nice one Marc
Steve, True Beech is not related to Blue Beech at all. It's just a superficial resemblance that gives it that name.
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looks good....how does it shoot?...what does the unbraced profile look like after shooting? was wondering cos there is a lot of beech where i live, it is a strong hard wood, but rots very quick when left ouside...never tried to make a bow but often wonder about the possibility though
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Marc that looks really good, are you going to do any finish or grip on the bow?
E
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The wood is American Beech. I find that it is very similar to White Ash as a bow wood
The stave started out relatively straight and has taken about 1" of set. Too cold outside to shoot but the shots I have taken inside suggest a decent shooter
It's going to stay like this for now
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That's a very fine looking bow Marc. Just curious, have you ever tried to heat treat beech?
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Good looking bow.
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This is the first Beech bow I've made in over 15 years so no never tried heat-treating Beech.
The limbs are just over 1 1/4" wide.
I have a couple more staves of American Beech and one half log that, from the ripples on the back, may actually be Blue Beech. The rippled log is quite heavy and, after 20 years, must be well seasoned
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Love the way the back looks. Sweet bow!
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very nice and clean bow.
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Don't want to hijack the thread, but am reading conflicting stories about European Beech as a bow-wood (its a related but different species to American Beech), anyone able to comment on European Beech as a bow-wood - its really common around here.
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European beech is closely related, but if I read the data correctly, it is a rather tension-weak wood.
I know the data in the wood database are rather conservative, but they seem conservative in a consistent way, so you can tell relative to a known species how good a wood is as a bow wood.
http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/american-beech/
http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/european-beech/
Using red oak as a reference of medium-quality bow wood (we all have made bows out of it), American beech is a bit better, allowing back fibers to be stretched a bit more (this is given by MOR/MOE; the resulting number is the percentage the back can safely stretch before breaking). It is also about 10% better in compression than red oak (this is given by crushing strength/MOE; so it will take less set for the same design). It has about the same density, and the same stiffness (MOE) as red oak. So overall, in a same design as red oak, it can be drawn further and can therefore store more energy before taking set or breaking. Alternatively, one could make American beech bow limbs a tad thicker, increasing draw weight for the same draw length.
American beech is more on less on par with European ash, which is commonly considered a rather decent European bow wood.
European beech, however, is slightly weaker in tension than red oak (the back wood cannot stretch as far; it is one of the worst European hardwood species in tension), and similar in compression strength. It is about 12% stiffer than red oak (a bow that is 12% narrower than a same design read oak bow will have the same draw weight). So if you want to make European beech bows, make them a bit longer than you would do with red oak.
Now, I bet that where you live there is also plenty of European maple or norway maple. Both are very good bow woods, despite having lower density. I'd make them 20% wider than your typical red oak bow, but you can make them a bit shorter too because of their higher maximum tension and compression load before break/set.
Joachim
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Like the look of that full draw! I am so glad to see a nice American Beech bow. I have made a few and they were some of my favorite shooting bows.
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European Beech is not the same and as Joachim says is supposed to be weak in tension.
I've never had a Beech bow develop chrysals so it may be better in compression than White Ash, I've had White Ash chrysal on me many times.
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Marc, thanks for posting this. I had wondered about beech for years when I was in Maine, but never tried it. I only have 4 or 5 beeches in my woods here in Kentucky. Two are 12-14 inches in diameter and I have it in mind to have them sawn for lumber some day.
So, beech is not on my bow list but, again, I am pleased to read about its use.
Jim Davis
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Nicely done. As always. I've wondered about beech myself. One day I'm gonna give it a go.
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Hmm, not that I have much access, but was under the impression Beech was poor bow wood, guess not...great tiller there Marc. :)
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Nice one, Marc. I had a change to get some american beech a couple of years ago and now wish I had. It would be close to seasoned, by now.
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Very nice bow Marc, Tiller is beautiful. I may give it a try, I have a lot of it on my farm. They say it really thrives on poor ground and I have a lot of them on the bluffs. I know it make great fire wood so wouldn't be a total waste either way. ;) :) :)
Pappy
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Thanks for the explanation Joachim, that clears things up nicely.