Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: SKansasC on March 04, 2015, 10:53:59 am
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I have zero experience making bows, but have recently decided to try my hand at it. I decided to find a decent osage tree, as I have access to about a mile and a half of hedge row, and eventually found a long straight piece that looked good to me. I cut and split it into halves, and that is where the story should end...but it doesn't. Something about cutting and splitting appealed to me! The next weekend I went back to find another perhaps larger tree, and well, this is what I came home with. Several osage staves, along with some hackberry, elm, and locust. And I cant help but look at every tree I drive by, and wonder... :-\
(http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll110/salinakansascooner4/2015-03-03_17-38-35_368_zpszci5vnvo.jpg) (http://s286.photobucket.com/user/salinakansascooner4/media/2015-03-03_17-38-35_368_zpszci5vnvo.jpg.html)
(http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll110/salinakansascooner4/2015-03-03_17-38-56_38_zpsztqqaugq.jpg) (http://s286.photobucket.com/user/salinakansascooner4/media/2015-03-03_17-38-56_38_zpsztqqaugq.jpg.html)
On a more serious note, I have sealed the ends, but should I apply a pesticide to keep boring insects away?
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No doubt, spray the crap out of them once a month.
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Welcome aboard! I live an hour North of you in Concordia. Nice looking staves! Is that some cedar in the first pic? As far as bug protection goes, get the bark and sapwood off and seal the backs really good with polyurethane or something similar. I think the borers in our area just get drunk off the pesticide and get the munchies. If those other staves are cedar, just remove the bark carefully and seal the sapwood. You'll want to do this before you harvest any more. The borers and powder post beetles will destroy your stash in short order when it warms up. Josh
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Welcome to the addiction. That's a nice looking stash you are building up.
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Even if you don't make bows think about it this way. If you were having trouble saving $500.00 a month toward your retirement you could save maybe 10 staves a month. They will gain value with inflation. After about 20 years or so you will have maybe 2,500 staves worth about $100.00 each. See if you can get your wife to buy that one.
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Where in Kansas do you live? I live in Sedgwick county. I have a few friends around here that make bows also (Sidewinder being one of them). Definetly no shortage of osage and hackberry around here. I cut wood a few weeks ago on some property that will soon be completely cleared through some type of government grant, almost all osage. I got about 22 good staves from that harvest. Just wood that will be bulldozed, can you imagine?
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Sometimes I think collecting staves might be my favorite part of the whole process! Welcome aboard!
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I think that a lot of hobbies-hunting, fishing, bow making and more are just an excuse to go for a walk in the wood. :D :D
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I remember when I first got started in this thing and I was obsessed with finding new trees that had good bow staves. Every wooded area I drove past I was rubbernecking to see if I saw anything that was straight. I mean I was stricken with it bad. If your going to make bows you will need materials thats for sure.
I personally like to get the ends sealed, debark them down to the heartwood if its osage, and then seal the backs with shellac. No problem with borers that way. I have also found that it is easier to get the sapwood off when its still somewhat wet with moisture. The longer it dries the harder it is to get the sapwood off, IMO.
I live south of Wichita betweeen Winfield and Ark City just off the OK border. Jimmy lives in Wichita. There are a few of us around these parts that know each other. You have certainly come to the right place. Danny
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yes I agree with taking off the sap wood and sealing, to reduce the bugs,,
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Nice stash. I would be leery of those south Kansas guys. Especially Danny. >:D Jimmy is about as bad. Really though take those guys up on any offer they have. They are my kind of people. That is if they will claim me :o
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Yep...it is definitely an addiction! Welcome to it!
Neal
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Nice staves. Need my adress to send me some? >:D
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Sometimes I think collecting staves might be my favorite part of the whole process! Welcome aboard!
+1 on that. Its a great feeling when you find that perfect tree!
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Even if you don't make bows think about it this way. If you were having trouble saving $500.00 a month toward your retirement you could save maybe 10 staves a month. They will gain value with inflation. After about 20 years or so you will have maybe 2,500 staves worth about $100.00 each. See if you can get your wife to buy that one.
Please don't give me any more reason to get more! ;D
Welcome aboard! I live an hour North of you in Concordia. Nice looking staves! Is that some cedar in the first pic? As far as bug protection goes, get the bark and sapwood off and seal the backs really good with polyurethane or something similar. I think the borers in our area just get drunk off the pesticide and get the munchies. If those other staves are cedar, just remove the bark carefully and seal the sapwood. You'll want to do this before you harvest any more. The borers and powder post beetles will destroy your stash in short order when it warms up. Josh
That is Honey Locust in the first picture. They didn't turn out as good as I had hoped. Thanks for the advice!
Where in Kansas do you live? I live in Sedgwick county. I have a few friends around here that make bows also (Sidewinder being one of them). Definetly no shortage of osage and hackberry around here. I cut wood a few weeks ago on some property that will soon be completely cleared through some type of government grant, almost all osage. I got about 22 good staves from that harvest. Just wood that will be bulldozed, can you imagine?
Bulldozing hedgerows is rampant in this area! They just pile and burn it! I live a few miles west of Salina.
I remember when I first got started in this thing and I was obsessed with finding new trees that had good bow staves. Every wooded area I drove past I was rubbernecking to see if I saw anything that was straight. I mean I was stricken with it bad. If your going to make bows you will need materials thats for sure.
I personally like to get the ends sealed, debark them down to the heartwood if its osage, and then seal the backs with shellac. No problem with borers that way. I have also found that it is easier to get the sapwood off when its still somewhat wet with moisture. The longer it dries the harder it is to get the sapwood off, IMO.
I live south of Wichita betweeen Winfield and Ark City just off the OK border. Jimmy lives in Wichita. There are a few of us around these parts that know each other. You have certainly come to the right place. Danny
Thanks for the info!
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I can't speak for Danny, but I suppose I will claim you Jon, afterall you are an Arkee, and that's God's country. See ya at Ojam brother.
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Quick question....When you say sapwood, how much do you mean? Right under the bark there is a very thin layer of really light wood, then about a half inch layer of slightly darker wood, the there is the orange center wood.
Do I need to get this half inch layer off before sealing?
(http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll110/salinakansascooner4/2015-03-04_14-00-10_425_zpsbxi9nmq7.jpg) (http://s286.photobucket.com/user/salinakansascooner4/media/2015-03-04_14-00-10_425_zpsbxi9nmq7.jpg.html)
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Take off all the white and stop when you get to yellow wood. I seal the ends and backs with 2-3 coats of polyurethane. Hope you got a good draw knife and stout arms.
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Your probabley not too far from Gun Doc Josh. I believe he's in or near Concordia and that just north of you a ways. Never met him in person but from what I can tell, he's very skilled and a stand up guy.
Yeah, we'll claim you Jon. Even if you are an Arkie. ;)
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Ha I know that feeling. Currently i nearly always have a perfect hacksaw in my car with which i can cut up to 20 cm diam trees in no time, so when i see some nice wood that I'm allowed to cut it's in my trunk in no time.
Staves are piling up way faster than i can make bows, but you just know some day you'll turn it into a decent shooter.
Looking for staves is a bowyer's foreplay :P
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Welcome! Nice staves...the stuff from which dreams are made.
Jawge
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Yes,staves are the bomb after breaking many lumber style type bows!
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Couple more questions.....
Should i be trying to get 1 exposed ring at this time, or does that come later? Also, should i treat the exposed backs with pesticide after sealing, or is just getting the bark and sapwood off sufficient?
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If you remove the bark and sapwood all you need to do is seal the back and ends. You can chase a ring now if you want but you don't have to. I don't worry about chasing a ring when I'm cleaning up staves. My goal is to get them debarked and sealed as quickly as I can before the bugs get to them or the sapwood sets up. Fresh cut sapwood is a lot easier to remove than dried sapwood.
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Thanks for all the advice!
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When you wake up in the middle of the night with shoulder pain...try reaching out to the sides as far as you can and stretch and retract repeatedly your shoulder joint. ;D Seriously though, this helps when you are battling osage shoulder pain. Or you couls just start harvesting yew ;)
I watched both a song sparrow and a scrub jay collecting nesting material this morning. Both selected their twigs for building their nests with the same scrutiny and prudence that we bowyers select or sticks. Made me smile.
Welcome to the addiction!!
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When you wake up in the middle of the night with shoulder pain...try reaching out to the sides as far as you can and stretch and retract repeatedly your shoulder joint. ;D Seriously though, this helps when you are battling osage shoulder pain. Or you couls just start harvesting yew ;)
I watched both a song sparrow and a scrub jay collecting nesting material this morning. Both selected their twigs for building their nests with the same scrutiny and prudence that we bowyers select or sticks. Made me smile.
Welcome to the addiction!!
My shoulders and arms can take a beating, but my hands are a little sore from gripping the knife. Ill get used to it soon enough!
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From N. Missouri, welcome to the addiction. That's a nice variety and haul you have. Should keep you busy for awhile!
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For cryin out loud folks, QUIT TELLIN FOLKS TO REMOVE THE SAPWOOD! It makes an amazing bow back. I may never chase another heartwood ring on a stave again so long as the sap is good.
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Remove the sapwood >:D
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I have lost more staves to deep checks than I care to admit by taking the bark off but not the sapwood.
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As long as you don't start smoking them....oh wait, smoking them is acceptable
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I dont debark them. I just split and seal. When I do debark I take them to rough bow dimension and then no more worries.
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One of the other benefits to debarking down to the heartwood is you can see clearly any challenges you might face ie..knots etc. So when you go to grab a stave to work on you can size it up pretty clearly.
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Thats a sweet color is'nt it. Some nice staves there in 10 years bettter in 20.
I kinda started in the same way. Just a little biger. I cut and split 150 osage staves that first spring 23 Years later I've just ran out of osage staves last fall. Had to buy the last couple. Along the way I've cut and split 100's of other wood staves.
I have a friend that use to build wood recurves. He quit about 10 years ago. Him and his freind use to go up DENEN HILL and that osage staves up there by the truck load. He must have 50 staves he keap for is self. He lets me have them for $20 a peice for 15 ,20 year old osage. Not bad.
It can be adictive Like I said I started 23 years ago. I still build a bow or 3 a year.
It helps to have a very understanding old lady. Your wife could be in trouble.
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You are not alone. I live in white wood territory, and I have way more wood than I ever get around to working, plus all thebiows I started that threw me a surprise and I need to get back to...
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Well down here in Miami we're in a desert. .. nothing really but Australian pine. . I did find a nice piece of seagrape yesterday. .
Tomorrow I'm taking a ride north to see what I see.