Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: bjrogg on January 18, 2017, 08:50:28 am
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This summer Pnewton stopped by and brought a dandy looking Elm stave he gifted me. It's labeled 3-15 and if I remember correctly he said it was harvested during growing season. March of 2015 in Michigan seems a bit early for growing season but I really don't know. Last night I removed bark and took cambium down to just a thin layer avoiding violating first ring. I'm still a bit confused. If this stave was harvested during growing season should I put in shower? Should I just rough out a bow get it bending and it pops off? It looks like a beauty of a stave but I can see about 3 or 4 powder post beetle holes in cambium would like to have a clean back. Any tips would be greatly appreciated and thanks for the stave Paul and picking up my tee-shirts
Bjrogg
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No need for the shower treatment bjrogg now because of those bugs and you should remove rings down to where you don't see those powder post holes no more and get a clean back like you said.The elm here is very interlocking and chasing rings with a draw knife can take care doing it so it does'nt tear.A scraper and sand paper should be handy here if I'm chasing rings on elm.
That all could have been avoided if the staves' bark were popped off at the time it was cut and shellac applied.Then storing inside somewhere off the ground too.
Is it very thin ringed elm?
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I doubt the sap was up at that point. I cut an Elm in April last year and the bark was only halfway loose. It does vary from year to year.
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Thanks Ed, I was afraid someone might say that. The Elm here has interlocking grain also. I really need some more tools. I've gotta get myself some scrappers. I did take some more cambium off carefully with draw knife and the powder post beetle holes that I tried ended in the cambium. It does appear to be quite thin ringed Elm. It might be more of a challenge than I can handle yet chasing a ring especially one lower down some where. How does the shower treatment work? I would like to get this cambium off to see what I have. It doesn't appear to be very many holes but hard to tell.
Bjrogg
Thanks Pat, that was another of my fears. Not sure what to do next. I'd like to use it. Sure looks like a nice stave otherwise.
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I see your point.I've never did shower a bow for bark removal before.I would say a couple of hours for sure.You'd have to play that one by ear unless someone can comment.I misunderstood it being cut as august.
I've got a guy by me here gifting me osage staves with the bark on too cut long ago.Sometimes I have to chase 9 to 10 rings down into heartwood rings to get by them.
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I've cut a very thin layer off the end of an elm stave and held it up to the light to see if light shown through.Or air that is.If it does I don't waste my time with it.
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A faster way is to steam the bark off. Just feed the stave across the top of a large pot covered in foil and pull the bark off as it loosens. It will come off like summer cut wood and you can see what sort of shape the outer ring is in.
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Thanks Ed, Thans Pat. I was wondering about steaming it. I carefully removed cambium by several holes with pocket knife. So far all ended in cambium like this
Bjrogg
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Maybe better picture
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I am going to have to try Pat's steam method. I have used a spray bottle to dampen the cambium layer and then scraped it off with a spoon, and that worked pretty well. It doesn't take much moisture to get things to loosen up.
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A sharpened paint scraper works well. It does clog up with that dry brown cambium, but is easily cleared. The scraper won't dig into the wood like a drawknife can.
I would not bother with the shower thing. I don't find it hard to scrape the cambium. And who really wants to get the wood wet again? The shower method was first posed as a way to deal with winter-cut wood right after it was cut, NOT after the stave and bark were thoroughly dry.
jm $.02
Jim Davis
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Thanks for the info guys. I really went out of the box on this one. I don't have scrapper but I do have a power washer with burner on it to heat water. I decided to give it a try. In about 2 minutes or less I had a clean back and don't see any bug holes. I doubt wood even gained any real moisture. Might not be primitive but sure was effective
Bjrogg
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Thats genius man awsome idea !
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Thanks Stickbender, figured I didn't really have a lot to lose. I'm thrilled how good it worked, I've got some winter harvested HHB. Some where just going to end up firewood think I'll test it on them.
Bjrogg
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Good idea! How much pressure did you use? I've seen power washers splinter siding.
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DC I turned it so pressure was high water flow was low. It's a pretty good power washer, we use it for cleaning our farm equipment. I just wish I had tried it before I "carefully " scrapped some more off. Power washer was much safer for back than my "carefully" scrapping
Bjrogg
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BJ, you did good.
Those types of beetles I have seen many times when I didn't remove the bark even for just a couple weeks, and the wood is fine, BUT!!!
As a warning to others, I have debarked elm, found stuff like that, made a bow soon after nad been fine, HOWEVER, if I left it around a few months, I always came back to the stave full of holes anyway. It's like the eggs are there, the drying retards their turning into grubs, but eventually they do and will eat the wood, too, or maybe it's a different beetle, but if you see that wiggly pattern, don't dawdle on the bow.
As for tools, you wouldn't believe the hodge-podge of weird stuff I have accumulated over the years, and it all works, and I always go back to each of them eventually for some little task. If you have a good vise, I chase rings on the regular with a light mallet and a big sharp chisel, even. On elm, just leave yourself some margin of error to scrape/file down to. It won't usually tear-out down through nice distinct rings, but it can.
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Thanks springbuck, I'm thinking this is going to be the back of my bow. I really don't have any major violations just so very slight scrapes. I'm pretty sure I'd make a much bigger mess of it trying to chase a ring. I don't know if Paul treated bark with anything but he did a real nice job splitting it and I'm very appreciative for it.
Bjrogg