Primitive Archer

Thanks for all the encouragement and tips! Hamish - I’ll definitely check out the Yatala place next time I’m passing by.

After taking on board your advice I’ll leave the boo backing for another board bow instead of trying to back the elm sapling. In that case I’ll definitely try the heat gun on the belly as Hamish suggested (another new technique to try out!).

Just a couple of quick questions re the heat treating…

1. Should I wait for the sapling to dry out to stable weight/moisture content, then roughly shape and floor filler before heat treating while clamped to a reflex mould?

2. Would you heat treat again in the reflex mould after final tillering to further reduce set and strengthen the bow?

I’ve heard heat treating is good for white woods like this one, but comes at the cost of weakening the fibres - too much of a good thing?!

Thanks again Hamish and co - Keen to hear your thoughts on the right ‘order of operations’ to approach the heat treating for the elm sapling.

Cheers, Rob

I do about 4 to 4 1/2 brace for all my short bows that are 41 to 44 inches in length

Hey Rob, The spotted gum bow looks really good.

I would put the elm stave on a form for heat treating, and just to even up the reflex, makes tillering easier. Yes, it is a fair bit of work, especially if you need to make a form, but it can be used on further staves.

For bow timber, I'd try Matthei Timber at Yatala. It's at the other end of Brisbane to you. I haven't been there for a while, (I live down in Sydney)but they stocked Bulletwood/Beefwood/Massandubra, locally called Pacific jarrah. I rate this as a top bow wood, when backed with boo, hickory, or even a strip of straight grained bulletwood, and reflexed 1-2" in glue up.
 They also stocked some lemonwood, I think that was called Pacific ash, or something similar. Again, another highly rated bow wood when used the same way as with bulletwood, backed.
They had a small amount of Ipe, another top bow wood.

There should also be some bow wood, growing around your region. Red/Pink ash, alphtonia excelsa. Its usually a small to medium understory tree in dry sclerophyll forests. In rainforest areas, Saffronheart is another great native bowwood.

I’m hoping to get to it someday. It’s kinda my plan b this year if plan a falls through. I think plan a is going to happen though so probably not this year.

It is a little better time of year for me to get away though if our weather is poor for farming.

Lot of people I’d like to meet there.

Bjrogg

I'd solder the archer in front of the truck