trees to be used for bows

[II BYRDS]

I have some questions about the type of woods to use for making bows. First off I have standing dead this year an 18" plus elm, not slippery elm. it must have died over winter, bark is still on? if not good fire wood!!! next is locust i have lots of locust. last but not least Osage i have access to lots of Osage. also whats the best time of year for cutting trees for staves and what size??

[M-P]

Hi,  Dead  trees are probably not a good bet.  The wood in most trees degrades quickly after the tree dies.  Yew and osage are definitely exceptions!  Elms of almost any species will make an excellent bow.  Just cut them while still living.  Elm green or dry will take a LOT!!!! of work to split. 
Locust and osage are both excellent bow woods.   There are some people on this forum who see no reason to ever use anything except osage.  Black locust has a following too, though the wood will chrysal if the tiller isn't near perfect.
For me the best time to collect bow wood is when it's available.   The bark will be difficult to remove if harvested in the winter, but that may not be a problem if you want to season the wood with the bark intact.  I mainly harvest white woods, so I'll let people with more expeience in handling locust and osage give you thier secrets to harvesting the perfect stave.
Ron

[JustAim]

For the elm tree remove the bark and cambium layers. lf the wood appears to be discolored, soft (rotten) or have any signs of bug infestion the wood will not make a bow so use it for fire wood instead. Locust and osage can be cut at anytime of the year since the bark and sap wood has to be removed anyway and be chased to one growth ring. Leave the locust staves Wide because locust likes to twist as its drying. 

[Gordon]

If you have access to lots of osage I'd stick with that.

[JW_Halverson]

Ditto the info watching for ANY discoloration or softness to the standing dead elm.  With the roots still intact, the capillary action will still be drawing moisture up into the tree and that causes rot.  But like you said, if it ain't bow wood, it's firewood and you were gonna cut it anyway!  Cut 'er down and scrape away to your heart's content. 

I am known for grabbing a piece of wood that will not have a chance of surviving the tillering process because every one that breaks tells me something new.  Right now I am roughing out an osage stave with 26 deeeeep bug holes thru the heartwood.  I intend to fill all the holes with epoxy and try to get 'er tillered.  Oughta be a laugh!  This bow already has a name...The Alibi.  (Cuz it's fulla holes, like my all my alibis)

[Pat B]

osage!

[II BYRDS]

Don't know about any of u guys but i have cut down standing dead elm thats been standing dead for 4 / 5 years and arnt able to hardly split the stuff, tuff stuff. what would be the smallest size that could be used 6inch / 4inch or want something like 18 inch? so there is not a better time of year you should cut a tree down for bow wood??? sap up or sap down ? it will still be sometime before i can get started on any bow making got to have some place to work. Just trying to pick you're all brains (when the barns done)

[JW_Halverson]

The grain of the elm is more like woven kevlar than anything else, it never wants to split...NEVER!  At least green cottonwood splits easily at 40 below, not even then does elm want to split. 

I passed on a 16 inch diameter piece of American elm because I knew it would require a sawmill to split into staves and none of my bowyer friends were even willing to help me load the durn thing on my trailor!  Did I mention they are all smarter than me?

Try some of the smaller stuff around 6 inch diameter, at least you can use a 1 inch chisel to cut the inevitable strands that try to hold the splits together as you work the splitting wedges up the trunk.