Thanks to Brian Melton, I have a bunch of new projects.
I previously posted a photo of some Vine Maple I had collected, and Brian commented that I would have a tough time with those staves. He also invited me to go collecting with him, and since he is less than an hour away, I took him up on the offer.
Not only did Brian help me find some nice wood, but he really went the extra mile to help a newbie. He told me it's much easier to find billet lengths, took me out to his shop, and demonstrated how to create a splice with some scrap wood. He gave me a beautiful piece of IPE and a matched piece of Bamboo that he had planed. He gave me a shorty bow that he had roughed out of Vine Maple. It has a lot of natural recurve - he said it would be a challenge for me - and I am guessing I'll learn some lessons
about tillering from it.
The attached photo shows all my loot! The IPE and Bamboo are on the left, and then the shorty out of Vine Maple. Next is a take down I have started out of Cascara billets, and a stave (We split it in the field) of Cascara. The next is Hazel, and the last three are Vine Maple billets and a stave. I was amazed to find so many types of different woods in only a couple of acres, and hoping with this selection to get an idea of the merits of some of the different local woods.
If you get an invite, it's worth your while to check out Brian's racks of fine bows, his stone points, and his Blacktail trophies. He is more than generous with his woodlot, and has even offered to help me find a Blacktail up in the Wynoochee Unit. We only have another week of late season in 2007, but when I get my first deer with a bow, I'll definitely be posting that!
Keith
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