Bow making site, with pics ?

[BigWapiti]

Hi, I purchased the Bowyer's V1 book, but not yet arrived.

Is there a web site that shows some pictures start (choosing wood and cutting) to finish?  I'd like to see some pictures to get started playing around with my newly cut staves.  have time today, but no idea where to start. I'd like to do some research and quick learning until the book comes.  I find a lot of text description, but no pictures of cutting trees, initial prep, bark trimming, etc.

Just wondering...  work was too busy this year, so didn't even buy a tag - I'm feeling cooped!

Thanks!

[cowboy]

So sounds like you've already cut some trees and have split them into staves? If so, depends on what kind of wood you have. If it's hic, ash, oaks - that sort of thing you just take the bark off and that's the back of your bow. If it's osage, mullbury, black locust - take off the bark and sap wood, which gets you to the darker colored heart wood. Soon as ya cut em seal the ends, soon as ya get the bark off seal the back (bark side). If you cut your green stave to near bow dimension's you'll want to clamp it to something - if you leave it as a quarter or half of a log it takes a lot longer but should dry out straight.
  I don't want to post a bunch of pic's, but here's a hickory stave being skinned. Right under the bark is the back of bow. Probably will have to use a drawknife or something to get bark off this late in year. .

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[DanaM]

here in way up north michigan the bark is starting to stick, just did some iron wood and oak and a draw knofe was necessary. Leaves are changing fast another couple weeks and trees will be getting bare

[BigWapiti]

Thanks Guys,

Its Vine Maple that I cut - it has some thin bark, I imagine that's a chore getting it off. We'll see.

with vm, I probably don't need to cut it in wedges like that, but in half - eh?

Btw, how do you split a log horizontally into a wedge like that??

As you can tell, I'm new, but really do want to give this a shot.  Have a lot of dumb questions I suppose - but hopefully the book will tame them some.

Thanks!

[Pat B]

I have my best luck starting an ax in the center and working wedges out to the ends from there. I've always gotten straighter(without run offs) staves that way.  Pat

[cowboy]

That was a fairly good size hic - nice'n straight, so it split easy. Like Pat said, get a wedge or axe started in the end - easier to start at the stump end. Then work your wedges down the length of the log, alternating driving wedges into both sides till it pops in half. As for vine maple - I've never laid eyes on one, but sounds like go slow and easy to not get into the ring right under the bark - good luck .

[stiknstring]

But COWBOY...Pat said it works better starting in the middle?

[George Tsoukalas]

There's some buildalongs on my site. Jawge

[cowboy]

Yeah, I just saw that stiknstring - oops . Well, I haven't tried that method yet - hadn't even heard of it till now, will try it now though. Any advice from PatB is good advice .

[GregB]

If you haven't already, I'd purchase at least 6 or more good wedges and a decent mall. A hatchet comes in handy cutting through splinters and allowing the splits to separate into the individual stave's.

[Pat B]

A hatchet with a double edge(or a sharp wedge) is paramount to starting in the middle of the stave. I have had some go bad but most of the time, by starting in the middle and going to each end simultaneously with your wedges you achieve as straight of a split as you want(as possible). A single edge hatchet is great for hewing and for separating the fibers of a split stave but it is not good to start a center split on a stave. It wonders to one side and you don't get a good, straight split.   Pat

[BigWapiti]

A hatchet with a double edge(or a sharp wedge) is paramount to starting in the middle of the stave. I have had some go bad but most of the time, by starting in the middle and going to each end simultaneously with your wedges you achieve as straight of a split as you want(as possible). A single edge hatchet is great for hewing and for separating the fibers of a split stave but it is not good to start a center split on a stave. It wonders to one side and you don't get a good, straight split.   Pat

Thanks all -- Pat, would you have pictures of your procedure?  Are you talking about whacking a wedge into your stave, right in the middle?  with the wedge aligned with the grain?  then using another wedge to slip into the crack on either side of the first wedge, working toward the ends?  Do I have this right?

Unfortunately, I jumped in and bandsawed my staves.  But getting more soon.