Wood suitable for bows

[Orrum]

Hello my name is Bill. I am getting fair at knapping and have developed a interest in bows and arrows. I live in eastern NC on the SC line. I travel a lot as a snowbird out west in the winter and spring. What I would like is either a answer or a reference for wood to use to make a bow. Apparently I have to let it dry for a while so I can get pieces in my travels or here at home. Thank yall for the help, Bill

[bushboy]

Most any wood will make a bow iif designed properly.maybe try to goggle potential bow wood species by Tim baker

[bubby]

Google tim baker's bow woods list

[GB]

Good advice ^^^
I'm guessing that you probably drive through areas where Osage is common.  That's primo bow wood if you can get permission to cut some.

[Stick Bender]

+1 for Osage just a amazing bow wood but you could probably find hickory in your area hickory is a very forgiving wood , hickory is a excellent wood for developing your bow making skills

[RatherBinTheWoods]

I am a new builder and have found ash really good. Hazel works really nicely too. I have found hickory takes a lot of set where I am but that may be because of the moisture or because my tillering can still be somewhat dubious at the moment. Osage is lovely but I haven't had chance to get my hands on a full length bit yet...got some yew drying in my garage though so looking forward to having a go with that.

[bjrogg]

Bill I started the same way. Just a little over a year ago I started knapping then made some primitive arrows. Well of course I gotta shoot them so made a bow, broke a bow learned the error of my ways and made another. This is a very addictive hobby. I think if you can knap you'll figure out the making a bow. When you find some good bow wood cut enough extra if you can so you have a supply drying. As said almost any wood will make a bow but some are better and it might come down to a personal preference. I'm sure if you keep at it and shoot your bow you will be hopelessly hooked no turning back. Good luck. So far I've used ash and hop hornbeam (our local ironwood). It is nice to use something you can get without spending a lot of money. Breaking one is sad enough without spending a lot of money. When you start tiller don't be afraid to post pictures and ask questions. Sometimes you might have to sort through a bunch of different answers look at the bend and make up your own mind but there is a lot of very helpful people on this site.
Bjrogg
PS if you can get to a primitive event by all means do so they are fantastic for acquiring material and knowledge

[Orrum]

Wow yall r a lot of help. We live in really bad humidity here so that might affect things. Found the Baker bow wood google but it says site doesnt work but googlevshowed me a thread onher where yhe wood listed. Can I cUT limbs rather than the whole tree. I can get locust, hickory or mulberry here. I own a high desert campsite south of the Grand Canyon and we r eat up with juniper and Pinon pine. I can get juniper slabs here at a sawmill that specializes in cypress and juniper. Of course mesquite at the ranch in Wickenburg  Az. The hickory will be hard because limbs are usually high up and crooked. So the other woods around here r not suitable. Osage and mulberry r cousins right?  We have China Berry which is like mahogany to saw, it does not crack, split, warp or twist as it dries. It is notnon.the bow wood list but I use it a lot for knife handles and tomahawk handles. What u think about China Berry?

[Ippus]

There's something beautiful about a tree stave you cut and cured yourself, but if you want to try your hand without a lot of initial wait (and emotional investment), it's worth taking a stab at a board bow. That way, when that sweet piece of osage or hickory is ready, you have some tillering experience under your belt already.

You can get a decent piece of hardwood at the lumber yard/HD for $10-15. They usually have red oak at a minimum, and even HD typically has black walnut and cherry. The only trick is you have to be willing to spend some time finding one with really straight grain.

As indicated above, almost any wood can make a good bow with the right design. Traditional Bowyer's Bible IV has an awesome chapter on the relative strengths and idiosyncrasies of different types of wood.

[Dakota Kid]

Another site that may be helpful is wood database .com

There's an article there about determining bow potential of any wood. According to their formula China berry is above average. I would cut a couple nice straight pieces and get yourself some staves drying.

[George Tsoukalas]

Osage and black locust will work for you.
Seal the ends and split into staves.
You will have to eventually remove the bark and sapwood on these woods. If you it sooner rather than later then seal the back with a poly urethane.

Hickory ans the oaks will also work nicely. Just remove the bark and you are ready to go.

While you are waiting you can start working on a board bow. Red oak and hickory would be good. You'll need to choose straight grained stock.

There's more on my site.

http://traditionalarchery101.com/

Jawge

[Orrum]

Ok so great info. Apparently I need to cut a 6 ft length and split the resulting log into pieces? Can I use a limb and saw it into a 3 side with one side bark?

Great website u have thete, I saved it.

China Berry sounds like my answer. They r shallow rooted and a bunch fell over in the hurricane!

[George Tsoukalas]

"Ok so great info. Apparently I need to cut a 6 ft length and split the resulting log into pieces? Can I use a limb and saw it into a 3 side with one side bark?"

Thanks.

I never used a limb so cannot advise.

Sorry, never used china berry either.

Jawge

[Dakota Kid]

When you work with limbs you very well may run into "reaction wood". Do some searches on the web or this site even to learn how to approach it.