Watch a noob build a bow! sapwood black locust real time report. DONE!

[Jodocus]

Hi everyone

This will be a build-or-break-along. I will work on a close-to-scrap piece of black locust I got today. This is my second bow ever, so I am a bloody noob. No teacher around, either. Therefore I thought I could use help from you all and give you some entertainment and something to laugh at in return, ok?
I’ll go until It is a bow or broken. It will probably not be done quickly, however, since I have a lot of other stuff to do and chicken pox are due in a couple of days for the kids.  So this might take weeks actually.

I was making a sandbox for the kids yesterday. Sure was a nice day, the wind chasing clouds across me real fast, sun and rain taking turns in a fast pace, there was rainbows all the time.
My neighbour offered me some small stems for the frame when he saw me digging, telling me they’d be lying in the shrubs behind the houses. So I went there with my handsaw, and found three small, yet straight black locust trees. He said he’d cut them last autumn. Nice. Took some for the sandbox, some for me.

I figured since they’d been down for some time already, I’d probably best seal, peel and split them right away. The peeling was real easy, I could basically grab the bark on one side and simply tear it off in one swing. Splitting went well with two of them, with one, the split became more of a tear-out, leaving me with one half too thick and one too thin. Grrr.

Otherwise, it seems to be good wood, as far as I can tell. Those trees had been growing within a dense patch of maybe a dozen BL trees, in a opening torn by the wind couple of years ago. They had raced to the light and thus grown up more than sideways. It is actually the very first wood I see with the grain completely straight, not spiralling the slightest bit. There were thorns on the bark and I now see that they are rooted deeply within the wood, which will make for some pretty bad knots. And there is just enough heartwood to make a bow from it.

[Jodocus]

Except for that piece that had split badly. I looked at it and saw it had actually had an exceptional 2009 (red mark in pic). If I’d use that ring, there would actually be enough wood.
Now, yes, I DO have read that I should use heartwood only. But look at that ring! It is nice and fat, isn’t it? And didn’t I read that the back would often overpower the belly with BL? So with a good ring of sapwood like this, things might be in balance, no?

For reasons I do not fully understand, I feel I should not only give that piece a try, but I should even begin with it right away. It was somehow calling for me. “Break ME first!” So be it.

I’ve never dug out a yearring before, first one! I have no drawknive yet, so I used a chisel or simply tore the fibrous wood off. At times, all the wood looked just the same, and I was about getting lost. But when the very thin layer of earlywood emerged, I could see it nicely and clearly.

So now I’m done and the stave is ready to be cut to a bow. I have not yet decided on a design, as I wanted to see how much wood there would be left and what it looks like first. Still don’t know. It is 60 inches long, a bit over 2 wide and 1.6 deep in the thinnest bit. Not as much wood as I’d like, but then, it will be less to cut away.
There is four knots in it, three on the same side, so I could probably evade them wit a narrow design. Also, there is a very nice gradual colour change in the wood I like a lot. And it is “as wide and flat as necessary, but as narrow and deep as possible” as far as I get it, no?

Any suggestions on the bows design and layout?

[lesken2011]

I never worked with BL before. Besides, I'm still a novice and you do not want my advice. This should be very interesting. For what it's worth, the staves really look good and straight. Kudos for going to the trouble to post this.

[Steve Milbocker]

Black Locust will make a fine bow, I have one Marc St Louis built for me. I think you should chase a ring on the back however just like Osage. Also I've heard the tiller needs to be spot on to keep from collapsing the belly.

[Pat B]

  Thanks for posting this thread Jodocus, about using sapwood for bows. I know that most say to remove the sapwood and build your bow with only heartwood and that is good advice but sapwood will make bows and for some folks maybe sapwood is all they have or can get. Learning how to build a bow using sapwood is learning another technique we can add to out stable of bow building knowledge.
  Ididn't want to talk about locust specifically because the sapwood on many bow woods will make a viable bow if designed and executed properly.   Get out of the box! 

[toomanyknots]

SIR! Your camera, what kind is it? I must know! LOL (I'm plannin to buy a camera soon,  ). Gorgeous picture at the top.

[rps3]

Will be following along...good luck.

[Jodocus]

The camera is a nikon p80. I'm not especially pleased with it though. Good zoomimng but clumsy autofocus. The light was just right that moment, dark clouds and the sun shining in.

[Jodocus]

Hey all

I am currently at work and I'll get home pretty late

Nevertheless, I gave many a thought on how to proceed on this one. I hope to get some advice as to what design to choose, but since I haven't, I'll decide myself. After all, I promised you something to laugh at I took another look at the stave this morning and realized I have no room at all for some fluffy design decisions. I'll just make it bend.

And without a foot of unbending handle in the middle .

The stave is narrow and flat already, and also short. but so am I and so is my draw, 26 or 27 inches. This evening, I'll mill off as little as needed to make it look bowish. I'll not be able to avoid these knots either  ...
When I had it in my hands this morning, I also ralized how heavy it is. Will it stand being dried quickly?

druid actually posted two fine bows of similar lenght, giving me some hope.

Can't wait to get off work.

[blackhawk]

My goodness....someone get this man a drawknife.....me oh my,chasin rings with a chisel

Id make it a bend in the handle bow...id also seal the back with shellac,then reduce down to a stiff floor tiller,then let it sit in a dry place for a few weeks as its prob not totally dry. Maybe,maybe not,but better safe than sorry. And if black locust isnt dry enough it will fret on you.

[RBLusthaus]

Since I have a large supply of BL, I have been using it exclusively for the past 6-8 months. 

My thoughts - for what they are worth -

1 - get rid of the sap wood and chase a ring - just like osage - why take any chances.

2- I am not sure you have BL -  the BL I use does not have any spines or thorns like you describe - I think you may have honey locust - and if you do - I can not comment as I have never used it = but I think it is not as good as BL.   

3-  BL makes a very nice bow - if the belly is kept flat and the fades are somewhat wide (1.75 to 2 inches).  Also takes heat well for straightening and use steam to recurve the tips. 

4-  Take your time and use the gizmo to tiller. 

Russ

[DarkSoul]

Russ, this is 100% black locust (Robinia). I've handled plenty to recognize it immediately.

Jodocus, the sapwood of this wood species does not like quick drying at all. It will quickly start checking when forced to dry too quickly. You can rough it out quickly, so it'll take less time to dry. Get is bending just a little bit; approach a nice floor tiller but don't fully floortiller it yet. Then put it somewhere to dry slowly for a month or two. After that, you can speed dry it and force the last bit of moisture out.
As far as design goes, I would go with a bend in the handle. About 1¾" wide and a flat belly.

[Jodocus]

Hi everyone

I had another go at it today. It's progressing more slowly than I expected.
Did I say the kids were going to get sick? They didn't, I did.  :laugh. So the day blackhawk wished for me to get a drawknife, a neigbour came by and brought me his. I hadn't even asked him. It's got a dent in it, but it sure is sharp. I Immediately chased another growthring on one of the heartwood pieces, and I must admit it is better than a chisel. Once I had my piece of wood properly fixed somewhere, that is. I'll get me one of my own.

I took ste stave into the house, and it feels pretty dry already, no signs of it cracking anywhere either. After all, it had been felled a couple of months ago. The wood is absolutely gorgeous. the sapwood is almost perfectly white, then comes a yellow and then a brown ring. I like this so much, that I actually decided I will disobey your much appreciated advice and even risk the bow by choosing a narrow, deep layout. Just to have these colours in the bow. I hope I can maintain some of the brown wood in the bows middle. I hope it doesn't brake.

I'm not sure this is a smart thing to do, but I'll try...

Another thing is that I follwed the grain when shaping the bow. It has two slight bends in it, one on each limb (red lines in pic). Since some of you said it would take steaming well, I might steam those out. And I thought, since the wood will be cooked already, I might just as well recurve it a little. Or rather not? Those bends would be exactly in the right places. But I'd also loke to keep it simple.

really it's not for the faint of heart, you have to accept that you may ruin a stave doing this. no guts no glory.   

Apart from all that, It does bend a little now. Tomorrow I'll get to grind on it some more.

[George Tsoukalas]

I would chase a ring to get as close as you can to the ehartwood. That way the sapwood will be stronger.  I would then rough it out. Prep the back and seal it. Then let it dry naturally. Jawge

[Jodocus]

hi all,

So I bent it. The lower limb first, 50 minutes of steaming and off into the bending thing (what is the name for it?). It went in like no problem, smooth and easy. 

 I let it cool, and then did the upper one. I chose the upper limb as upper limb because it was already upside in the tree, by the way. It would have felt a bit odd to make the bow upside down.

I was pretty confident this time, bent it, and TICK! 

I will go on with what is left, may be just enough...
It is another very nice day, by the way, and if ever that elderberrytree is coming down, I'll make a bow out of it.