Hello

[Pawlee D]

Hello fellow craftsmen.
A moment to introduce myself.
I'm a NorCal dwelling, truck driving(disabled now), LP shredding beginning bowmaker/organic farmer.
The names Paul...nice to proverbially meet you.

All I ever see anymore is potential bowwood.  The Black Locust patch along the side of the interstate.
The Plums in the Home Depot parking lot-the straight, snakey Sweet Gum limbs in the front yard-I'm hooked, I know, and loving every minute of it.

I'm honored to share in the ancient skill of bowmaking with y'all, and the older I get the more important it is for me to understand and learn the ways of our ancestors so we can preserve them for the next gen.

Accordingly, I've dove head on into bowmaking.  Got the 1st TBB(taking my time with chapter 3),and have been flingin wood chips for the last 2 months now. 

There's wood aplenty here in the foothills of NorCal.  Lots of Black Locust(love this stuff!!)which is actually invasive up here.
So here some 's.

1. Any bowyers in Sacramento/El Dorado County area?
2. Is there a collective agreement on seasoning methodology?
(I can't wait a year to make a bow guys c'mon!!!)
3. I've exposed, chased, and violated some pretty tough earlywood growth rings with Black Locust.  Could I use this instead of latewood for my back?
4.  Do I really have to wait a minimum of a year to season my staves?
5.  Anybody make a selfbow from Live Oak?  They grow straight and true round here.
6.  Do I really have to wait a minimum of a year to season my staves?

Thanks in advance for all the help.  Look forward to learning all I can.

[bubby]

Welcome to the addiction, I'm a couple hrs north of you in red bluff, Bowman about the same the other direction, of you cut some saplings you won't have to wait a year, but while the stuff you have is drying get a board, go to auburn hardwoods and get some maple, of you can make it up this way I'll send you home with some seasoned wood to take care of that itch , and yeah live oak will make a good bow, got to find some that don't have that oak disease that's all over the valley though

[bubby]

I've gotta warn you though Jordan and I are big Forty Niner fans, but we could put up with a Raider freak if we had 2

[Pawlee D]

Thanks bub.
Been practicing with one month seasoned BL, Plum, and mystery wood(Birch i think) saplings and some split staves.
Also searched HD to make a board bow(red oak), didnt find anything.
I talked to the guy st Auburn Hardwoods, he had some yew slabs, but havnt made it out that way.

I'll be in touch man...thanks again for the info.

[blackhawk]

Welcome to the fun!!!!

No you don't have to wait a year to make a bow,unless you leave it as thick split staves....IMO it is best to chase a heartwood ring on locust...I've seen a few rare exceptions of sapwood backed bows...but have seen many more fail trying than succeed,and no one who has had success with a sap backed one follows up with how many arrows and such,n still being shot lots,and alive...if you chase your ring,then reduce it to near bow dimensions to a semi stiff floor tiller,then set it in a warmish dry place for a few weeks(the time will depend upon the conditions its stored in)it'll be ready to go....seal the back...then weight the stave and record it...when it stops losing weight record that then let it sit for a quarter of the time it took to stop losing weight,and then weigh it again and check it to make sure its still the same weight...locust does not like to be bent with too high of moisture content(it'll wanna fret)...locusts also does well to a lighter heat tempering..but don't worry about that yet...just focus on getting some wood dry,and then more importantly learning g how to tiller....good luck!!! And keep reading and asking questions here

Oh...and my advice will cost you those yew slabs after you head up there and pick them up ...lol

[IdahoMatt]

Welcome to PA.  as you can see you came to the right place.  Any question you have will generally be answered quite quickly so don't hesitate with any.   

[burn em up chuck]

  welcome, you can't only make one.

                            chuck

[mikekeswick]

Great advice above.
The deal with seasoning wood is the thinner it is the quicker it will dry.
So cut a tree, split into staves and  then reduce down to floor tiller. Obviously because the wood is green you can't bend it far without damaging it so just go slowly and remember that a green floortillered stave will stiffen a fair amount by the time it's dry.
It's perfectly possible to make a good durable bow from a freshly cut tree in 3 weeks.
Wood is dry enough when shavings are crunchy underfoot. 
Good luck.

[PAHunter]

Welcome to the fun!  Board bows are a great way to get some experience without having to season the wood.  Have fun!

[BOWMAN53]

welcome. im in the bay area, dublin/pleasanton area. like bubby said, your a few hours away from both of us and we will both help you out. all though non of my wood is seasoned either.

[George Tsoukalas]

Any question that were not answered above will be answered here.
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/index.html
Jawge

[bubby]

here's a decent board bow build the dimensions will work even with all hand toolshttp://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,35312.0.html

[Pawlee D]

Bubby can you post that link again please?

[bubby]

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,35312.0.html
it's on page 4 in the how to's