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Author Topic: Maple for board bows  (Read 6509 times)

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Offline dane lund

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Maple for board bows
« on: March 19, 2015, 09:03:13 am »
Gentlemen,

I've see.no maple used as a backer, and vine maple for self bows and was wondering........

I build Penn/Ky longrifles, mostly out of sugar Maple.  Acer Saccharim.

My question is.... Will it make a good selfbow/board bow? 
If boards, how should it be sawn?

Your help greatly appreciated.
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Offline Pat B

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Re: Maple for board bows
« Reply #1 on: March 19, 2015, 09:07:52 am »
Marc St Louis just posted a maple backed osage recurve yesterday and there are lots of examples of maple(sugar) and vine maple selfbows here on PA.
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Offline make-n-break

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Re: Maple for board bows
« Reply #2 on: March 19, 2015, 09:40:57 am »
Use any search engine and type "maple board bow". You'll find hundreds of examples, many of which will direct you to Primitive Archer and Paleo Planet. Makes a great bow. Easy to work, light weight and good cast.
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Offline PatM

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Re: Maple for board bows
« Reply #3 on: March 19, 2015, 09:51:48 am »
Just don't try to use fancy gunstock material for a bow. The grain has to be straight.
 Maple is one of the best woods you can find for a bow.
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Offline Knoll

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Re: Maple for board bows
« Reply #4 on: March 19, 2015, 10:39:35 am »
I'm a crappy bow builder.  But made quite a respectable longbow from a maple board.   It's my daily shooter.

Straight grain, imo, is key.
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Offline bubby

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Re: Maple for board bows
« Reply #5 on: March 19, 2015, 11:01:27 am »
Yup maple makes a great bow i did a build a long in the how too's with a maple board
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Offline dane lund

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Re: Maple for board bows
« Reply #6 on: March 19, 2015, 12:06:52 pm »
There are many species of maple.  Can I assume that sugar maple (the hardest/most dense) is the best?
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Offline bubby

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Re: Maple for board bows
« Reply #7 on: March 19, 2015, 12:19:09 pm »
That's what i use
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Offline Badger

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Re: Maple for board bows
« Reply #8 on: March 19, 2015, 12:21:22 pm »
  I will sometimes buy flat sawn hard maple and chase a ring on it turning it into a stave. Not real hard to find straight grained maple boards. Maple makes great self bows.
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Offline paoliguy

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Re: Maple for board bows
« Reply #9 on: March 19, 2015, 12:35:32 pm »
I'm not pro but the best board bow I've ever made was maple from a big box store. I've been shooting it for a couple of years now and still enjoy it.
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Offline Wooden Spring

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Re: Maple for board bows
« Reply #10 on: March 19, 2015, 04:56:43 pm »
I own "The Gunsmith of Grenville County" and have drooled over it for years...  I SO would love to be able to do what you do...
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Offline dylanholderman

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Re: Maple for board bows
« Reply #11 on: March 19, 2015, 07:57:37 pm »
I've made three maple selfbows from staves my personal one settled in at about 70lb after shooting it in, i have also found it to like heat treating helps with set. if you use a board it may not be as important sense it will be kiln dried, i'm in wet humid ohio so that plays a part i would think. 
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Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: Maple for board bows
« Reply #12 on: March 20, 2015, 10:16:41 am »
Yes, it will. Jawge
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Offline dane lund

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Re: Maple for board bows
« Reply #13 on: March 20, 2015, 10:47:04 am »
Probably not the right place to post this, but this is the last one I finished. Very dense piece of sugar maple.  Was hoping to use some of the cut offs from these planks for bows.


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Offline paco664

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  • ok,ok.. i might have done it...
Re: Maple for board bows
« Reply #14 on: March 20, 2015, 12:45:41 pm »
holy cow thats pretty...
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