Craftsmanship > Traditional Archery and Accoutrements

In Search of Bow Woods

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Fletcher:
From the Maple Syrup thread comes the discussion of trading (or finding) bow woods:

There has been quite a bit of interest the last few years in primitive bows, and the materials to make them.

Top of the line and top of the price are Osage Orange and Pacific Yew.  Pacific Yew has always been in western North America, Osage was introduced (southeast first I think) but early enough that the natives used it.

Other varieties of wood were used that are not worth mentioning because they do not last long enough to make a good durable bow.

Local woods that are worth looking for are Hickory, White Ash, Red Oak and Black Locust in the eastern states.

There is less to choose from in the western states, like Vine Maple or Ocean Spray.  There has been some White Ash planted in the west but conversations have it that it is not the same quality of bow wood as the indigenous from the east.

I am always wanting to try new materials, although I have had great success with hickory.  It is durable and makes a better bow that White Ash or Red Oak for about the same price.

I really want to try Black Locust if I can find someone to sell or trade.

A good bow stave is cut from the clear bottom log of a tree from 6" to 8" in diameter.  That will yield from 4 to 6 stave pieces.  Smaller trees will make bows, but they will tend to be 'wimpier' and more prone to string follow.  You know; young and tender - old and tough!!!

A length can be anywhere from 56" to 72" and yield a good bow.  Green tree cuts should be bound together and dried in a flat stack for 3 to 4 months or better before working.  Some like to dry with bark on and some with bark off.  I won't argue either way but I prefer bark off since the log is so much easier to peel!

After 3 to 4 months drying I cut the stave to rough proportions and dry some more.  Some bowyers hold out for 2 years or more before working the wood to really cure and seal.  Once again I prefer to work it after less than 6 months drying since it is way easier to work.  Then I can dry the stave to 80% or 90% in a 'stove pipe dryer' and speed up the process.  I won't argue that those who wait longer and work the wood harder don't make a superior product.  Their bows often sell from $250 to much higher.  By 'cutting some corners' I can keep the cost under $120 or less.

My aim is to get folks shooting without a huge initial cost.  They can work up to the spendy if they wish later.  I also like to teach bow making and the easier the wood to work, the faster people learn.

Also, if a piece of wood 'blows', and they will, the new bowyer is not as frustrated as when laying out a lot more $$ for the cost of the wood.

ps - Lightseeker or anyone else, got a line on that Black Locust to sell or trade???

Thanks

Fletch
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LightSeeker:
Fletcher,
  Why as a matter of fact I do, as my father is a lumber broker and deals with sawmills all day long- he can get special cuts, but because locust is so hard, he may have to ask several mills before we get what we want.  Now that IU know what you need, we can probably work something out.  So what are the actual dimensions you want? I do think we can get your needs met!

Fletcher:
Bows can be made from hardwood lumber that is plain sawn.  Better bows are made from stave cut logs that allow the bowyer to follow the growth rings.  By leaving a full ring on the back of the bow and tapering the wood to the belly, the bow is less likely to split, will retain more energy and is less likely to string follow.

Certain bows like Pacific Yew and Osage also work best when some outer ring (sapwood) is left and the belly is of the heartwood.

I do not know too well the characteristics of the Black Locust.

The secret to making a good bow from lumber is enough thickness in the stock and straightness of the grain cut to be able to shave down to a single growth ring over the entire length.

I will have to read up on Black Locust to find out the growth characteristics.

BEAVERMAN:
Fletcher, sounds like the house is getting close to completion and the shop will finally have some room for you to get back to work!

R.M.:
Fletch, correct me if I'm wrong, but is it not prefered to have your blanks split instead of cut?  I'm just going from memory here. I seem to recall this talk a while back about the osage staves.

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