Traditional Muzzleloading Association

The Center of Camp => People of the Times => Topic started by: IronBull on February 27, 2009, 06:56:19 PM

Title: Size of root for ball club
Post by: IronBull on February 27, 2009, 06:56:19 PM

Ok my native friends, I dug up and cut out a sapling today. The ball root was not big enough I believe. Before I go and hack out more tree's what size sapling/tree should I be looking for? This was a wild cherry that actually needed to come down, growing about 6inches from a very large oak. There is 2 maples one about 3 to 4 inches at base of trunk in dia. the other is 6 to 8 inches in dia, they are growing about 2-3 inches apart, that might be hard to get at one with out destroying the other.

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Post by: shootrj2003 on November 15, 2010, 09:42:44 AM

Well,big enough that you can work it and finish it and have  it 2.5 to 3.5 in.[the ball].I guess there is nothing set in  stone butmore than 4'' probably starts getting weighty and smaalller  is ineffective,a warrior of huge ,muscular build might make his larger  in sync. with his size as he could handle it and it would be a real show stopper!

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Post by: shootrj2003 on November 18, 2010, 01:22:17 AM

In ""Native American Weapons'' byColin F.Taylor on page 22 it say's''a heavy weapon two feet[62cm] in length made of iron wood with a globular head 5 or 6 in. in diameter''
 Mine is about 22'' with a  3.5 in. ball,Mine feels right to me and feels like it could do the job and  its' made of apple.I was under the impression they were smaller than the book say's.I'll need to find some ironwood for the next one!

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Post by: Wilawane on February 28, 2011, 11:57:12 AM

Reseaching and looking all the info the measures for as ball part goes are something like 2-4 inches wide. last one I made the ball part is 3 inches wide!

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Post by: shootrj2003 on March 02, 2011, 10:44:25 AM

I remember this post came out about the time I was working on my ball club and I figured to add to it with pics now
(http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z370/shootrj2003/DSCN0578-1.jpg)(http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z370/shootrj2003/DSCN0579-1.jpg)(http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z370/shootrj2003/DSCN0583-1.jpg)(http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z370/shootrj2003/DSCN0581-1.jpg)As I said it's made out of apple I had it for about two years as a piece of tree root before I saw what to do with it or actually what parts to remove ! .

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Post by: greyhunter on March 02, 2011, 11:29:21 AM

Waugh, that is a nice one! You guys just had to post those pictures didntcha?Gotta check out the neighbors trees now.

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Post by: vthompson on March 04, 2011, 09:17:05 PM

I have been looking for a tree root with a ball so that I can make a club, but so far I haven't had any luck in finding one.

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Post by: Trois Castors on March 04, 2011, 09:48:43 PM

I have quite a few lilacs in the house yard.......I may pull a few in the spring and look at them.

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Post by: shootrj2003 on March 04, 2011, 11:54:14 PM

find a steep bank along a creek or road steep enough to be unstable on the suface and one with saplings growing on them,They take root on the slope but reach for the sun this eventually forms  a root ball with a sharp hook up ,when they get about 2''thick[the trunk]then pull the whole sapling root and all right out of the dirt you can get them out of cliffs also.

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Post by: Trois Castors on March 06, 2011, 08:40:09 PM

Quote from: "shootrj2003"

find a steep bank along a creek.......

Thanks for this, it will narrow down search greatly