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Elm

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Lucasade:
I've just been given some pieces of elm:









As this is the first elm I have ever knowingly laid eyes on, please could I ask your opinions whether I might get a heavy bow out of any of them?

Obviously the shorter piece will make a child's bow. The middle piece is 84" long, 4"x3" at the base and 3"x2" at the top. The other piece is 86" long (70" to the kink), 3" diameter.

Reading around it looks like I should treat it basically like ash - is this about right? And how long does it need to season for?

Thank you in advance!

Del the cat:
Middle bit looks good.
Yes, treat it like Ash, flattish belly, narrowed back, heat treated belly, keep it long.
I made one some time back, it turned out very nicely, it's on my blog if you search for Elm or Elm Warbow.
Keep the underbark surface as the back of the bow.
Leave the bark on, seal the ends give it a year to season, some people may advise you remove the bark early. Whenever you take the bark off do it V carefully to give yourself a perfect back.
Del

Lucasade:
Great - I'll take a look. Presumably I need to paint the ends of these too?

Del the cat:
Blimey you replied before I finished editing! :o
Yes paint ends... (plus 1/2" up the stave for good measure)
In the first pic there is a union (fork or big side branch) near the end of the middle bit... nearest the lower edge of the pic) that could be problematic... but weird stuff right near the tip of a bow limb can be ok as thee is so little leverage on it. Leave it full length and see what ith looks like inside when you start working it down ...
As it's a small log I'd be tempted to rough it out early allowing plenty of oversize (to allow for movement). As a minimum I'd decide where the back is and remove some wood from the belly and a little from the sides to help remove tension from the back as it dries. Say taking down to 50mm square all along. Then work it down further after about 9 months.
Some people may advise leaving it in the round... we all have different preferences.
Del

WillS:
You lucky boy! I'm jealous as heck.  That forky bit should be ok I think, I had one of them on an early yew bow I made and I ended up ploughing through it like it didn't exist and it worked out ok.  That was yew though - elm is probably a bit more fussy.  Good luck dude, post pics so I can drool over them.

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