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Elm limb?

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bassman211:
American elm saplings is what I used to make 6 last winter. Four turned out nice, and 2 cracked from tiny knots on the back after heavy heat treat. The ones that made it all have long reflexed tips, and yes they are thicker, and wider  compared to some other woods, but shoot just fine. After working with different white woods over the years it has become my favorite white wood. Inter locking grain makes it hard to split. I use a chain saw to split it.  My son owns 60 acres , so I have a good supply of it. From now on the only woods I will make a bow from will be Osage when i can find a good piece, black locust which can be be easily gotten in my area, and elm.

Mad Max:
Bowyers Bible Volume 1
1-7/8" wide

ManceJoan:
Hey Paul,
Elm is a great wood for limbs—tough, resilient, and pretty tension-tolerant. A wider limb with a thinner cross-section does help distribute stress more evenly, especially if you're aiming for an ELB-inspired profile. That said, you can go a bit narrower and thicker if you're keeping draw weight moderate and tillering carefully. Just watch for stack and hand shock.

Sounds like a fun project—would love to see how it turns out!

sleek:
Hey Paul, that answer depends greatly on the species of elm you have. More specifically even, its specific gravity, but species itself will get you close. When in doubt, go wide. If you tell me what species elm, how long you want the bow to be, and what poundage you want I will tell you exactly how wide to make it.

Mad Max:

--- Quote from: sleek on May 20, 2025, 02:54:59 pm ---Hey Paul, that answer depends greatly on the species of elm you have. More specifically even, its specific gravity, but species itself will get you close. When in doubt, go wide. If you tell me what species elm, how long you want the bow to be, and what poundage you want I will tell you exactly how wide to make it.

--- End quote ---

Not trying to hijack the topic.
I have Winged elm, can you give me that  information ? 45 to 50 lb. I would make my bow 64" to 68" NTN :)

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