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Sudbury Style Oak Board Bow 57lb @ 26"
willie:
--- Quote ---I really did get a great board from the selection they had, it was a 6m long board that was just over 8 inches wide. The grain was nice and straight
--- End quote ---
I imagine you paid a lot for that board there. It may have been airdried or dried properly by a quality hardwod supplier before import.
https://www.fpl.fs.usda.gov/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr282/chapter_13_fpl_gtr282.pdf
--- Quote ---We do have a relatively high humidity here in NZ so that could make a difference?
--- End quote ---
care with handling and drying bow wood counts. air dried will reuptake moisture, especially in humid climates. whereas high temp heat drying can aleviate reuptake some, but can be detremental to the qualities we look for in bow wood. most redoak species are similar and I think good handling trumps the minor differences between species. white oak and its varities are somewhat different.
Pat B:
American red oak has taught many wanna be bowyers how to build a wood bow. :OK The quality of that red oak depends on how it was handled from the stump to the sales counter. At big box stores the quality of the red oak, for bow building varies considerably. Hand picking at the big box stores is more critical. At specialty lumber stores the quality is better but it is up to you and the manager to pick out the right board.
I've cut red oak(Quarcus rubra) saplings here on our property and that wood was so much more bow worthy than anything I can buy. Most commercial lumber is cut for the building trade or furniture, not necessarily for bending and recovering like we need for building bows...but, it gives the wanna be bowyer a cheap and easy way to build a bow. Once that process is made comfortable other wood options can be considered.
They, that is a fine example of a primitive bow, the kind of bow I prefer. :OK
sleek:
The fact that you made that nice a bow from red oak tells me you are going to be a fantastic bowyer. Red oak is a trial by fire wood. You try it, then its fire wood. I dont recommend it to anyone its so bad. Somehow you got this beautiful bow from it, and color me impressed. If you can get hickory, id suggest you switch to that, but if you can do that we'll with what you got, heck, stick with it. Darn nice bow from a mislabeled beginner wood.
Threy Cameron:
--- Quote from: willie on November 07, 2025, 09:18:27 pm ---
--- Quote ---I really did get a great board from the selection they had, it was a 6m long board that was just over 8 inches wide. The grain was nice and straight
--- End quote ---
I imagine you paid a lot for that board there. It may have been airdried or dried properly by a quality hardwod supplier before import.
https://www.fpl.fs.usda.gov/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr282/chapter_13_fpl_gtr282.pdf
--- Quote ---We do have a relatively high humidity here in NZ so that could make a difference?
--- End quote ---
care with handling and drying bow wood counts. air dried will reuptake moisture, especially in humid climates. whereas high temp heat drying can aleviate reuptake some, but can be detremental to the qualities we look for in bow wood. most redoak species are similar and I think good handling trumps the minor differences between species. white oak and its varities are somewhat different.
--- End quote ---
It certainly wasn't cheap alright but I'm a big believer of getting what you pay for so I'd much rather prefer to get some quality material and pay a bit extra for it. The company I bought it off are a really well known brand here in NZ called BBS timbers they are known for being pricey but having great stock and variety. They do handle their stock very well and seal the ends to prevent splitting, got their site here if you wanted a look: https://bbstimbers.co.nz/timber-species
I've also heard that heat treating helps alleviate the reuptake of moisture too though haven't tested it myself. I usually seal them with up to seven coats of Linseed oil to help in that regard. I am wondering if different oil types would help with moisture better here though I haven't had much issue with Linseed so far.
I'd definitely agree that handling and gentle tillering provides the most chance of success, plus going for a safer design rather than highly stressed. Unless of course you're dealing with Osage or another wood that you know can take the stress. I am wanting to try White Oak sometime soon as I've heard its much more durable than reds with the pores being plugged and able to handle more bow designs.
Threy Cameron:
--- Quote from: Pat B on November 08, 2025, 01:52:33 am ---American red oak has taught many wanna be bowyers how to build a wood bow. :OK The quality of that red oak depends on how it was handled from the stump to the sales counter. At big box stores the quality of the red oak, for bow building varies considerably. Hand picking at the big box stores is more critical. At specialty lumber stores the quality is better but it is up to you and the manager to pick out the right board.
I've cut red oak(Quarcus rubra) saplings here on our property and that wood was so much more bow worthy than anything I can buy. Most commercial lumber is cut for the building trade or furniture, not necessarily for bending and recovering like we need for building bows...but, it gives the wanna be bowyer a cheap and easy way to build a bow. Once that process is made comfortable other wood options can be considered.
They, that is a fine example of a primitive bow, the kind of bow I prefer. :OK
--- End quote ---
Fully agree that sourcing is 90% of the work, choosing that right board can really make all the difference. I got mine from a specialty lumber yard since the majority of the big stores here only have pine which is trash for pretty much everything except framing. BBS timbers is the companies name, their well known here in NZ for their variety.
It's been an interesting experience working with boards as I usually work from staves though the bow wood quality here with the NZ natives leaves a lot to be desired at times. I am trying to get my hands on some imported exotics growing here, I'm in the process of contacting local arborists to see if I can strike a deal with them.
I appreciate the encouraging comments it means a lot. Cheers
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