Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Muskyman on September 16, 2022, 07:14:35 pm
-
How can I tell the difference between hard and soft maple?
I live in Ohio and we have lots of maples around. I looked online and all I really found was how to tell after it’s cut. Don’t really want to cut down my maple trees on a hunch. Have one at the end of my driveway that I been looking at. It’s probably 8 to 10 feet before the first limbs and probably 8 to 10 inches in diameter.
Guess I should ask if you guys think it makes a good bow or not. I also have a elm tree I can cut down.
Plenty of hickory around also.
Let me know what you think
Thanks
-
My thoughts, cut the hickory and run with it provided its straight and rather clean. I have all 3 in the rafters but usually look past maple and elm to use hickory.
In general soft maple will be silver or red maple, hard maple will be sugar(most here call it rock maple I think), even Norway maples. A good field guide will help or you could find the info on line, but in general the leaf shape will be an easy way to tell the difference. Hard maple seems to be a very snappy wood but I have had it fail under tension around the slightest problems with the grain.
Elm...2 general types, red and white. I can split red elm by hand but white has interlocking grain to the point I will always use a saw and cut out staves. Its my understanding from reading that most prefer white and dont consider red much of a bow wood but some of my better elm has been red but always have had some user error when working with it lol. The white elm I have harvested is a bit light. I have a white elm bow that I did everything but put a finish on thats been sitting by my computer here for a year. Its average I suppose but started other projects after shooting it in. However I got an elm bow in the bow trade a few years ago thats outstanding, I'll put a pic below. I think that wood was harvested in northern Canada.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49035556862_8269ecf5f4_w.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/gp/158435722@N02/04K4EQgQ2Z)IMG_3227 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/158435722@N02/04K4EQgQ2Z) by Mike Allridge (https://www.flickr.com/photos/158435722@N02/), on Flickr
If you have a rack full of bows try maple or elm. I'd like nothing more than to make a good elm or maple bow from wood I harvested and It can be or has been done. I like when people post white wood bows here. Just use good dimensions for the material you have. You may also have black locust, another excellent bow wood or even osage grows in the southern part of the state I hear. However if you dont have many bows under your belt hickory I think its the best bet because its more consistent material from the 3 you mentioned. Hope that helps you out some.
Mike
-
Thanks Mike, I’ve done a few bows from hickory and have one I clamped to a caul, I think that’s the right term for a form I made. It’s almost to floor tiller. It’s been clamped for a few weeks now and I’m going to force dry it in the next few days. Already on the prowl for another hickory tree to harvest but I saw the maple and thought I saw some posts on here about someone making a bow with hard maple. I’m getting ready to cut down a Osage tree my neighbor has said I can have that I think has some good staves in it. From what I have read I’ll need to let it dry for about a year so I’m looking for other trees to make staves from. Ones I’m not afraid to force dry and try to work on. Trying to include a picture of the hickory I made. I’ve worked on the tiller since the photo..I’ll probably find another hickory tree to harvest and use it to keep practicing till I can get my Osage down and dried out. Thanks again for your thoughts.
-
By the way, that’s a nice looking bow. Is it stained?
-
You can also tell by the bark. Soft, red maple has a smooth bark and sugar or hard maple has a scaly bark. I think silver maple has a scaly bark too but it is a soft maple. Leaves would be your best ID. The Canadian flag has a sugar maple leaf on it.
-
Thanks Pat, I’ll take a look at the bark and the leaves next time I’m out.
-
Be careful Muskyman, collecting staves can become habit forming :) But after a bit of collecting you may not need to speed dry because you will have seasoned staves ready to go anytime. Nice looking start on that hickory bow you got there.
That pic is from a elm bow from bushboy. And yes its stained green. Can't say enough about it, its a top notch molly style.
An 8-10" silver maple should have scaly bark, almost like shagbark hickory, but the leaves make it easy to tell apart from sugar. I'd say if you determine its sugar maple then have at it. If it was me I'd cut the elm also with the understanding that elm can be very variable in quality. Several old posts on here that talk about that. Good luck with the osage harvest.
Mike
-
I finally stopped to look at my maple tree and after looking it over, to my surprise it’s not a maple. It is surrounded by maples but appears to be a hickory tree. It has a long nice straight trunk about 10 feet and another good looking section on up the tree. Thought sure it was a maple but no..
-
Oh drat! It's "only" a hickory!
-
I finally stopped to look at my maple tree and after looking it over, to my surprise it’s not a maple. It is surrounded by maples but appears to be a hickory tree. It has a long nice straight trunk about 10 feet and another good looking section on up the tree. Thought sure it was a maple but no..
Oh, that's a bummer. :'( If you can't stand the heartbreak, just split that dratted hickory up into staves and send them to me so you don't have to look at them anymore.
-
Well wrong again. Got out the binoculars and then took some photos of the leaves and it might be some kind of oak. Any opinions
-
Another picture
-
And another. Trying to get a good one
-
Maybe a chestnut oak? Not real common around here.
On a happier note I did find another shag bark in the same area..
-
Leaves look elm-ish to me
-
Here’s a picture of the bark
-
There are 3 or 5 oaks that have lobes shaped like that. My 1st thought was yellow oak. Regardless its an oak in the white oak side of the genus. Chestnut oak has a very thick almost cork like bark in appearance . See a fair amount of chestnut oak at the fire wood processor come out of the ridge tops from loggers.
Mike
-
It looks like a chestnut oak. I started my bow making with it. It makes a decent selfbow, but not great. Possibly better than maple. Do not leave it on the ground too long after cutting it down.