Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Scrub_buck on February 20, 2010, 11:59:56 pm
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Went on a bow wood run today with a friend and found a small black walnut. After getting it down, I realized the heartwood was not that big. B Wal is a heartwood bow right, or can the sapwood be used???
Thanks in advance
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The wood right under the bark is what you want. Treat BW like a whitewood.
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Thanks Pat! I think you have chimed in on every question I have asked on this forum. I appreciate your help!
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On a Small Piece like that...use both Sap and Heartwood...on a Larger Tree...you can get Piggyback Staves from them...and the Inside Stave will be all Black Heartwood.....I like them both...good wood....JMO
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It takes a pretty big tree to get enough heartwood to build a all heartwood bow. All the BW I've seen has had very thick sapwood.
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Thanks Pat! I think you have chimed in on every question I have asked on this forum. I appreciate your help!
Pat is certainly not a know-it-all, but that guy knows pert near everything about bowmaking. I know for a fact I have gleaned a lot of hard won tips from his postings. He's also a great guy to do a trade with, he really did me right on the one trade I did with him.
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I hope I didn't get too aggressive with this walnut. It was so straight grained and easy to split, I ended up getting it down to bow sized staves easily. I ended up halfing each quarter to produce 8 staves.
I was already done when I realized that the advice for elm was to let it dry some in bigger pieces to keep it from twisting up badly when it was drying. Hopefully this walnut will be more of a gentleman while it is drying and stay relatively straight. The staves average 3 inches across the back.... perfect.
Scrub
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Looks like some great stuff. You can always floor tiller one then clmp it down to form and let it dry. I did that and had a bow in about 60 days. After 30 days on the form i brough it inside and set it over the heat vent in my house.
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wanna trade a piece for anything Scrub? :)
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gorgeous staves- good luck, scrub_Buck!
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Scrub, walnut is usually pretty well behaved when drying. It's not nearly as bad to warp and twist as some woods. The tree has to have some age on it before it builds up much heartwood.
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Mmmmm. That BW looks tasty... I love the sharp contrast between the heartwood and outerwood. You might cut off some of that heart for strips to make tips, handles, and nocks. That would look stunning. :)
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profsaffel:
That is an excellent idea. Maybe that heartwood will be some currency for trading too.
Thanks,
Scrub
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Srub,
If you are up for any trading PM me. I wouldnt mind working a piece of that BW.
Great looking wood and good split job.
Tell
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great BW staves, that sap wood is pretty forgiving too. have alotta fun!
sky