Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: osage outlaw on May 09, 2013, 10:09:45 pm
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Does anybody know what this shrub is? Is it good bow wood? I have cut a couple small pieces of it and have them drying.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Snapbucket/F71E26C1.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Snapbucket/8DDC1520.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Snapbucket/5661E927.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Snapbucket/59DDB82E.jpg)
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Don't have my glasses on but looks like autumn olive based on form and leaves that I have over here. Give it a go Clint
Forgot to say that I cut some for arrow shafts as well.
Tracy
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Thanks Tracy. I just googled it. I don't remember seeing any red berries on them. I'll have to watch for them this fall.
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Is it pretty thorny Clint? Autumn Olive has alot of thorns. Everywhere theres a twig coming off the branch, there's a thorn within a half inch or so. If it is Autumn Olive, I tried it once last year and it didn't fair well in tension. I have another piece to try eventually. Good luck, Josh
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I didn't notice any thorns on it Josh.
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If it was Autumn Olive, you would have noticed. ;) It does resemble it otherwise. The leaves look a little like wild plumb as does the bark. I'll Google it and check leaf arrangement. Josh
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I don't think its sand plum either. Plum has alternate leaves and should be loaded with white flowers right now. Sorry man, as usual, I'm no help id'ng plants. Josh
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I bet the underlying question is, "Is it bow wood?" >:D
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I was thinking Autumn Olive too.
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quess we'll find out if it will make a bow when it's dry, I have a nice pc of oleander that's ready, gonna find out if it's a better bow wood than poplar, heck almost anything is better bow wood than poplar >:DBub
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Yes, that's autumn olive, aka russian olive..
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OK. Thanks guys. I guess I'll give it a try and see what happens.
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Yes, that's autumn olive, aka russian olive..
Autumn olive is NOT the same species as Russian olive. Both are in the same genus Elaeagnus, but different species.
Looking at some pictures online, it appears to match Autumn olive, Elaeagnus umbellata. The leaves are too broad for russian olive, and the lack of thorns is a good indicator as well. I think I can see some flower buds forming in the leaf axils, but hard to say from the picture. The bark matches autumn olive as well.
I don't know if autumn olive will make a bow, but I'm confident in the ID.
Leaving such a young, green stick in the round is not a smart idea, though. It can check within days or even hours. Reduce it a bit on one side, so any checks radiating from the pith will only form on this one side you've already reduced. Seal the ends and the back, and put it somewhere to dry slowly. I personally would have left the bark on such a stick.
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I left the bark on the other piece that I cut. I figured I would try one each way and see what happens. The ends are sealed and I'll try reducing the belly side when I get home. The wood is very wet feeling. Thanks for the info.
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Id like to say its honeysuckle... but I know it isn't. the leaves are totally wrong.
Honeysuckle is a great bow wood IMO.
It is quite dense.
If this wood is dense, it will probably make a good bow.
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Russian Olive and Autumn Olive are definitely not the same. Now that I think about it the thorns were only on the bigger branches and trunk, right below and a little to the side of where the twigs and small branches protruded. The wood turned a pale yellow as it dried and tested at .83 sg when dried. Really hard and dense stuff. If you got a straight clean piece you might have better luck. My piece had a knot and thorn cluster about every four inches. Google said it is common to have thorns so that leads me to believe that not all autumn Olive has thorns. Either way, keep us posted on it Clint. Josh
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that is looks like the autumn olive we have here in tn, it really takes over has red berrys on it in fall deer love it and it makes great jelly,
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Id like to say its honeysuckle... but I know it isn't. the leaves are totally wrong.
Honeysuckle is a great bow wood IMO.
It is quite dense.
If this wood is dense, it will probably make a good bow.
Have you had success making a bow from honeysuckle?
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Clint, I was wondering the same thing about honeysuckle. I have it all over the farm. But it seems pretty brittle to me???
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Id like to say its honeysuckle... but I know it isn't. the leaves are totally wrong.
Honeysuckle is a great bow wood IMO.
It is quite dense.
If this wood is dense, it will probably make a good bow.
Have you had success making a bow from honeysuckle?
a crossbow prod. It shot well, and I still have it. I tried to back it with bamboo. the glue cracked and damaged the back.
I basically split a 2 inch wide piece 30 inches long out of a piece of it, then tied strings onto the ends. When I bamboo backed it, I did not clean or degrease either piece.
I might make a new one...
But not sure.
By the way, it drew somewhere around #50 @ 12 inches.
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Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)? I've got arrows in my quiver from some larger dia. Shoots and limbs and they fly great. The bigger stuff has a large pith in the center and seems a little on the soft side for bow, but I could be wrong. Someone here built a bow out of tree of heaven which I wouldn't have dreamed of using for a bow ;)
Tracy
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Watch that Oleander it is Toxic... 8)
-gus
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I left the handle area full thickness and thinned both limbs to about half diameter. sealed the back with shallac and another coat on the ends. I have a feeling it is going to warp on me. I might clamp it to a post. The wood was wetter than I have ever seen before.
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I know gus, I got to cut this stuff all the time
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Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)? I've got arrows in my quiver from some larger dia. Shoots and limbs and they fly great. The bigger stuff has a large pith in the center and seems a little on the soft side for bow, but I could be wrong. Someone here built a bow out of tree of heaven which I wouldn't have dreamed of using for a bow ;)
yeah I built a tree o heaven bow, I like it a hole lot better than red oak
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If I seen that here in wa. I would say willow in a second.