Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: huisme on July 23, 2013, 02:42:09 pm
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Several people want me to make bows for them in various styles, but the only woods I have a lot of in the woods out back are Oregon Ash, Black Locust, Vine Maple, and Cascara.
My problem is that I don't know what is best to make what here. I'm looking to make a few more molles, at least one paddle bow, a couple ELBs, and an assortment of what I suppose would be called character short bows.
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The wood doesn't decide the design. The design decides how much wood you need to pull it off.
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Alright, yeah. I'm sure I could pull off an ash ELB is I really wanted to, but I thought ash needed to be wider than other woods. Out of my four current woods, I have no idea which one I should use for (at least my first few) short bows, though I suppose I could deal with sub-optimal wood for a design and just go with the flow.
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Your on the right track. A narrow ash bow isn't your best plan. You need to plan around the wood your using. Ash would make a good paddle or molly as they are wide bows generally.
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Go for locust on the shortie... It will teach you to tiller ;)
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My first five bows (three survived) were BL. I didn't realize until bow number three how helpful the wood was actually being ::) Now I've got a couple dozen staves waiting to throw arrows; I just want to really know what to use what wood for.
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Where are you at in Oregon?
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I'm actually in Elma Washington. I feel a little alone out here on the peninsula, scrounging for wood and only one small hardware store that ever carries any bendable wood. I just assumed the ash that grows here and looks just like Oregon Ash in Oregon state must be Oregon Ash growing a little farther north.
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Out of the woods you listed I would use vine maple first. It's amazing stuff.
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You are thinking about it the wrong way.
Most half decent bow woods will make bows of any design. People miss point with ash as far as i'm concerned. Ash will make fine bows. The reason it takes a lot of set in a 'normal' design is that it is massively stronger in tension thasn it is in compression. Just trap the heck out of it and maybe heat treat the belly (trapping is most important) and it will take very little set - even if narrow. I made a 61 inch long, 1 inch wide bend in the handle ash flatbow for my Dad's birthday, it still holds 1 inch reflex after being strung for hours....I'm also making a 75lb ' 31inch longbow out of ash at the moment for a customer and trust me I wouldn't have wasted my time if I didn't KNOW that ash will make a fine bow.
My advice is to get the bowyers bibles read and enjoy.
In aq nutshell if you aren't sure about how a wood will behave cut up some small pieces ,dry them and do some bend testing. Also a lot of people don't understand the beauty of makeing miniture bows out of an 'unknown' to you wood. Believe me if everything is scaled a mini bow will tell you everything you need to know and will take less than 30 mins to make.
Good luck.
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Maybe you could do a short sinew backed black locust bow?
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I'd need to see the staves to know whats best for them,or what they would be capable of...got any pics?