Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: lesken2011 on April 02, 2014, 09:28:26 am
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I hired a guy with a portable saw mill to mill some lumber from a large fallen osage tree last spring. I check out his lumber ads from time to time and noticed he has a bunch of "southern red cedar", right now. He says it is aromatic cedar which I assume is the juniper variety similar to ERC. Do any of you have any experience with this wood? I could probably pick through his stack for some prime pieces. Also if it is green, do I seal the ends like osage and how long does it take for it to season? If it is good for bows, I will probably pick up some 1X lumber.
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Some folks call juniperus virginiana aka eastern red cedar by a few names of Tennessee red cedar(or just Tennessee cedar),aromatic cedar,red cedar,southern red cedar,and who knows what else....but I'm betting he means ERC Kenny....call n ask him to confirm it...n by the way its not a cedar at all but a juniper
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It has to be ERC Kenny, we don't have any juniper growing in our area.
If you get a board I suggest you back it with a thin strip of hickory.
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Blackhawk, I just got off the phone with him and asked him that very question whether it was actually a juniper rather than a cedar. To tell you the truth, I don't think he knows the difference. Would the aromatic smell be the determining factor? I will post some pics, so maybe you guys can tell me.
Eric, I figured I would back it with hard maple, but wasn't sure if it would hold up to hickory or not.
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Its funny how folks who "know" woods and saw it don't actually know the real name of a wood, and only call and know it by its local nickname...its gotta be ERC...does he mainly just saw up local woods n such? If its red n purple heartwood its ERC..
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Here is a pic of the stack of lumber and another pic he included of a table he made from another slab he cut. What do you think?
(http://traditionalbowman.com/hwdphotos/uploads/62/5/sredcedar1.jpg)
(http://traditionalbowman.com/hwdphotos/uploads/62/5/sredcedar2.jpg)
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Yup....Eastern red cedar!!! 8). Do you like playing with fire and explosives!!!!! >:D
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That's some nice wood
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Is the stuff really that volatile? I thought it was great in compression?!? It is so pretty, I have to try some.
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Hahaha!!! :laugh: too some it is...but its been really good to me,and I've had great success with the wood...from sinew,hickory,rawhide,and a white oak backed one...the only time it broke on me was when the backing strip(white oak) broke in tension and it came apart in pieces..just happened a few weeks ago...but it was not the erc's fault...but the wood I've used has always been from a tree either harvested by me or another bowyer and properly selected to suit our needs,and not some piece of furniture etc...
And many of us have been lured by that sexy red headed temptress..good luck!!! >:D I haven't tried maple yet on it,but I have used maple on other bows and I think the maple wood work really well with it,and IMO prob better than hickory for it.
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I may slip down there sometime this week and pick me up one of them "furniture" ::) boards and see what I can come up with!
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It's definitely ERC Kenny. Look for the cleanest, straightest and highest RPI pieces. When you get to making the bow, remember that it takes a lot more ERC to make a bow than most woods. Meaning your dimensions are gonna be bigger. Are you gonna make it to the classic this year? Josh
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I just put up to dry a stack of quarter sawn ERC. Mine is not quite so pretty of a picture as the wood you have there, but you will want to be careful what you select to purchase for bow making. I suspect that the grain orientation and degree and placement of knot content will be critical to your success. Though it is rumored that ERC can be made into a self bow, I'm not brave enough to try it. <insert cowardly lion face here> I intend to re-saw mine into some lams and back them with various good tension woods.
OneBow
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It is gonna be tougher to make it, this year, Josh, but I am trying to swing it. Congrats on your prize! I thought sure I was due for a change. I hope to see you up there again this year and all the rest of the guys. Should I treat the erc as a white wood as far as dimensions?
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Have your sawyer cut the wood to 2" thick. It will be more stable as it dries and you can always re-saw it later....and seal the ends well.
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The biggest dimensional difference that you will have is thickness. ERC has very low bend resistance so it has to be a lot thicker to make draw weight. I still mess em up by getting them too thin when I'm roughing them out. I haven't hard backed one, so I don't know how that effects the final dimensions. One of the fellas that makes laminates will have to answer that. I hope to see you at the classic. As it stands right now, its pretty iffy on whether or not I will make it as well. Josh
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What about the length? I generally like my stiff handled bows around 66 inches tip to tip and bendy handles about 60. Any problem with those? Width about 1.75 to 2 in?
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On a backed bow both lengths should be OK. Two inches might be a bit too wide.
You can also make a good bow using the sapwood either as the back or by itself. I shot an all sapwood ERC ELB a few years ago that shot great. It pulled about 45#.
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Thanks, Pat. I generally shoot between 40 to 55 lbs. No heavy weight bows for me. 1.5 to 1.75 width best for little set?
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I might add , put up the rasps and rough work tools early.cedar will take deep toolmarks easy.
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I might add , put up the rasps and rough work tools early.cedar will take deep toolmarks easy.
+1
I've already made that error on some ERC projects I've working on. :-\ :-\ :-\ :'(
OneBow
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Start at 1.75" and if it starts getting too thin while tillering recuse the width a bit.
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Thanks, Pat. That sounds like it will work. Hopefully I can find some that I don't have to wait too long for it to season.
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I've considered getting a box of incense cedar and seeing if I could get some lam material out of it