Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Drewster on May 08, 2015, 08:27:18 pm
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A friend of mine was gifted an elm stave but has never built a bow out of elm.....and neither have I. He needs some help with how to approach the design.
1. Do you use the sap wood with an elm bow or all heart wood.......or both?
2. What length bow for a 26-27" draw length?
3. What width works well with elm?
Any other tips for working with elm would be appreciated.
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What kind of Elm? One of the White Elms will make any kind of bow.
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Pat, I don't know which kind of elm, but I'll ask him.
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Where do you live? That may answer what elm
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Pat's question is all you need to know about what kind. Is the stave mostly sapwood, or mostly heartwood?
Either will make a bow, but the "red" elms that have more heartwood are softer, scruffier, and the wood is fibrous, and not as elastic in compression. Elms with mostly white sapwood are harder and have better elasticity. Both have good tensile stength.
Just work toward a nice long, wide flatbow, or mollie, like 2" wide, and comes up to your eye. Or a 2-1/4 or wider R/D flattie or mollie that comes at least to your chin. Longer, thicker bend in the handle designs are good, too. The more heartwood you have, the more you have to fudge upwards on the numbers, and if the wood feels hard, strong, and cuts like frozen butter instead of tearing and shredding, you can fudge down a bit.
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That's great info Springbuck......thank you. I sent Bill an email and asked him about the stave. Hopefully, I'll hear from him this evening.
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Hi all, this elm stave came from southeast KY. Hope that helps.
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Sapwood or heartwood it doesn't matter. Just use the under bark surface for the back.
64 ntn.
Width around 1 3/4 to 1 7/8ths rough out.
Heat treat it :)