Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: DC on November 19, 2016, 06:33:02 pm
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Can I get two siyahs from a crook? I can see where it would be ideal to take one off the inside of the crook but how about one from 11 o'clock and one from 1 o'clock(if you get my drift). I made a crude drawing looking at the end of the crook. I'm wondering about having to remove wood from what would be the back of the siyah in order to make it flat. I've read that if doesn't bend it won't break but there has to be a limit to that.
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I've been looking for a good boomerang. No luck so far.
Maybe from a flared buttress stump could work. Where the roots meet the bole at ground level might be 90 degrees.
Like what they used in old wooden ship building for the ribs...
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Some of the old writings state that was how they procured them a natural bend
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Yes you can do that.
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I was planning on using the underside of where a limb comes out. Kinda like a trees armpit ;). But I'll take what I can find. I was just concerned that I would have to find two roughly the same. I'm OK now, thanks Pat
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I've done it quite a few times on my hornbows and wooden recurves. The beauty of this method is that the wood hasn't been weakened by the steam/boiling and you generally only need to tweak the shape so there is little to no chance of breaking them. I've been meaning to make a recurve with some pieces I got and accentuated the curve on...115 deg statics anyone :)
Better to split the wood along the 3 to 6 line and get one from the 'top' half and one from the 'bottom'. Make sure there is no pith in the recurves and go for a branch about 4 inches across as a minimum.
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I've done it quite a few times on my hornbows and wooden recurves. The beauty of this method is that the wood hasn't been weakened by the steam/boiling and you generally only need to tweak the shape so there is little to no chance of breaking them. I've been meaning to make a recurve with some pieces I got and accentuated the curve on...115 deg statics anyone :)
Better to split the wood along the 3 to 6 line and get one from the 'top' half and one from the 'bottom'. Make sure there is no pith in the recurves and go for a branch about 4 inches across as a minimum.
Errr, do you mean the 3 to 9 oclock line Mike?
Del
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How about splitting it 12 to 6 and taking one from either side. You would have edge grained siyahs, is that a bad thing?
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Wood is stiffer in that orientation.
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thats the way to do it...find a natural knot free bend, of the angle you;re looking for in a branch of 5 or 6" diameter and cut out 2 siyahs from side by side in the branch...I've done it a few times and it works well...it gives you elegant thin siyahs that are very strong....
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OK now what kind of wood. Spruce is lightest, strongest apparently but all the spruce around here is huge and straight. Big leaf maple is a more likely source. Am I right in thinking that almost anything would work since it doesn't have to bend.
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I have had luck harvesting pacific crabapple for boomerangs. It has naturally crooked limbs sometimes. Should grow where you live...
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There is lots Of Pac Crab here. Most of it is half way between crook wood and bow wood :( :(. I'll go looking as soon as it stops raining. The guy up the street is building this huge blunt ended boat. I wonder if he knows something ;) ;)
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Two days ago one of my neighbours was removing a White Oak tree> I was Johnny on the spot and scooped a so-so stave for a bow. I was real proud of myself for not missing an opportunity for once. It just occurred to me, that tree was probably full of potential siyahs. :( :(
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I made siyahs from this ERC bifurcation that I will be posting the bow soon. Seemed like the branch just wanted to be used that way so I obliged and it seems fine so far. They have a slight unevenness due to one being 11 oclock and other 1 oclock but I put hide over a bone chip nock and horn under so I don't think it mattered much.
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Ribs for a number of classic wooden boats (adirondack guide boats in particular come to mind) were made using a natural crook. They used the crook of the root of the northern white cedar IIRC.
Anyway, they would take a slab of a few inches thick, and shape it to the curve they wanted, and then saw it into four slices that would be near identical, 2 ribs per side, bow and stern (these were double ended boats).
Anyway, that's what I would do. Make one thick siyah to the curve you want, then saw it down the midddle into two matching siyahs.
Start looking for trees that have trunks that flare out abruptly near the ground.
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DC....You can accentuate the set back of your siyahs even more by glueing it in at more of an angle yet when you V splice glue it into the limb too.If your siyahs are thick enough to angle them more that is.You probably realize this though too.
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The difficulty here is finding the dern things. I've changed from looking for straight wood to looking for crooked wood and I've pretty much struck out. This is the land of tall straight trees. I've got another group of Crabapple to look at but it's raining again.