Author Topic: Favorite bow wood?  (Read 12199 times)

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Offline Bevan R.

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Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #30 on: December 30, 2010, 09:08:15 pm »
I like pine.  Knotty white pine with lots of insect damage.  Yup.  Osage step aside...

Would that be sapwood or just heartwood? >:D
Bowmakers are a little bent, but knappers are just plain flaky.

Offline John K

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Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #31 on: December 30, 2010, 09:25:29 pm »
FREE  :D
The only way to fail is to never start !

Offline sailordad

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Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #32 on: December 30, 2010, 10:15:24 pm »
ok ive eaten my popcorn  ;D

now ive given it some thought and.......

i like hhb best,but i also like osage and hickory equaly between the two but not as much as hhb
very close but hhb gets the nod for my favorite
it makes a great bow,but seems a little lighter in the hand than and osage or hick bow of same demensions and draw weight
i always wanted a harley,untill it became the "thing to ride"
i ride because i love to,not to be part of the crowd

Offline longbower64

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Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #33 on: December 30, 2010, 10:45:09 pm »
Most the wood I get comes where someone is clear cutting so I get a bit of Dogwood Hickory and Oak in my area. But I get whatever they dont sell. My buddy calls it collecting junk yard staves LOL

Offline Hrothgar

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Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #34 on: December 30, 2010, 11:16:26 pm »
Have tried most of the main bow woods except yew, guess I would have to go with osage to shoot; ash to stain; hickory for its forgivingness; and locust for its smell; and any cured wood wood that's available.  :-\
" To be, or not to be"...decisions, decisions, decisions.

Offline Eric Garza

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Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #35 on: December 30, 2010, 11:34:14 pm »
Would that be sapwood or just heartwood? >:D

Sapwood all the way, sir.  2 inch wide handle, 6 inches at the fades, 30 pounds and 28 inch draw, 123 inches, nock-to-nock... 

Offline iowabow

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Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #36 on: December 31, 2010, 01:07:07 pm »
osage!  back yard is full of it
(:::.) The ABO path is a new frontier to the past!

Offline Cameroo

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Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #37 on: December 31, 2010, 03:23:42 pm »

Sapwood all the way, sir.  2 inch wide handle, 6 inches at the fades, 30 pounds and 28 inch draw, 123 inches, nock-to-nock... 

Sounds like a real sweet shooter!

Offline Gordon

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Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #38 on: December 31, 2010, 07:43:59 pm »
Yew, osage and vine maple in that order.
Gordon

Offline NTProf

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Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #39 on: December 31, 2010, 10:42:50 pm »
Thanks everyone. I like to try different kinds of wood, but just wanted to know what everybody's  "go to wood" was. It seems that osage is a top contender. I don't have access to osage (don't have money to purchase buy it and have it shipped) and I do not have power tools, so that also restricts my options.

Offline sailordad

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Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #40 on: January 01, 2011, 12:39:33 am »
oh  my " go to wood "
thats differant than my favorite woods
my go to is hickory
cause its easiest for me to aquire
i always wanted a harley,untill it became the "thing to ride"
i ride because i love to,not to be part of the crowd

Offline iowabow

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Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #41 on: January 01, 2011, 08:16:39 am »
You don't need power tools to build a bow with osage just time. I built my first two bows with an ax and a steak knife as a scraper. I read in TBB that a bandsaw was the must have tool so I bought one and made 4 more bows from osage. If you get a band saw don't go small get a larger one. It was fun making a bow from a hand ax but it was a workout.
(:::.) The ABO path is a new frontier to the past!

Offline Gordon

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Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #42 on: January 01, 2011, 12:23:19 pm »
No need for power tools if you have a good and sharp hatchet.
Gordon

Offline Sparrow

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Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #43 on: January 01, 2011, 01:20:02 pm »
Good sharp hatchet is fun too. Makes me feel like I could build a bow anywhere,anytime.Of course, mistakes can really make you want to cry.  '  Frank
Frank (The Sparrow) Pataha, Washington

Grunt

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Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #44 on: January 01, 2011, 02:10:45 pm »
I don't get out much so I have never used Osage,yew,vine maple,HHB,etc. I have built about 70 bows mostly white and red oak,sugar maple, hickory, backed board bows, BBI re/de laminated bows and black locust, cherry, and hickory self bows. I guess I got to get out more and snag some osage logs or staves. The wood I like the most is the one I am working on at the moment.
Right now it is black locust saplings,BB hickory in a Perry reflex, and a wild cherry stave.
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