black locust

[big-o]

First I would like to introduce myself and say hi. I am brand new here. I have been reading here for a little bit. I have a question if someone can help me. I cut some trees down in June of this year. They have been on the ground since then. There is a Black Locust that is about as big as a soft ball. My question is, does anyone think that the Black locust has cured enough for a long bow. This will be my first attempt at one. I plan on cutting to length (65") and splitting it into a stave.

[HoBow]

If they've set on the ground, I'd be careful of hidden rot.

[PeteC]

I agree with Jeff.Your taking a chance on damaged wood,but,you wont know till you get in it.Also,if you have a short draw lenght,65" would be OK.If your planning on anything over a 26" draw,you might want to go 68" for your first attempt.BL needs to be tillered well to prevent compression fractures. JMHO. God Bless

[big-o]

I was hoping for a 32' draw, at 50#'s Would it be better for at least 72" bow? How wide should the limbs be considering that length? I really appreciate the feed back.

[big-o]

I was hoping for a 32' draw, at 50#'s Would it be better for at least 72" bow? How wide should the limbs be considering that length? I really appreciate the feed back.

I found a build along that stated 1 5/8 width for a 68" and over bow.

[mullet]

 I've seen a lot of BL's made from fence post from N.C. I have a BL in the works and was always told to start widwe at the fades and taper to the tips.

[Pat B]

Black locust is very rot resistant. I have made bows from fence posts I pulled from the ground and the barbed wire had rusted away. Only the stain where the wire and staple were.
  If it has been laying on the ground you will have to dry it out like a fresh stave. Wood will absorbe moisture from the ground.  Take the stave down to floor tiller stage, be sure the back and ends are sealed very well and set it aside for a month in a cool dry place off the ground.  If the stave was cut in june the bark will peel right off. You should remove the sapwood then seal the back and ends before cutting out the bow.

[mullet]

 Pat, can you make a bow from BL with the sapwood left on?

[Pat B]

Eddie, I would!   You have to have fresh cut wood and season it properly because the sapwood isn't very rot resistant. I can amagine some of the Eastern Woodland folks used BL saplings for bows rather than cutting down a big tree so sapwood would have been used. The sapwood as compared to the heartwood is similar to osage and I have made osage sapwood bows.

[rkeltner]

forgive me if this a hijack, but this reminds me of an black locust log from a blow down at a property thatr i hunt that could mine for the taking. its about 18 to 24 inches diameter, with nice growth rings. inscts had destroyer the base of the trunk. don't know if it would be worth the hassle to split!

[big-o]

Black locust is very rot resistant. I have made bows from fence posts I pulled from the ground and the barbed wire had rusted away. Only the stain where the wire and staple were.
  If it has been laying on the ground you will have to dry it out like a fresh stave. Wood will absorbe moisture from the ground.  Take the stave down to floor tiller stage, be sure the back and ends are sealed very well and set it aside for a month in a cool dry place off the ground.  If the stave was cut in june the bark will peel right off. You should remove the sapwood then seal the back and ends before cutting out the bow.

Could I use super glue or wood glue to seal the ends? Does anybody have any sugestions for the sealer? Like i said I am brand new at this. The only knowledge I have is what I have read.

[George Tsoukalas]

Any poly, shellac or glue will do. Cut it into 6' sections and bring it in. In a week to a month spit it into staves. I just cut some BL. Jawge

[big-o]

Thanks, I'll do that.

[George Tsoukalas]

I never bother removing the bark until it is bow time. But If you decide to do that be sire you poly or shellac the back. The ideal situation  is to have  heartwood back if you have enough wood. If not go as close to the heartwood as possible. The sapwood will be stronger. You may want to go the take the bark off routs since your BL was outside so long. Bugs may have gone in. Keep us in the loop we like helping others get started making bows. Ha guys and gals? :)Jawge

[jonathan creason]

Just another comment on how rot resistant BL is.  We're building a new waste storage pond on a dairy and needed to set a new bench mark for surveying.  There was one fence post we were pretty sure wouldn't be moved, so we decided to drive a nail in it.  This thing had been in the ground 10+ years, and it was still so tough the only place I could get a 16d nail started was in a crack.  I kinda want to say forget the bench mark and yank that post up now.