Red Elm

[TheWildCat]

   I just obtained a nice Red Elm stave for my next bow. I have a question. There is about a 1/4 inch of Sap wood on the back. Dose this wood have any value? Should remove it or leave it on the bow? I am incline to remove it.

TheWildCat

[Chris grimbowyer]

I made a red elm bow not that long ago and I didnt even notice it had sapwood... I just remove the bark and use that for the back. The red elm bow broke but mainly because of poor design on my part I had it way too skinny I shouldhave made it wider.

[smoke]

I worked up a red elm stave last weekend.  I left the sapwood on and had a nice layer of hearwood on the belly.  After I got it floor tillered nicely, I tried to put a string on it - and it snapped.  I wasn't pulling hard so it shouldn't have happened.  The break went across the sapwood and then up the length of the limb between the sapwood and heartwood.  With that modest experience, I'd strongly recommend that you get rid of the sapwood.

[John K]

I would leave it...is the back clean ? Normaly you will remove the bark and that is the back of  your bow, if this was done i wouldn't remove the sap wood.

Got any pics ?

[Mark Anderson]

I cut a bunch of red elm last July. It is a great bow wood but I did break three of them at first, all tension breaks. The next few I've done I chased a ring down and/or backed them with raw hide and they are the fastest, lightest bows I've made. On all of the staves of RE I have the sapwood seems to have really thin brittle rings down about three rings or so, deeper than that and they are a bit thicker and seem much more elastic. Of course this only pertains to the staves I have any others would be different.
Elm is usually quite forgiving. It has somewhat interlocking grain like hickory.
Mark

[TheWildCat]

Here are a couple of pictures. Back is pretty clean. I am inclined to take it off, but thought I would get a few opinions first, befor I leaped in and did it...Wes

[smoke]

I can tell from the picture that you bought this stave from the same guy I bought mine.  I live about 40 miles from him and he is a good guy.  While I know others have had good luck with sapwood, if this was grown in Nebraska like I suspect, I'd suggest a heartwood only bow.  For whatever reason Elm grown in this part of the world seems to have sapwood that is not particularly good in tension.  Good luck however you decide to go!  (but give us a report!)

[John K]

Looks like a nice stave, there might be something to wear it was grown,( with how the sap wood holds up) The tree i used in Eastern Wisconsin, was good sap wood and all.

The stave you have there would have nice contrast between sap/heartwood, good luck with whatever you decide !

I really liked Red Elm 

[Bullitt]

That's a nice looking stave! Looks alot like Red Mulberry, that I have had. I would use the sap wood, on that piece!

[wvarcher]

Iv'e made about a dozen Red E. bows without removing the sapwood.  All the bows were about 70 inches long and 1.75" wide.  I really can't tell a difference between the sapwood and heartwood.   

[TheWildCat]

This is a Nebraska stave. I bought it off e-bay and is most likely the same feller...I want to make this un count...Real nice lookin stave, and I have never worked red elm.

[Elktracker]

I would recognise that chair any where lol

[osage outlaw]

I have a chair just like that one.  It is strapped to the top of a 10' ladder stand with no cover or other trees within 15'.  For some reason I have great luck out of it.  Last 3 years, killed 3 mature bucks out of it.  2 were 3.5 and one was 4.5 years old.  All bow kills.  It's crazy. 

Sorry to change the subject.  Nice looking stave.  I have some red elm drying that looks very similar to yours.  Best of luck with it.

[TheWildCat]

Thanks y'all fer all the replys...Believe I will take the sap wood off a this one...TheWildCat

[JW_Halverson]

Speaking from abwsolutely no experience (why would I let that stop me) with red elm, I'd be tempted to decrown and thin the sapwood to 1/16 inch and not even consider the crowth rings.  Then I'd back with really thin rawhide, like goat or antelope.  Once the backing had dried and cured out really well I'd go after stalking the tiller.

The dramatic effect of the light sapwood and the darker heartwood is too pretty to pass up.  But then you gotta take into account I didn't pay for the stave off eBay like you just did   -so my vote is pretty small.  Looks pretty nice, should make a bow!