Author Topic: black locust bow style (Read 32684 times)

carpentertimw · « **on:** March 13, 2012, 12:08:03 pm »

What would you guys consider the best style for a black locust bow? I have a few staves of straight grained black locust about 3 in. wide and 6 ft. long.

DarkSoul · « **Reply #1 on:** March 13, 2012, 12:15:59 pm »

What do you want to create? A kids bow? A hunting bow? A warbow? Target shooting? Flight shooting? Backed or selfbow?

The purpose of a bow determines the design that is most appropriate for a specific stave of a certain wood species.

Jim Davis · « **Reply #2 on:** March 13, 2012, 12:22:55 pm »

For any purpose other than creating a replica, a pyramid design is the easiest to tiller and the most likely to succeed--not to mention being very efficient and fast. I don't make anything else anymore. I also make the back narrower than the belly, but less so near the tips, since any stave tapered in width has grain running off the sides, and that needs to be reduced before the back gets to be less than about 7/8 of an inch wide, in my experience.

Jim Davis

carpentertimw · « **Reply #3 on:** March 13, 2012, 12:29:44 pm »

what i would like is a hunting bow, preferably unbacked.
do you have a diagram or pics of the pyramid style bow?

Qwill · « **Reply #4 on:** March 13, 2012, 01:13:06 pm »

My best BL bows have been Eastern Woodland style bows, somewhat parallel limbs, bend through the handle. I've made one that tapered to the tips, heat treated belly that shot really well. I haven't had much luck with stiff handle BL Bows myself, but that could just be me. Probably is, as a matter of fact. The Bendy-handle bows shoot awful nice though, and if you lighten the tips in width or thickness they can be pretty darn fast. Oh, and i've had good luck heat treating BL. Never had a tension failure with it, but I think I don't heat treat quite as deeply or long at Marc St. Louis recommends in TBB v. 4. Heat tempering really improves BL in my opinion.

Jude · « **Reply #5 on:** March 14, 2012, 03:46:15 am »

From my understanding, the Cherokee preferred black locust over other woods; they would make a bendy handle for anything under 50# and stiff handle for the heavier war bows. BL can be weak in compression, tending to crysal, so the belly flat and wider than the back, or a flat belly with a crowned back, if you have a small diameter stave, would be in order. If it benefits from heat treating, that would help to improve its compressive strength too. In my personal experience, I found the sapwood to be weak in tension. My first bow tore across a small pin knot that would not have been an issue with the hickory I normally use. I've seen several recommendations to chase the rings down to heartwood, just like with osage. It is also prone to checking, so it's advisable to leave the bark on the split staves and seal the ends with glue. The bark isn't a big deal if you don't intend to use the sapwood. This is just my 2 cents, mostly second hand information, since I don't use BL much myself. We found a whole bunch of it where we hunt though, so when I get home next fall, there will likely be some BL bows in our future.

Julian

mikekeswick · « **Reply #6 on:** March 14, 2012, 05:31:30 am »

A pyramid is simply a bow whose widest section is out of the fades, say 2 inches then tapers in straight lines to the nocks which might be 1/2inch.
Black locust is an absolutely great wood. I would rate it as one of the best - on the whole maybe it's even better than osage.....(ready for the flak). I wouldn't say it was 'weak' in compression but you must be very careful with your tiller. It is a stiff wood for a given thickness. I've made a few non-heat treated bows from it and they are all nice shooters. Heat treating transforms it into rocket launcher wood when done properly.

blackhawk · « **Reply #7 on:** March 14, 2012, 08:28:00 am »

My most accurate shooter is a bend thru the handle black locust. I agree with heat treating it,but only light to medium with it. It doesnt take long to heat treat black locust. Its a great bow wood

druid · « **Reply #8 on:** March 14, 2012, 12:55:20 pm »

Pyramid for sure. I have made bows off wood with higher moisture content without set, great wood and great design together, for sure.

Sidewinder · « **Reply #9 on:** March 14, 2012, 01:41:22 pm »

I recentley harvested some BL and will be working some in the next year so my comments are not based on my experience but the experience of others. I would think that a flatbow design due to BL's tendancy to crysal if your not careful. I really like the pyramid design and intend to make mine that way. Good performance, relatively easy to layout on straight staves and relatively easy to tiiler, given the even belly thickness. Just my tow cents worth. Danny

Gus · « **Reply #10 on:** March 14, 2012, 06:03:06 pm »

Cool Thread...

I have a 60" BL D-Bow stave working its way through scraper and drawknife even now.
Planning on a course or two of sinew for protection do to some pin knots close to the limb edge.
And planning on Heat Treating the belly.

Regards,

-gus

Steve Milbocker · « **Reply #11 on:** March 14, 2012, 06:06:17 pm »

Marc St Louis Built me a great shooting black locust. Perhaps he might elaborate on it. I'll try and post some dimensions and pics if i can figure out how.