ash bow

[apollinaire]

Hello

Recently, I made an ash selfbow from a sapling. Unfortunately, It broke when I strung it too hard. I want to make a new one but I have some questions. I have little knowledge of bow making and tillering.

For my first bow (the one that broke) I only took wood of the belly as you can see in the picture below. I even left the bark on at the back and sides. Was this a good way to make it or should I remove wood of the back also, so the bow itself consists of the center wood?


Below is a picture of a sapling that I want to use for my new bow. The thongs show the width. Should I remove the bark for drying? And how long should I dry it?


Thank you

[Stefan]

Hi!

There is no way to tell how long wood should dry before you make a bow from it, it depends on humidity, how thick the stave is, etc etc. If you have an accurate scale you can weigh the stave every now and then, when it stop getting lighter or with smaller increments you can try to make a bow from it. I use a moisture meter with 2 metal pegs, you insert the pegs into the wood and it gives you a % of moisture. For whitewoods it is ok to use the outside of the tree as the back of your bow. There is a lot of information on this site,...

greetings,

Stefan

[Del the cat]

Rough out the wood from the belly, it will season quicker then. I'd say it will need about 4-6 months unless you put it somewhere warm and airy to help.
On your first bow, you don't want to cut sharp edges for the handle. Any sudden change in cross section will concentrate the stress. All changes or thickness or width should be smooth. I'd go for a wider sapling myself, say 3 fingers wide minimum.
Leaving bark on the back is fine, it may fall off as the bow gets used, but it will protect the back while you are making the bow.
Have a look at my website, Google Delsbows to find it.
Del

[riggs]

Hi, I'm sure you'll get very good information from the good people that are on this forum. I'll just add it's always a good thing to have a reference library. So many books are out thurr so I don't claim my little list is set in stone... just something to ponder. It won't set you back to get a copy of Bows and Arrows of the Native Americans by Jim Hamm. Lot's of good info on how to build and how bows work. If you can afford it, the Tradition Bowyers Bibles. Making wud bows is made possible with the understanding of the materials' properties and designing  within the bounds of the materials' compressive and tensile strength along with it's elasticity. The BB's are loaded with,... just about everything.

[apollinaire]

Thank you.
You've all been very helpful!