MOUNTAIN MAPLE!

[Zion]

So the other day i went skiing up this big mountain (which was futile because there was other 3 feet of snow!) I found some really nice pieces of VM growing all around this creek tho, and there were more for future hauls. I got 7 tho which is fine for me. I also ardy started on one of the smaller ones.

My experience with VM is really limited to 1 or 2 bows. But i'm really wondering how to get a ton of reflex into them. I know that you have to use reaction wood, but can you add even more by heating it to dry it out faster? How long does VM take to season? I noticed with my little test subjects that it seems to be real good after like 7-8 months.

I would really like to get a couple nice bows outa this stuff. Any projects you guys have going would be awesome to see since i'm new to this wood! 

[medicinewheel]

Dog looks at them sadly thinking "too big to retrieve..." 

[Zion]

LOL he's just waiting for them to turn into bows so he can chew on them 

[steve b.]

I have not seen all the vine maple in the world but that doesn't look like the stuff I usually see.....?  If it is, then shame on me.  But it looks too straight, rough bark, dark wood, not green.
If it is vm then I don't really have any advice for reflexing other than what you already know and I'm looking forward to the 70# bow I know your going to make from it.....!

[Zion]

Yeah steve i know what you mean about the look of it  I did do a search tho and i saw John Strunk debarking a stave and it looks just like some of these. Maybe it's just the drier climate compared to the coast that gets the coarser greyer bark.

a 70# bow with some reflex is gonna be cool if i can make one! Gonna be hard to wait for these to dry properly lol!

[Bryce]

That's not Vinemaple.

This is Vinemaple, it looks the same no matter where it grows.

[Accipiter]

Zion, you're out in Montana, right? If so than this is probably Douglas/Rocky Mountain maple (Acer glabrum). I've seen vine maple with grayer bark than what Bryce is showing (mostly where it had moss on it) but not that gray, and it definitely doesn't grow too far past the cascades. For what its worth, Douglas maple is supposed to be a good for bows as well, high up on my list of woods to try.

[Bryce]

Yes under heavy moss it's a pale brown.

[Zion]

Wow i feel like an idiot 

Accipiter, i live in north central WA. But i think you're right about the douglas maple.

While i was at my friends house at the foothills of the cascades (elensburg area) i did see these green maples that grew like spaghetti. dangit i wish i had grabbed a few of those besides my yew!!

So is douglas the same thing as Mountain maple? I've heard mountain maple is a very good bow wood. I wish i had a pic for u guys of how it grows. Basically it grows like serviceberry in the sense that it is in these clumps of straight stalks, but there's a bit more space in the clumps compared to serviceberry. Does mountain maple also dry into massive reflex?

[Bryce]

No big deal bud. I like the new title

If I had more VM I'd send yah some.

[Zion]

Thanks Bryce, i think this stuff is gonna work out anyway tho!

I roughed the smallest piece out about 4 days ago and already it's pretty dry. Starting to floor bend it, unfortunately i can't really take pics when i'm pushing on it but it's coming along. Love the springiness of this stuff. I'll definitely heat treat it when i go into rough tillering.

Heres some pics of the piece, i have hope it'll become a bow!

[Zion]

I also split one of the bigger pieces (~3") and it split straight down the middle. I also somehow managed to get reflexed staves off of both sides.... 

[steve b.]

That's not an idiot move, everyone struggles at times to identify trees.  It might be serendipidous  in that you thought it was VM so you cut it and now you'll end up with an even better wood and bow.  I wouldn't worry about the reflex thing.  When any stave is dry it is then that you decide if it is bow worthy.  Have fun and keep us posted.

[bow101]

I didn't know montain maple existed...? The maple on the Pacific coast is called Big Leaf maple. Most of it is not good for much it's softer has lots of sap wood, brown and white wood.
The stuff I buy is EAstern Maple, same as hard rock.......The stuff you got looks ok should work out hopefully..

[Zion]

thanks guys. Bow 101 mountain maple is the same thing as doug maple i believe and is a little less common and smaller than some of the other maples, to my knowledge it grows up in big mountains (hence the name)
 
Steve quit using big words!  It took me 5 minutes to figure out how to say that one that starts with the S!  Lol with how nice this wood is to work i'll definitely have fun!

I heated the blank by my wood stove just to get the moisture out faster and then put it on a form in minor reflex. In the morning i might try to get a string on it....

Here's one of my 48" test subjects from last spring's harvest. The bow broke because it had an obviously bad design and was way too short, but i wanted to see what the wood could do. The place it broke was right below the lumpy knot on the top limb. Before it broke i got to shoot it about 50 times tho, and it shot better than some of my bigger ones!