Where do you all get your staves?

[AH]

Up until now all the bows I have made were either board bows or from the cheap staves on ebay (>$40). But I want to be able to harvest my own wood, how do you all do it without getting in trouble with the local park management? Do you get a permit to cut trees, and if so, how? By the way, I am in the California Bay area, so what are some good bow woods there? the place is not really famous for having a ton of osage...

[Carson (CMB)]

Call the local arborists and see what they can do for you.  Listen for Chainsaws running on a sunny day.  Drive the country side after a windstorm.  Nock on doors.  People are generally interested in bow-making and usually are more than willing to help.   

Baker was from your area and that is a big reason he utilized board bows.  Apparently staves can be hard to find in that area.   Good luck!

[AH]

Call the local arborists and see what they can do for you.  Listen for Chainsaws running on a sunny day.  Drive the country side after a windstorm.  Nock on doors.  People are generally interested in bow-making and usually are more than willing to help.   

Baker was from your area and that is a big reason he utilized board bows.  Apparently staves can be hard to find in that area.   Good luck!

oops, I should probably add that my although most of my bows are board bows and cheap ebay staves, I am also working on that yew stave you sent me a few weeks ago! thanks, Carson!

[osage outlaw]

First you move out of California.  Just kidding.  Maybe you could find a resource in your area that you could trade for staves.  Fish skins, snake skins, knappable rock, etc. would be valuable trade items.

[Jodocus]

I got no car, so the wood gotta grow nearby. I made the two farmers in question a bow, now they owe me 

[Pat B]

Check with the City Parks Dept. They may have trees scheduled to cut in your area that you could get from them.

[vinemaplebows]

Look for large cabinet shops, these shops at time will set their unwanted trimmings outside. I can't tell you how much wood I have scored in this way...takes foot work, make some calls.

VMB

[crooketarrow]

   You name it I gotten logs that way through the years. I live.leased or just hunted lots of farms so farmers have always let me cut my own. I've cut for free ,payed, traded, worked. I've also call firewood (cutters) sellers. They always looking to make a buck. They'll cut to lenth and even deliver for a few bucks.
  For the last few years I have a friend at cuts fire wood. He sells me some cheap but mostly he'll cut them if I help him cut and load his wood.
  I live close to SLEEPY CREEK WMA they give permits to cut along roads and different areas.
  I also have went and keep a eye out for develpments or houses. If there's woods they'll let you cut or they push up piles to burn. I've gotten lots of osage logs like this.
  Or just call me I'll set you up.

[randman]

I'm with Crooketarrow. I've pulled branches out of piles the park dept cuts down (yew, hackberry, purple leaf plum, laurel, scotchbroom, hawthorn) stalked the tree trimmers in the neighborhood (dogwood, hornbeam, purple leaf plum, incense cedar, juniper) just asked neighbors (juniper, black locust, hazel, laurel) and cut vine maple, yew and ocean spray when I'm camping. I have my eye on a small plot of land in the middle of the city that has lots of hawthorn and locust trees that is slated for development and the bulldozer.
I have enough wood to last for the next 4 years at the rate I work and it hasn't cost me a dime. I finally stopped gathering (which is kinda one of the funnest parts of bowyery for me) I gotta stop collecting or start trading for stuff, I'm out of room.
Helps to live in a place like Seattle but bow wood is everywhere, in abundance, even in the bay area (hillside covered with oak and laurel). You just got to learn to ID it and know what you're lookin at and read up on whether it is a good bow wood or not and try em all.