Black locust

[Hillbilly]

Rick, a lot of the Cherokee bows were about that length, and 90% of them were locust. Locust likes that Eastern Woodlands flatbow design. Make it about 1 1/4" wide, tapering gradually to 5/8" nocks and bending slightly through the handle. The main troulble I've had with locust fretting has been when I pulled it too far with an uneven tiller. If there's a hinge or near-hinge, it will fret there. Locust is really variable, too. Some is excellent, some is crappy.

[ricktrojanowski]

Thanks for the info Hillbilly.  I have an abundance of B.L. here.  By the way you told me about Cracked Cap Polypore and I told you that they seemed pretty rare around here.  I finally opened my eyes, and you are right they are everywhere and some are huge. 

[cowboy]

You guys keep praising this locust, I'm going to have to cut one. All I have around here is Honey Locust I assume, it all have those six inch thorns. Gonna give it a go anyway .

[Wulamoc]

There is a bunch of it near my son's house.  He's canvassing the neighbors and inlaws to see what he can get! I think he wants another bow!

[FlintWalker]

Black locust is thickern hair on a dogs back around here, but most of it's pretty knotty and twisted about like osage.  I do know where a cedar thicket is with some nice straight ones.  I think i'll cut a couple, just in case I might want to try it.

[servicebeary]

So you've got to take the lighter wood off?  I've got one that I cut last summer, it has since deflex'd to extremes, and only has 1 HUGE knot:(, so I've got to decide on either a much shorter bow, or one heck of a nice 3/4" peep sight:)

[david w.]

that would look sweet

[akila]

Verry goo wood bow...gr8 in tension...but a lnot so good in compresion.....a trapez shape will help, and a doog tiller...BL. is that type of wood who show's to a boyer whenn he makes mistake ...so be carefuul how you deal with this wood ... the color is also beautifuul...

[El Destructo]

Peep Sight!!!!!

[servicebeary]

I'm into flat bows, so might making it a bit wider than 1 1/4 help deal with the compression weakness and my weak skills?  It will only be my second bow...  Thanks all for the advice:)

[Hillbilly]

If you're making a stiff-handled flatbow, make it 1 5/8"-1 3/4" wide fades to midlimb.

[richpierce]

That's the plan I used (about 1 and 3/4" wide at the fades) and it shoots sweet.  Mine was made from a log I found- had some checks on the belly at the handle area, but no problem.  I wrapped that area with sinew and it's fine.  A little bit of a character bow.  It bends very well with dry heat so I was able to fix some humps and dips pretty easily.

[servicebeary]

Nice, and thanks, both of you's.  Does that bow you posted fade evenly to the tips, and it looks like a D bow?  I wonder how mine would do if it has to be really wide mid limb because of the huge knot?  Maybe I can figure out this technology stuff and post a pic of the stave sometime.
                                                                 thanks again! 

[sailordad]

my next door neighbor has a bl tree thats got to 50ft tall,looks like it need some trimming.
gonna ask them ifn they want me to trim it up for them,free of charge of course.
has nice long straight limbs,damn things reach over my roof and in the spring and fall clog my gutters up.
so I'm gonna do the neighborly thing.

[servicebeary]

Ouch, that reminds me that I used to work for a tree trimming service, but I didn't build bows then, just used my glassed martin back then:(  hmm, you've got me thinking now, I've got an apricot and an apple tree that border my land, I've already got permission to trim them since the neighbor doesn't care about em, I'm so all over those trees in the morning, can't believe I hadn't checked em out yet..  So I just left the shop after trying to get the back to one layer on my BL stave, it was a lot harder than I had estimated.  Tough to tell the dif rings apart, but the belly I can tell really easy.  Any advice?  I'm seriously thinking about having a 1X3/4 hole mid limb where my giant knot is.  If I make it wide enough to compensate it should work ehh?   you all have a fine navy day