Author Topic: want to try new wood  (Read 3005 times)

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Offline Spotted Dog

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want to try new wood
« on: July 23, 2015, 04:06:29 pm »
Ok, I have built osage, hickory, elm, iron wood, mulberry, and pecan bows. What would be another good one ?
For some reason I really like white wood. what might you all think ? Or even bow design.
I have made molle's plains and eastern Native American bows. Also want mainly to replicate bows.

Dog
A three strand cord is not easily broken. Ecc.4:12

owlbait

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Re: want to try new wood
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2015, 04:21:07 pm »
Sassafras.

Offline bubby

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Re: want to try new wood
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2015, 04:33:36 pm »
MAPLE
failure is an option, everyone fails, it's how you handle it that matters.
The few the proud the 27🏹

Offline Lee Lobbestael

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Re: want to try new wood
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2015, 04:37:43 pm »
black locust, apple, peach, plum, yellow birch, white oak, red oak

Offline huisme

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Re: want to try new wood
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2015, 04:49:23 pm »
Black locust. Unless someone sends me a real prime stave to convert me I think locust is going to be my favorite. You can make anything short of a round-bellied ELB with the stuff, and I'm sure someone's pulled that off too!
50#@26"
Black locust. Black locust everywhere.
Mollegabets all day long.
Might as well make them short, save some wood to keep warm.

Offline Spotted Dog

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Re: want to try new wood
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2015, 04:51:21 pm »
I have worked with post oak. Not a strong power wood. Sassafras sounds good. Fruit woods around here would not be long enough.
Where might one find some of there ?
A three strand cord is not easily broken. Ecc.4:12

Offline RBLusthaus

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Re: want to try new wood
« Reply #6 on: July 23, 2015, 05:08:22 pm »
Black locust. Unless someone sends me a real prime stave to convert me I think locust is going to be my favorite. You can make anything short of a round-bellied ELB with the stuff, and I'm sure someone's pulled that off too!

X2 - but I guess technically not a white wood.

Offline Drewster

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Re: want to try new wood
« Reply #7 on: July 23, 2015, 05:08:32 pm »
Yep, try a black locust......a favorite of the Eastern woodland natives.
Drew - Boone, NC

Offline OTDEAN

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Re: want to try new wood
« Reply #8 on: July 23, 2015, 05:49:55 pm »
I have just made my third flatbow using Sycamore.  Really great wood up to about 60lb.  Less knotty I find than the Elm I have near me and seems to be more resiliant than the Ash I have worked the past 4 years.  Ash is either really good or just meh.  All in all, a fast shooting wood in a flat bow design.

Offline Pat B

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Re: want to try new wood
« Reply #9 on: July 23, 2015, 06:00:41 pm »
Everyone else has given you a good choices of other woods. Since you favor whitewoods do you have Paul Comstock's book, "The Bent Stick". It has lots of useful info about building whitewood bows including good info about design.
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Spotted Dog

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Re: want to try new wood
« Reply #10 on: July 23, 2015, 06:20:06 pm »
I do not have that one . I will get it. Locust may be a good one to try.

Thank you guys :laugh:
A three strand cord is not easily broken. Ecc.4:12

Offline make-n-break

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Re: want to try new wood
« Reply #11 on: July 23, 2015, 06:54:59 pm »
White oak  :)
"When making a bow from board staves you are freeing a thing of dignity from the humiliation of static servitude." -TBB1

Offline wizardgoat

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Re: want to try new wood
« Reply #12 on: July 23, 2015, 07:06:22 pm »
Anything that's local, straight-ish, clean-ish, and FREE.
If you want to buy staves, I hear the yew stuff is pretty decent 😉

Offline Aaron H

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Re: want to try new wood
« Reply #13 on: July 23, 2015, 08:25:17 pm »
Hackberry

Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: want to try new wood
« Reply #14 on: July 23, 2015, 08:38:33 pm »
Hackberry

x2!

Very hard, feels almost like rubber under a spokeshave, but a very low density wood.  Fairly hard, resists denting and scratching.  A bit tempermental with heat treating, you wanna heat slower and longer to get results, but don't let that stop you.  I have had very respectable results with it.

And if you wanna show off, you can sand it down to a fair-the-well and get a heck of a nice gloss on the wood.  It also have what is euphamistically called "Lunar rings", so it has the potential to show interesting grain and character in the fade outs.
Guns have triggers. Bicycles have wheels. Trees and bows have wooden limbs.