Boards and Staves

[Devin Smith]

Hi my names Devin and I have made several successful bows from red oak and maple boards from home depot and I've really developed a love for making bows. I would like to try my hand at other woods and staves split from trees. I was wondering if anyone from the Portland/Gresham area knows of any good hardwood suppliers or where to get staves. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Dakota Kid]

The trade forum on this site is a good place to acquire staves. The guys around here are pretty cool about getting new guys a stave to work on.
Also,  Ebay has 100's of staves listed most of the time.

Have you ever considered cutting your own? You are in the land of Pacific Yew if I'm not mistaken. Can't get much better than that. I've heard that loggers often leave usable yew in the "scrap/burn" pile. If you know of any logging in your area it might be worth a look. You should have juniper out there as well.

Check your yellow pages for a hardwood/trim supplier or lumber mill for boards. There are also many online suppliers or hardwood both domestic and exotic.

Good luck.

[Bryce]

Devin there is a great group of top bowyers in your area. Look up the rose city bowyers on Facebook.
We are actually having a shoot in two weeks and we would love to have you.
And I'm sure I can find a stave to pass over to yah if you decide to join in the fun:)

Check out cross cuts in NW Portland. That's where I go. Great selection

[Devin Smith]

Thanks guys for the great tips, asking loggers about discarded yew is a great idea. Id love to come check the shoot out and ill check out cross cuts as soon as I can.