Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) as bow wood?

[FilipT]

I found thick sycamore maple trees that could yield many staves. Has anyone experience with this tree (sycamore maple)? What designs and draw weights are suitable for it?

[BowEd]

It's a lighter weight maple so width and length should be plenty to start out depending on what draw weight you want.In the 40's @ 28" 66" long 2" wide would be my starting point but I'm sure there is more experienced use of it on here.Those dimensions should get you it's tube float tested SG rating anyway.

[FilipT]

I would like something like 70" nock to nock and around 50#. I thought of designing it as a pyramid bow, at least 2" wide near fades and tapering to 1/2" tips with constant thickness. Would that work?

[Snake River Stickbow]

I think you are good with the dimensions you listed. I use tree of heaven and sycamore for the kid bows and adult give away bows I have made. It's easy to work and shoots pretty darn good for a mid-range SG wood. I have not made a pyramid bow from either, but have with other Maple and that turned out good. So go for it!

[BowEd]

Length and design sounds good out to 28".Should be a very sweet shooter for ya.Go for it and post it.....lol.

[FilipT]

Snake River, what kind of design you use and what is the highest draw weight you made from maple?

Beadman, wait man! I didn't even cut it yet!

[mikekeswick]

Sycamore makes decent bows. Tension strong. Likes to be heat treated. Any flatbow design will work with it. If your staves have flat backs make sure you trap them.

[Snake River Stickbow]

I have been making Maple Mollegabet's. I can't seem to touch a piece of maple without a Molly being the end product. No problem with 55# bows at my 26" draw. I dry heat reflex 2" or so, and have been getting nice straight standing bows with 2" wide limbs. I haven't had a problem with high-ish crowned backs either. Several bows were made from fairly small diameter trees.

[BowEd]

Stalker....Did'nt mean to rush you.Seems like a pretty straight forward type build is all.Make sure she's dry then.Look forward to seeing it on here.Don't see many sycamore bows.
Snake River Stickbow....You working with that mountain maple?I've heard that's pretty decent bowwood.

[FilipT]

Actually this is first time in my life I have seen this type of maple. Only maple I saw was canadian one, used in parks for decorations.

[Snake River Stickbow]

Beadman; I have been using Norway and Sugar Maple. Sweetgum and Sycamore are also all over here. I have been happy to find Red Elm as well. So I have some of that drying now too.

[BowEd]

Cool SRS....Kinda wish maple especially hard rock maple grew wild here.Bet you could make lots of syrup if you wanted to there.Hickory and osage are my most common woods here.Red elm and even a little black cherry and mulberry although the mulberry is questionable most times.Oh forgot good old black locust is wild here too.Guess everyone goes with the most they got.
Stalker...Got sycamore here too but most times it's on people's yards and lawns.Big fricking trees.

[BowEd]

Oh.... wild maple is here prolifically but it's silver maple or what I call coon den maple.Most times hollow over time.Soft and light weight.Junk bow wood far as I'm concerned.

[Strichev]

What do you guys think about field maple (Acer campestre)? Stalker, we call it maklen in Slovenia, but in Croatia it's a different type of maple. False friends aplenty in the world of tree naming.

I'm hijacking this thread, I hope Stalker won't mind.

[FilipT]

No I don't mind. Field maple is called "javor klen" here and its a good type of bow wood. I saw only a couple of those in woods around my house so I am still thinking whether should I cut one.