Author Topic: Obscure wood questions and introduction  (Read 1578 times)

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Offline DuckTapeandNeosporin

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Obscure wood questions and introduction
« on: February 03, 2017, 01:58:46 am »
I have been researching bow making for about 4 months and i have built two with this forum as my primary resource. One is ugly and one took set because im impatient. This afternoon i decided to create an account to join the conversation and hopefully find a way to contribute to the knowledge found here. My questions are n the subject of Chinese Privet. All the information i have found from a few hours of googling and creeping forums is that the Chinese used it, its compared to Black Locust/Osage (doesn't sound quite right) and a few people saying "I heard it is a great bow wood". The wood grows comparatively straight, bends like nothing i have seen, grows in huge numbers where i live and is what my parents called a "switch tree" for good reason. Any information on its strength, compression and most effective design would be appreciated. Actually, any information would be appreciated.

Offline Pat B

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Re: Obscure wood questions and introduction
« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2017, 09:15:44 am »
Privet is a tough wood and from what I understand makes good bows and arrows(I've made an arrow or 2 from it). I do know it will check easily if the bark is removed too soon after cutting. Probably the best way to prep it would be to get the stave to floor tiller stage with the bark still in tact and the ends sealed.
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Springbuck

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Re: Obscure wood questions and introduction
« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2017, 10:24:27 am »
I know nothing about privet, specifically, but as you probably know, various woods can be made in to bows for various reasons and it is up to us to learn how to handle them.  Some may be more flexible, some stiffer but still elastic, some very elastic but not very hard, etc.

So Pat mentioned Chinese privet is a TOUGH wood.  I doubt it is as tough as osage because it isn't as dense or hard.  But TOUGH is a good place to start.  Tough, but lighterweight woods like hickory, pecans, elms, etc.  are good for bows because they just don't want to break.  Baker said in the TBB's, that a bow is a bow until it's back breaks, so the rest of the task is just to find designs and construction methods suited to the other strengths and weaknesses of that wood.

For instance, in my experience, elm likes to be made into longish flatbows with high crowns and flat bellies, from smallish diameter young trees grown in thickets, maybe with slightly flipped tips or even recurves from a stouter, shorter tree, if say it won't give you a 68" stave.)  I have worse luck witn elm wood from larger trunks, but that may be due to variety of elm available locally.

So, it sounds to me like if you have plenty of privet available, you should easily be able to find something to do with it.  ;D
   Good luck!

Offline DuckTapeandNeosporin

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Re: Obscure wood questions and introduction
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2017, 01:24:55 pm »
I'm sorry it has taken so long to show gratitude bit thank y'all for the valuable input. The wood seems to dry fairly quickly and I experimented with a small piece in the oven at 170 for a few hours. It is still in one piece.

Offline EdwardS

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Re: Obscure wood questions and introduction
« Reply #4 on: February 10, 2017, 01:37:19 pm »
I have made a few privet bows and the stuff is awesome.  I've never worked osage but privet is the best wood I've used.

Offline bubby

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Re: Obscure wood questions and introduction
« Reply #5 on: February 10, 2017, 04:40:16 pm »
I've made a few from privet, it's no where near black locust let alone maple or osage but it makes a decent bow. I cut one for a experament went from tree to bow in under 30 days, i know it wasn't over 30, i cut it stripped the bark, took the limbs down to the pith and clamped it to a board
failure is an option, everyone fails, it's how you handle it that matters.
The few the proud the 27🏹

Offline bubby

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failure is an option, everyone fails, it's how you handle it that matters.
The few the proud the 27🏹