ocean spray bow shape

[Dante_F]

Hi this is my first post and 1 was wondering what shape would be the best for ocean spray its a 48 in stave with a naturally flat back, a teeny bit of side curve because it seems OS bends over as it grows often times, cut in winter so it keeps bark, is about 3 across the back and 2 in the belly and i was thinking a bendy handled, shallow ELB type bow or a flat and wide horse bow with a 1 inch knob for a handle to glue an arrow rest because I made 2 pairs of siyahs from whats either coast live oak or some other oak and some dogwood siyahs. And here's an idea for all the bends and curves in vine maple, MAKE SIYAHS and I think it would be interesting to see how a vine maple horse bow would work.

[DC]

I've never made a 48" bow from anything so I'm not sure of a design. OS is great wood, it can be narrow or wide. Don't count on the bark staying on, most likely it won't. I'm just finishing one that's 68" long and the bark popped off when I braced it. It will be a lot harder to keep the bark on a short bow. I've heard said that it's not if but when the bark comes off. I would do a bendy handle and splice on tips, either straight or recurved.

[Sagebrush]

Definitely bendy handle if you're  at 48 inches.  Should be fun! Sometimes I have been able to keep the bark on a bit longer by thinning it down but .... when not if....

[burchett.donald]

DELTA WOLF,
                      Bendy handle at that length would be doable...Here's one at 49"     Ocean Spray will take a lot of abuse...Wish it grew here in S.Carolina, my supply has ran out...http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,50003.0.html


                                                                 Don

[Dante_F]

so a bendy handle ELB style, thanks everyone, however i cut a plum shoot to practice on a little bit after the ocean spray and made a ridiculously low poundage D bow from a 1 in sapling 48 in long with the the bark on and its still attached and a little 30 in bow from the remaining piece and I was wondering why its still attached

[DC]

I have gotten the impression that the bark stays on Plum better than OS but it's still a crapshoot I think. I'm thinking that the bark adds a little draw weight until it cracks. The bow I'm working on was tillering well and then the bark cracked so I scraped it all off very carefully. When I braced the bow again one limb was weak. It seems to me that this has happened to me before. Something to keep in mind when deciding whether to leave the bark on. Sure looks cool though I take the bark off all my OS staves now as soon as I get them home. Replace the bark with shellac.

PS here's a link to my first bow, a 49" OS. It failed but you may get something out of it. http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,41218.0.html

[Dante_F]

so the bark will probably come off so do you recommend using bitter cherry bark to back or birch bark because i have both within a shouting distance of of me and if the bark stays on i was thinking i would but some birch bark  rings around parts of the bow or should i use bitter cherry because its more durable than birch bark. Also which would be better for a bow, Silver or paper birch because im always seeing pipe straight pieces of silver birch and a few paper birch branches.

[DC]

I can't really help you there. I used Birch bark on a sinew backed OS and it's stayed well but I haven't shot the bow that much. I have a pile of Bitter Cherry bark in the shop that I haven't used yet. Are you from Delta?

[Dante_F]

nope sw washinton

[Dante_F]

would bitter cherry be good for a bow as it is a fruit tree and it can be backed by its bark

[vinemaplebows]

No on the bitter cherry, brittle wood.