Elm limb?

[paulc]

Elm limb characteristics...?

Should it be wider side to side  and relatively narrow front to back?

Or does narrower side to side and "thicker" front to back also work?

I was thinking I might go vaguely ELB inspired on the current project w really no understanding of why that might work or not work.....

As always, Tia.  Paul

[bjrogg]

I don’t know if I have much useful advice Paul

I only made one elm bow and I am  afraid it came in way under weight.

I removed to much wood roughing it out .

Not sure all elm is equal but the piece I used took much more wood than Osage, HHB or ash would’ve.

Good luck

Bjrogg

[Pat B]

I've only made a few elm bows but they were wide/thin rather than narrow/thick. I do believe that elm was one of the woods used in ELB and English war bows.

[Del the cat]

If you go for an ELB keep the belly relatively flat, (don't round it too much), it can be a whisker wide than the back (e.g a trapped back... trapezium cross section).
Heat treating to belly to avoid chrysals is a good idea too if you are going for heavy draw weight.
Del

[Aksel]

In Europe relatively narrow elm limbs dominated for 1000s of years during Mesolithicum. 3,5-4 cm wide bows of very high draw weight, 80-100 lbs. How much set they took we don´t know but they were sofisticated and well tillered weapons, so I think we can assume they knew what the where doing. Bows were made from small diameter elm, so a "natural trapping" follows with semi-circular cross sections.  In my experimenting - if made this way - they can take the strain very well. No wide logs needed. Saplings acctually makes better bows from elm than rectangular cross sections.

[bassman211]

American elm saplings is what I used to make 6 last winter. Four turned out nice, and 2 cracked from tiny knots on the back after heavy heat treat. The ones that made it all have long reflexed tips, and yes they are thicker, and wider  compared to some other woods, but shoot just fine. After working with different white woods over the years it has become my favorite white wood. Inter locking grain makes it hard to split. I use a chain saw to split it.  My son owns 60 acres , so I have a good supply of it. From now on the only woods I will make a bow from will be Osage when i can find a good piece, black locust which can be be easily gotten in my area, and elm.

[Mad Max]

Bowyers Bible Volume 1
1-7/8" wide

[ManceJoan]

Hey Paul,
Elm is a great wood for limbs—tough, resilient, and pretty tension-tolerant. A wider limb with a thinner cross-section does help distribute stress more evenly, especially if you're aiming for an ELB-inspired profile. That said, you can go a bit narrower and thicker if you're keeping draw weight moderate and tillering carefully. Just watch for stack and hand shock.

Sounds like a fun project—would love to see how it turns out!

[sleek]

Hey Paul, that answer depends greatly on the species of elm you have. More specifically even, its specific gravity, but species itself will get you close. When in doubt, go wide. If you tell me what species elm, how long you want the bow to be, and what poundage you want I will tell you exactly how wide to make it.

[Mad Max]

Hey Paul, that answer depends greatly on the species of elm you have. More specifically even, its specific gravity, but species itself will get you close. When in doubt, go wide. If you tell me what species elm, how long you want the bow to be, and what poundage you want I will tell you exactly how wide to make it.

Not trying to hijack the topic.
I have Winged elm, can you give me that  information ? 45 to 50 lb. I would make my bow 64" to 68" NTN

[sleek]

Hey Paul, that answer depends greatly on the species of elm you have. More specifically even, its specific gravity, but species itself will get you close. When in doubt, go wide. If you tell me what species elm, how long you want the bow to be, and what poundage you want I will tell you exactly how wide to make it.

Not trying to hijack the topic.
I have Winged elm, can you give me that  information ? 45 to 50 lb. I would make my bow 64" to 68" NTN

No problem. You need 44 sq inches of working limb per limb.
So a bow limb thats 2 inches wide for 15 inches then tapers to 1 inch over a 10 inch length will give you what you need. That will allow for handle and stiff tip length. That will give you 45 sq inches of working limb. The tiller should bend in an even circle and I believe a tiller gizmo tool by Eric on here will give you that perfect bend. Heat treat elm deeply and to a darker color to get the most out of elm. With proper heat treat and tiller, this should government you a 50 pound bow that takes no more than .24l5 to .5 inches set with that range being based on the wide range of density winged elm can have.

[Mad Max]

Thanks for the info