birch as a bow wood

[backgardenbowyer]

Anyone used birch as a bow wood?  I read in TBB that it can be used - but wonder if the stuff stateside is very different from the silver birch we get over here in UK.  The wood is pretty plentiful here - trees to be weak near the bowl and often fall leaving the rest of the tree sound and lying on the ground for anyone to pick up.

Any experiences?

Stan

[DanaM]

Don't know about silver birch but white(paper) and yellow will work. If I were you I would
give it a try. Start wide and long, then let the wood tell you how narrow and short you can go

[Bowbound]

I have tried birch on the occasion, and I'm from the UK so it is the same sort of silver birch. I found it was ok up to about 50lbs but i prefer it for arrow shafts. Try it. You just might like it.

[devilfishsix]

im a complete novice but some books mention birch amongst yew chestnut hazel and rowan as all good bow materials i always check here for details first lol i should trust the written word more after all i beleive my mushroom guide book

[sailordad]

i think you can do it if it is like 4" wide  the fades,ive heard any wod will make a bow you just have to know how to best meet its capabilities and some are better than others and some just plain excell over the rest.

[El Destructo]

I am not from the UK....but I have made many Birch Bows.....I like the Native Birch We have here in the US....It makes fine Bows of Lighter Weights....like up to 50 pounds.....I have had nothing but good experiences with it....so I would have a go at it with the Silver Birch and see what comes of it......

[Fundin]

Our two scandinavian birches (Betula pendula and Betula pubescens) are very strong in tension, but wery weak in compression, longer then usual, with crowned or trapezoid cross section they will make ok bows. Traditionally used for the saami two wood bows.

[JackCrafty]

The only birch bow I made broke unexpectedly on my tillering stick but I've used birch many times for arrows.  It's great stuff because it can be straightened by hand without heat.  I think this would be a drawback in a bow, though....I think it would take a lot of set.

[snedeker]

Sweet birch from Eastern US works great in a wide flatbow style, but the genus has a lot of variation.

Dave

[John K]

I cut a white birch when i was up north, will let you know how it goes, i wanted a yellow birch but could not find one that wasn't twisted or full of worm holes.....something is killing all the birch here in Wisconsin 

[jkekoni]

Silver and Downy birch are generally disliked by Finnish as well as Swedish boyers.
<betula pendula><Betula pubescens>

I do not know if the dislike is based on facts.

[El Destructo]

I cut a white birch when i was up north, will let you know how it goes, i wanted a yellow birch but could not find one that wasn't twisted or full of worm holes.....something is killing all the birch here in Wisconsin

Bronze Birch Borers and Canker Fungi are two of the most deadly Problems that Birch Trees face....Upper Michigan was hit bad back in the 70's and 80's by this stuff....damned near wiped them all out......

[DanaM]

Yup seems like every tree in the woods has a pest or disease here in the UP, you can add the emerald ash
borer to the list

I have a yeller birch stave and some white birch staves will try em this winter, but I see no reason
why they won't make a bow, maybe not a 70# bow but certainly something capable of taking a deer

[John K]

Yeah, When i was splitting the birch, the Yellow seemed to be the stronger of the two.
They found the Emerold ash borer in the 2 countys next to me, by by ash trees 

[sumpitan]

I've built some half dz. bows from silver birch (this is called empirical evidence, fact-hungry enginerds). Depending on the density of the particular stave, silver birch ranges from über-crap to servicable bow wood. Crap in that a two-inch wide, perfectly flat belly with plenty of length per draw chrysals all over the place, while the densest staves will make a medium-set 40-45# flatbows at around 2" limb width.

American birches are as a rule denser and stronger (appreciably so) than silver birch. Dense and strong birches are found in Asia, too. Some of these have been planted extensively.

Tuukka