Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Dauntless on December 28, 2009, 08:39:02 pm
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So with a little gift money burning a hole in my pocket (thank you grandma), I headed off to the local lumber store for a little red oak or maple board. I found a lovely red oak plain sawn board 9ft by 6" that will become a handful of bows. As I was leaving I headed over to the special woods section that holds mostly tropical woods. It's chock full of 500$ pieces fit to make tables or nuclear shelters with. This afternoon it also housed some Pacific Yew for some reason. When I regained consciousness, I snapped up the best looking piece, 25$ for 6ft by a little more than 6" of straight, more or less knotty 30-35 rpi yew.
This is literally the first time I've touched or even seen yew in my life, it was the same thrill as finding a stone tool at a dig.
Now I just don't know what I can do with this piece. The edges are at an angle, I can't use them as the back on an ELB. Should I try two backed Neolithic flatbows?
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9766.jpg)
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9767.jpg)
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9770.jpg)
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9768.jpg)
Is this stuff even fit for bows?
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That plank definitely has some bows in it. Use as laminations and back with hickory or bamboo.
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The edges are closer to square on the ends... Could you make billets from one end and still try an ELB?
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i'd make an all heartwood bow and forget about violating rings then back it with something strong
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Question???
On a board like that, can you make two bows, one from each side?
Then you may have some wood from right down the middle to use with backing.
I'm getting the ELB bug, inquiring minds want to know.
Thanks,
Frank
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I think the angle on the edges (that sapwood) is too low to allow me to make ELBs. It's somewhere around 45 degrees in the middle there. The board is only an inch thick too so I don't have much leeway.
I just ripped up the red oak board into 4 staves and 4 billets. I wonder if red oak would suffice as a backing for this stuff. It's really straight and I can't find Hickory in Manitoba. I also have some linen canvas I cut into strips.
It's kind of ironic I'm making ELBs with the red oak staves.
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Manitoba is staging a takeover of the forum today! Love it!
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Hey you've got some good armchair bow making to play with there.
Whacky idea... If you saw off the sap wood by setting your saw at the correct angle, you could maybe get two nice strips to use as backing.
So you could make a 'laminated self bow'. ;D
I think you are right, the plank isn't thick enough to get an ELB out of the edges.
Step a way from the saw....
I can see you are going to have a happy new year with that.
Del
(Whaaaa... EDIT! I meant to say you ARE right!)
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Just wear a respirator when you start working that stuff! I bet you could get some yew core lams out of there, if you are creative with a saw. Make a Hickory backed ELB or something.
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Backed,bamboo or hickory.
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Well I figured to get into that heartwood I'd need to get rid of the sapwood. So I ripped off about an inch and a half from one of the edges and came to the realization that I could make an ELB with it. To do so I've cut it in half and intend to splice the thicker ends together. It should make a thin splinter of a bow.
Now I have to figure out how I'm going to be splicing.
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Well I figured to get into that heartwood I'd need to get rid of the sapwood. So I ripped off about an inch and a half from one of the edges and came to the realization that I could make an ELB with it. To do so I've cut it in half and intend to splice the thicker ends together. It should make a thin splinter of a bow.
Now I have to figure out how I'm going to be splicing.
I'm jealous...I'm getting itchy fingers...must start another bow soon....I've been indoors too long...yowwwllllll.
(Be sure to post some pics)
Del
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Well I thank the stars that epoxy is gap filling. Hand tools in my inept hands doesn't make for perfectly fitted splices. I went for a simple V splice because I didn't see myself fitting a Z or W splice on 1" of wood. Now I'm starting to think there's way more sapwood than I should. I don't know the theoretical basis of keeping the sapwood thin though.
The back is extra thin after I ripped some extra wood... from the wrong side. Thats what I get for using power tools before coffee. It varies from 1/3" to 3/4" over the length of the bow. Just how tension strong is Yew anyways?
70" by 1" by 1" as of now.
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9772.jpg)
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9774.jpg)
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9773.jpg)
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good find! how thick is the board? like gordon said, use the heartwood for bamboo backed bows, he knows how to build 'em ;D
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I'm jealous of your find. I may have to camp out at the local Windsor Plywood until something like this comes in! Nice slippers, by the way. Very much like the ones that show up in my photos! ;D
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If you are worried about the sapwood, decrown it and back it with hickory or bamboo.
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The splinter bow has been backed with cotton and is almost tillered out. Should be a smooth 30-35# when done.
So I found some bamboo today at another lumber store. The 4" diameter poles were 45$ and the 2" poles were 9$. So I got a 8ft by 2½" pole with ¼" walls.
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9776.jpg)
I split off 1½" and worked it flat to about 1/5 thick. I had a little extra splinter too so I tested the strength. The two tips almost touched before a splinter popped up.
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9777.jpg)
This is my first real bamboo backed bow so I'm doing a straight glue up. There is still enough of the yew to make another one of these too.
The clamps are there because I didn't want to make a million wedges to tighten the twine.
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9778.jpg)
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This is some cool stuff, can't wait to see a bow here.
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A million wedges is part of the process...but there are shortcuts
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Well the splinter bow just blew up in 4 neat chunks at 24"... Turns out the grain was pretty twisted, 30 or so degrees from straight. The break started just on the outside of the cotton backing.
Will the bamboo backed ones have a chance?
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Looks to me like there is air space under the Boo between the Bows back and the belly of the Boo...did you plane the Boo Flat on the Belly side?? Did you taper it to a thin edge on the sides of the Limbs? If the Boo is too thick...it will overpower the Yew and cause it to fail....