Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: coaster500 on September 27, 2011, 11:20:59 pm
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The wind blew this over the fence at work. We have to clean it up and I just wondered what it was and if it might make a bow...
http://s28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/coaster500/what%20kind%20of%20tree/?albumview=slideshow
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a type of poplar?
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It looks like a Bradford pear or one of the Callery pears. They are ornamental trees but are true Pyrus sp. Folks think that the wood of these trees is weak but the wood is strong like any pear tree but the structure is weak. You can see from the break that there was very little solid wood in that scar. About half of it is included bark. Once these trees get to a certain size the slightest wing in the right direction can cause these kinds of breaks.
The wood should make good bows. It is nice and straight with few knots. I'd say cut anything 2" in diameter or bigger. Try to get them as long as possible but cut shorter pieces for billets.
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Well that's what we'll do Pat B ..... It's laying there so we'll give some of it a shot. Can't beat the price....
Thank you
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I'm with Pat- it loolks to be some type of ornamental pear. He's also right that the wood is no different than a fruit bearing tree. They tend to split because of how they grow (limbs grow parallel to the ground and cris-cross putting stress on the main trunk) not because the wood is weak.
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Well I cut a couple of good size limbs brought them home and went to splitting... Well they had so much twist that they look like a pig’s tail. These are way beyond my realm of possibilities.... It was worth a shot though. Now they are firewood :)
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coaster you might want to try again. I cut 5 good size limbs out of my Bradford pear and like you I had 2 that for no good reason went all twistificated on me . The other 3 will get a shot at glory.
Lane