Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: doggonemess on May 06, 2012, 09:40:02 pm
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Greetings all,
I found a log on a hike through the woods today (pics below). It looks like it might make some awesome bows. It's perfectly straight, no exaggeration. The heartwood is clearly visible and well defined. There are no bumps or growths on the log, and it is solid, without bug holes anywhere. It was recently cut when the tree fell across a walking path, mostly likely last year.
There are unfortunately no leaves on the rest of the tree remains. I can tell you that it was over 30 feet tall, maybe 10 inches in diameter at the base, and very straight. Most of the branches appear to be at the top.
From the bark pattern, it looks like ash, but I've never seen an ash this perfectly straight before. It also sort of looks like tulip poplar, but I'm not sure. That's why I'm asking for help!
Jamie
The dark area pictured below is not rot - it's just muddy from where it was sitting.
(http://www.thatsmywebguy.com/hosted/images/photos/log_20120506 (5).jpg)
(http://www.thatsmywebguy.com/hosted/images/photos/log_20120506 (1).jpg)
(http://www.thatsmywebguy.com/hosted/images/photos/log_20120506 (6).jpg)
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Since i know its not osage, yew, or locust and you got it off the ground its prob not good for bows....from the end cut it looks like rot fungus has already affected the first couple outer rings in the sapwood
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Im saying cottonwood.
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I would say possibly a hickory of some type. We don't have it precisely like that up here but the bark looks pretty hard and close enough to bitternut that it might fall in the hickory family.
How heavy is it?
You could split it and see what's going on inside it. Perhaps just exposed ends are affected and the side that was resting on the ground.
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Split it !...split it !!.......split it ! ! !........ ' Frank
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Myself, I would split it and remove the bark. I would not be surprised if insects have already destroyed most of the sapwood. Bugs do a great job at hiding their activities from the outside world...it's until you remove the bark that you can see how much sapwood they've digested already...
The heartwood might still be fine though, hard to say.
It does resemble ash a bit, but the heartwood is too big for ash. It could be hickory...but the end grain looks like oak to me...split it and take a picture of the wood inside! If all else fails...firewood! :)
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My first thought was hickory, a year damage os more than likely done, bit split, strip and try you are out nothing but time ;)
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Not sure where you live, but I'll vote for some kind of poplar or cottonwood also - then again, I've never seen a hickory tree. :o
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Its hard to say just by lookin at the pics but my vote would be for some kinda hickory also. Judgin by the way the end of the log looks Id say the whole thing is eat up with fungus. Whitewoods dont last very long on the ground this time of year.
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My vote is poplar bark is wrong for hickory. Ron
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Sweetgum.
It is most doubtful that it will make a bow after a year on the ground.
Whitwood trees start to rot real fast when they are left out in the weather.
Sweetgum will make a fine bow if properly taken care of.
Peal the bark off the log and you will be able to see the damage that has set in.
David
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I'd vote for sweetgum as well. The bark looks right and the end grain is a dead ringer for sweetgum, and around here they usually grow arrow straight.
Try to split it, and if it makes you want to throw the entire log in the fire as-is, its probably sweetgum.
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after looking out my back window I'll go with what they said. Ron
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First thing I thought was that it was a section of ash tree. Hickory at that age is more smooth. Ash starts to have the thicker grooves at that age.
Split it and find out what you got. If it doesn't look good then don't make a bow. Even if it looks questionable then you might want to try anyway.
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Sorry for the delay in responding to your questions, I've been neglecting my online activities somewhat.
The log was heavy, probably fifty or sixty pounds. It felt solid - and made a good dull sound when I hit it. Dropping it on the ground produced a nice thump, not the cruddy plop-crack when there is a lot of rot inside. So I have a good feeling about it.
I'm going to go with the stripping bark approach. You're all right, what have I got to lose? If it's rotted or bug riddled, I can always chop it up and have a little bonfire.
I'll take some pics when I'm done if there is anything interesting inside. Probably tomorrow.
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Finally got some pics here. I skimmed off some bark, and found that the wood was black underneath. Then I chopped at it, and the black rot only went about 1 mm in. The wood under that is hard, clear, and light colored. It breaks like maple when chopped but doesn't have that watermelon-like smell (which only fresh maple has when it's cut, I bet).
See pics:
(http://www.thatsmywebguy.com/hosted/images/photos/archery/log_chopped (2).JPG)
(http://www.thatsmywebguy.com/hosted/images/photos/archery/log_chopped (6).JPG)
Here's the end of the log, with a cross section cut off:
(http://www.thatsmywebguy.com/hosted/images/photos/archery/log_chopped (4).JPG)
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POPULAR FOR SURE.
Here in WV where I live are lots and lots of popular woods. I walk through 1000 miles of it while sanging and shroom hunting. Here all popular woods have dog woods as lowere ground cover. A great place to get shoots. Turkeys favoret winter food.
You said it when you said there's no lower limbs. Popular woods all have a high campy.
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Popular? You mean...poplar, I presume?
Liriodendron tulipifera a.k.a. yellow poplar.
Yeah. Looks like it :)
Not a good bowwood though...actually a pretty lousy bowwood...
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We'd call that cottonwood, in the poplar family. A few years earlier and the bark would have been smooth, 30 years from now the bark would have been 4" thick and perfect for carving. It should split clean and straight. 50 lbs for that log is actually pretty light. An osage or black locust log that size would be over twice that weight. You could cut a 3' length, split it down into about half inch squares and plane out a couple arrows. It burns like firewood, but won't produce the heat a good hardwood would. Where I used to live in Nebraska they logged the old monster cottonwoods to use in pallets. I would not try to make a bow from it.
George
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You might look around the area you found it. I will guess the stump is near by, unless it was transported and dropped off or something. Should be a living one near by to get more info to make a decision.
I will also guess a poplar tree based on the limits of info. Only thing that bothers me is the reddish looking bark. Poplar is a gray bark unless maybe wet. The end cut/chip also looks like you have water damage down into the white wood about a half inch. Just looks softer or slightly more porous in the picture. I believe it's called spalted or something.
Good Luck
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Awesome, thanks so much for all that info. I'm glad to finally know for sure what it is. I like the arrow idea - I could definitely use more arrows, and have been looking for something that would serve well for some shafts. I don't have a lathe, but I do have a variable-speed corded drill, which, with a little rig building, I'm told can make a pretty good poor-man's lathe. I might give that a shot.
Speaking of arrows - I have started collecting reeds for making them. I'll post that in another topic with some pics.
Although, just for fun, I might save a four foot section of it and turn it into a bow anyway. Just to see what happens. I'm almost taking the "not a bow wood" advice as a challenge now. ;D Of course, if "not a bow wood" ever means "it will blow up in your face", I may take the advice rather than play with fire. I don't want to use a wood that is incredibly brittle or so soft that it won't hold a tiller.