Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: bushboy on January 14, 2013, 10:05:25 pm

Title: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: bushboy on January 14, 2013, 10:05:25 pm
Say if all the osage and yew was obducted by aliens lol,what would be your second string choice for self bow?
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Weylin on January 14, 2013, 10:08:16 pm
I'd be happy using vine maple. It grows like a weed and it make some nice snappy bows. But I do like my yew... and osage is alright, I guess.  ;)
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: ionicmuffin on January 14, 2013, 10:09:12 pm
from what ive seen it would be vine maple or ocean spray. Bryce's best bows are from VM(and they look amazing!) and when he showed my friend and i the tiny piece(lol not really tiny but less than average!) of ocean spray, i was all like "wouldnt this be too small?" so he had me bend it if i could, didnt budge much at all! both are a easy to obtain on the west coast as i hear, so those would be my choices!
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Badly Bent on January 14, 2013, 10:14:58 pm
My locally available choice after osage is black locust, had some fretting issues with some of it but the bows I've made from it that came out nice are among my favorites.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: osage outlaw on January 14, 2013, 10:15:16 pm
For me it would be Hop Hornbeam.  No doubt  ;)

I've never tried VM so I can't say anything about that. 
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Weylin on January 14, 2013, 10:15:39 pm
Yeah, ocean spray too. That stuff is great if you can get it to dry without cracking. I want to make some more OS bows. I've just made one kids bow with it so far.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: George Tsoukalas on January 14, 2013, 10:19:12 pm
Hickory, black locust and the oaks are pretty good. Jawge
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Will H on January 14, 2013, 10:34:58 pm
If the king were dead I would just stop making bows...  :'(

Lol, no really I'd say osages first cousin mulberry, or HHB, or hickory. I'm workin on a persimmon bow right now, so far I'm really likin it.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: sleek on January 14, 2013, 10:38:07 pm
Elm all the way baby! I dont even know why its considered a second string bow, I think its better than osage ( GASP! Blasphemy! ) and I can prove it.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Newindian on January 14, 2013, 10:38:42 pm
follow the aliens steal it all back, May check out their trees while I'm there. I'd use juniper it's everywhere (makes up at least half the trees here) easy to work with, and I love short sinew backed bows.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Keenan on January 14, 2013, 10:42:00 pm
Vine Maple, Juniper, Cascara, Syringa, Crepe Myrtle would fall right in line just fine
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Dvshunter on January 14, 2013, 10:42:40 pm
I'm thinking hickory for me. I've never got whole of oven spray or vine tangle though cuz I live here in the land of  royalty. Although hackberry grows everywhere here and makes a snappy bow toon. I'm giving elm a dry now so I may change my mind, but hickory is just tuff stuff.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: AH on January 14, 2013, 10:52:55 pm
I would say Elm and Vine Maple
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: steve b. on January 14, 2013, 10:58:19 pm
Those wouldn't be my first choices anyway so I'd continue to be happy with the variety that is out there.  From a performance standpoint I think HHB would be right up there but I think VM has potential but I like the looks of hickory and oak bows.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: tattoo dave on January 14, 2013, 11:09:50 pm
I strongly agree with Sleek!! Long live the new king Elm! ;D

Tattoo Dave
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: bushboy on January 14, 2013, 11:15:49 pm
I'm with the elm lovers,then rock maple,the real porous woods like oak and ash not so much!
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Slackbunny on January 14, 2013, 11:22:58 pm
Hophornbeam for me. I love that stuff.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: SLIMBOB on January 14, 2013, 11:24:28 pm
Elm and Hackberry.  Too many others I haven't tried yet that are on my list, HHB, BL, VM, to name a few, but Elm and Hackberry make sweet shooters.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Hrothgar on January 14, 2013, 11:28:25 pm
Hickory or elm.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Bryce on January 14, 2013, 11:56:53 pm
I think your title is wrong. Yew is king

Second choices either of these 4
VM, oceanspray, osoberry, cascara.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: bushboy on January 15, 2013, 12:07:07 am
Elm is the. Prince I guess !did I mention that I love eLmbk
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: rossfactor on January 15, 2013, 12:30:13 am
If Yew and Osage were gone, I'd go right on making Plum bows like I did when there here. Nuff said.

Gabe
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Youngboyer2(billyf) on January 15, 2013, 12:35:10 am
Hophornbeam, I have a good source. Then I make the aliens take all the musclewood with them because they probably need something better at sucking up water than salt ::) flooding spaceships and all, ::). And while they are at it they can take all the multi flora rose, I don't care if it makes the best arrows on earth, ihe stuff tears me up
-billy
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Bryce on January 15, 2013, 01:37:34 am
If Yew and Osage were gone, I'd go right on making Plum bows like I did when there here. Nuff said.

Gabe

Finally got around to that purple leaf I was talking about. That stuff if GREAT! Easy to work. Compression and tension strong plus the purple bark is just beautiful.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Jodocus on January 15, 2013, 01:50:17 am
sambucus nigra.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: rossfactor on January 15, 2013, 02:57:31 am
Shhhh Bryce,  don't tell anybody.  ;)  Can't wait to see some pictures of your bow.  I'm building a white oak recurve for a gentleman right now,and man it makes me miss my plum.  Something about that purple leaf that just says 'bow.'
Gabe
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: doulosparachristos on January 15, 2013, 06:01:49 am
Oregon ash, Cascara!
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Pappy on January 15, 2013, 06:07:50 am
HHB/Reds Elm/Persimmon/dogwood/Hickory/Hackberry. Plenty of other good stuff that will make a fine bow if treated right. :)
   Pappy
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Del the cat on January 15, 2013, 06:23:33 am
Hazel, plentiful and easy to work, virtually no knots.
Maybe Ash if I wanted to agravate my elbow joints during the making.
Del
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: blackhawk on January 15, 2013, 07:28:00 am
Black locust...hhb....dogwood....elm..
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: soy on January 15, 2013, 07:36:09 am
Tie for hhb and walnut  ;)
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on January 15, 2013, 08:43:34 am
HHB
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Oglala Bowyer on January 15, 2013, 09:29:38 am
Nothing beats a fine piece of ash  :P
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: SLIMBOB on January 15, 2013, 09:39:08 am
I think we can all agree on that.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: blackhawk on January 15, 2013, 09:47:36 am
Id like to recant my answer...

Since I have a lifetime supply stashed away and the aliens tried to take it,I would defend it till my death...so either id be ok and not have to worry about  using junk wood,or they'd kill me and Id go to osage heaven with my lord where he has an unlimited supply of osage waiting for me O:)  :laugh:...so I ain't worried about it ;)
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on January 15, 2013, 10:21:05 am
Id like to recant my answer...

Since I have a lifetime supply stashed away and the aliens tried to take it,I would defend it till my death...so either id be ok and not have to worry about  using junk wood,or they'd kill me and Id go to osage heaven with my lord where he has an unlimited supply of osage waiting for me O:)  :laugh:...so I ain't worried about it ;)

Ya damn near made me cry pal.......very touching.......
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Onebowonder on January 15, 2013, 02:13:52 pm
I'd call for an Alien hunting season.  Chase 'em down, fill'em with feathered shafts, and Bar-B-Que 'em!

...but then what would we do with all that danged ole 'pee-yew' wood we recovered from the Aliens?  It won't even make good tip over lays!  I mean a guy only needs so many handle blocks and scrap wedges.   hehehehe (...It's fun startin fights.   >:D >:D >:D)

Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Dazv on January 15, 2013, 02:36:02 pm
Hazel, plentiful and easy to work, virtually no knots.
Maybe Ash if I wanted to agravate my elbow joints during the making.
Del

Del would you choose our hazle over elm??? Ive made bows from both and elm always comes out on top for me.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: koan on January 15, 2013, 02:51:49 pm
HHB then Ash...really impressed with this Yooper Maple im workin with now to... Brian
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: vyadha on January 15, 2013, 07:16:20 pm
Yowage (yo-wahh-hay), a lightning porous wood that grows in the Orion Nebula. It's workability is similar to foam and it performs like a volcano.
A stave for a stave.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: adb on January 15, 2013, 07:19:56 pm
Maple.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on January 15, 2013, 09:35:04 pm
Can I vote twice? HHB for me please.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: H Rhodes on January 19, 2013, 03:22:27 am
white oak, winged elm,  hickory.... even if there were no aliens.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Gordon on January 19, 2013, 03:56:10 am
That's an easy choice - vine maple.
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: nathan elliot on January 19, 2013, 05:59:54 am
Osage and Yew dead! Long live Laburnum!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: Zion on January 19, 2013, 01:29:28 pm
Thats easy, Serviceberry, Hawthorn, Apple, Mountain Maple......
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: coaster500 on January 19, 2013, 01:34:20 pm
Here's a kink.....  not all bow woods are the same even within the same species....  I am still a fledgling but I've built bows from Mulberry, Hackberry, Kentucky Coffee Tree, Yew, Vine Maple, Hickory, Sassafras, Oak, ERC, Osage...  I think that's all.... But the point is I made a Mullbury bow from a stave that had more potential than any of the Osage staves in the rack also a Hackberry that come in to be the fastest bow I've made but the staves were exceptional pieces for their species???

Maybe one species has better qualities in general than another but when you start with a great stave of any species and work it into the correct dimensions and tiller correctly for that species....  I've seen to many of you guys create amazing bows with just about everything under the sun.....   

Found a Catalina Ironwood tree and am working on the owner for a limb....  wish me luck!!! I also got permission to cut some Bay Laural on a Buddy's place (I've been neglecting California woods)...........
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: dmenzies1950 on January 19, 2013, 03:12:39 pm
I don't know anything about the woods you guys from back East use, but as for me living on the west coast I'll take vine maple over anything!
Dale

Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: nativenoobowyer86 on January 19, 2013, 03:52:18 pm
Eastern Hophornbeam for me, but i havent tried Vine Maple yet. :)
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: randman on January 19, 2013, 08:50:30 pm
Have to vote with my NW Clan: Vine maple, Ocean Spray, Purple leaf plum (we got streets lined with the stuff)  in that order only because VM is a cinch to season where OS is a little dodgy (got that from my Brit friends) to season successfully.

And Coaster, definitely try the Bay Laurel. Makes a real snappy bow, very responsive to heat treating and is really an under rated and little mentioned bow wood.

Oh and I forgot to mention Scotch Broom (another of my favorites).
Title: Re: If the king and yew were dead ?
Post by: bow101 on January 19, 2013, 09:42:35 pm
 :) :) :) Maple, seems like it is a good core wood as well in laminated bows. :laugh:......We won't mention the Chemical bows....lol