Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: biglonglongbow on February 20, 2013, 05:42:14 pm

Title: good South East Asian Hardoods for bows ?
Post by: biglonglongbow on February 20, 2013, 05:42:14 pm

Hi, does anyone have any information about woods that grow in either Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia... that are good for bows, or any information about bows from the region ?

Thanks

Title: Re: good South East Asian Hardoods for bows ?
Post by: bubby on February 20, 2013, 06:58:06 pm

bamboo, black palm, I was just given an old Vietnamese bow and arrows but I canttell what it's made from

Title: Re: good South East Asian Hardoods for bows ?
Post by: PatM on February 20, 2013, 07:28:54 pm

Any kind of Rosewood will make a bow.

Title: Re: good South East Asian Hardoods for bows ?
Post by: biglonglongbow on February 20, 2013, 10:46:55 pm

Thanks for the replies.. I looked up rosewood, it looks pretty much wiped out sadly. the black palm sounds interesting but couldn't see where it grows.

I wonder what a more abundant wood would be that wouldn't be so endangered  ?

Title: Re: good South East Asian Hardoods for bows ?
Post by: Gaur on February 21, 2013, 02:37:10 am

Hi,

I live in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  The black palm I get is actually from the frons that they trim.  It makes a good backing but not a very fast bow on its own.  The only other guy  I know that makes bows in thailand makes recurves and longbows from the black palm but they shoot really slow.  I am trying to combine it as a backing with something like burmese redwood.  I wouldn't think that rosewood would make a good bow.  Too heavy and many of these tropical hardwoods are too brittle with out a backing like bamboo or the palm.  I've tried a number of woods and had problems with frets.  Bamboo backed teak didn't work, bamboo backed burmese redwood had frets after several hundred arrows.  I should give it another go as I was still new to bowmaking when I tried several and my tillering wasn't the best then. 

Some more experienced bowyers encouraged me to look to the fruit woods over hardwoods.  Tamarind, Mango and guava are a few better ones.   

There really isn't much archery tradition here in SE Asia.  Some of the groups like the Hmong and Laha used crossbows with bamboo darts.  They relied on poison to take down game.

Title: Re: good South East Asian Hardoods for bows ?
Post by: Gaur on February 21, 2013, 02:39:59 am

by the way if you are located in SE Asia a great way to find good wood is to look to the places that buy old thai houses and resell them lumber.  I found a 5 x 5 x 15 ft thai rosewood for $50 there.  I also have some real nice puduak, burmese redwood, forest mango etc that I have found there.  You have to work around a few nail holes but its nice real old air dried stuff and a cheaper price.

Title: Re: good South East Asian Hardoods for bows ?
Post by: burn em up chuck on February 21, 2013, 09:25:19 am

    I heard from an old-timer once," If it makes a fruit or a nut it will make bow" so far that rule of thumb
  has been good.

                                                                                                          chuck