Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Blaflair2 on January 16, 2014, 09:32:43 am
-
Would ash make a good backing for red oak? Or would maple be better?
-
my guess whould be maple, ash cracks and blows with a slight misstep but maple seems a little more forgiving... more people know for sure i bet though
-
I've read both have been successful, I have lams of maple so I'll have to glue a block on the front over the joint. I had an ash log I cut some lams out of. So I'm just wondering what works better
-
Ash is good in tension.
-
It's quarter sawn ash
-
But which one pearly? Full size ash or two maple lams. Both quarter sawn
-
A thin backing over the joint will hold it together so either should be fine.
-
Ive never used maple in any way. I have used ash, Id suggest ash.
-
My question would actually be WHY use the red oak? It is poopy doodles in compression. I've made several RO bows and only a few make it thru to shooting and even those seem to eventually wind up with more set than I'd like to see. If you have maple lams and long Ash blanks, well there's your bow!
BTW - I'm not saying RO is impossible, ...it's just frustrateing as heck! ...especially in compression. It's a non-ideal belly wood in my opinion.
OneBow
-
I have the red oak sitting in my corner. Figured I'd try to use it.
-
I'm quite new to bow building (I've completed exactly two ELB's, 1 at 20pds and one at 50pds) and have been using Red Oak (Home Depot) for bellies, and Hickory (local lumberyard) or Maple (Lowe's/HD) for backs. I am getting something like a 1" set on each limb - is that because of the problems of RO in compression? Would I get less set with Maple bellies? I've just been living with the set, seems not to be getting any worse after about 200 shots. I find that RO is soft and easy/fast to work, and it looks nice. I'd love to hear more about the benefits/probs of RO.
-
I'm no expert, but if you read the bowyers bibles 1" of set is negligible and in reality a little bit of set makes a bow more stable and forgiving. I see a lot of posts here and elsewhere that would lead a person to believe any set is bad. I suggest if it is working for you stick with it. I think your bows sound interesting and might be the ticket for many who have limited access to "premium" woods. Personally I would appreciate a thread or build along for a maple backed RO that takes 1" of set!
-
Yeah, 1" set ain't bad for red oak. One piece of red oak can be drastically different than the next piece in quality. It is best to look for all the piece's with good straight grain, than compare all the good pieces for the ones that are the densest.
-
This red oak board is a 1x4, three or four growth rings across and straight for 6' or so. I had to buy it when I found it. Then it sat, then I found an old ash stave that just sat, not I have ash lams and a RO board. I was thinking a elb or a afb, any suggestions?
-
bretd, to answer your question yes you would be better off with maple, but if it's good hard maple you don't have to back it just make a self bow, maple makes a great bow
-
My issue is that I'm getting my maple (very straight grained) by sifting through the boards available at home improvement stores, and it is never more than .75 inches thick. Since I am making ELB's, I need to thicken them by laminating. I will (as soon as practical) try a maple/maple lam and see how it goes. Or maybe I'll just give in and try some self flatbows. Thanks for the background info - very nice to hear from people who know what they are doing. Is it still considered a selfbow if you put on a riser?
-
My issue is that I'm getting my maple (very straight grained) by sifting through the boards available at home improvement stores, and it is never more than .75 inches thick. Since I am making ELB's, I need to thicken them by laminating. I will (as soon as practical) try a maple/maple lam and see how it goes. Or maybe I'll just give in and try some self flatbows. Thanks for the background info - very nice to hear from people who know what they are doing. Is it still considered a selfbow if you put on a riser?
1. Any bow in which the bending portion of the limb is made of one piece of wood. Tip overlays and handle laminations count in the selfbow category as long as the bending portion of the limbs remain one piece of wood. The back of the bow must be only wood or snake skin.