Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Velociraptor on December 25, 2014, 01:15:38 pm
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Hello everyone,
I'm planning to make or buy longbow,and i can chose between maple and wild plum.
I would like to know,which one is better for making bow that will be used for practice and maybe hunting.
I need wood that won't break and will last as long as possible.
Every comment is welcome
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I think plum has to be about the most indestructable bow wood out there. For dependability I would go with plum if you can find a piece big enough. Plum is the only wood I would take over osage if I could find decent staves.
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Powerful words Badger, I may have to keep an eye out for some plum now....
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I think plum has to be about the most indestructable bow wood out there. For dependability I would go with plum if you can find a piece big enough. Plum is the only wood I would take over osage if I could find decent staves.
I love plum, but this level of praise surprises me , Steve! I have cut a dozen 4" wild plum trunks over the years, really excited about them, in the past. They spiralled so badly (over 90 degrees) I think I only got one bow from the lot. Drawknifing or spokeshaving is impossible because you're against the grain wherever you go. They warp into the craziest shapes as they dry, and have the checking problem they are famous for. Smaller diameter plum branches seem to do ok, but I often simply ignore the spiral and hope the high crown saves them from lifting at the edges, and make lightweight bows.
I have the same issues with apple, serviceberry, and hawthorn. Those each have wonderful wood properties, but are just a pain to work. So, have you got any secrets to working it?
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Velociraptor, my answer to the original question is this. When you have two proven bowwoods, and know enough to design the bow for the woods. And if your requirements are durability and shootability: Chose the better stave.
Make sure the maple species is a suitable bowmaking wood. Silver maple, box elder, and I think I remember another specie are very soft, not too tough, light weight, and fairly brittle, almost like cottonwood.
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Thanks for answers guys :)
Springbuck,i don't know many about woods,i found two bows for low price on internet,and they are from those two wood-wild plum and maple.
Im not sure am i allowed to post pictures of those two bows on Primitive Archer forum (i looked on rules but couldn't find it),if i can please tell me so you can see how they look.
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Springbuck, I have had terrible luck seasoning plum. Twisting warping splitting etc. I have roughed out quite a few wet staves and done ok with them but still the thicker handle section split wide open. It didn't affect the performance in anyway. Plum has a lot of problems for sure but once it is cured I love it.
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Here are photos of wild plum bow i talked about.
Is it possible to tell me by photos is it low or high quality?
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Any plum is good bow wood, if you can get the right piece. That was my point,as well as wild cherries like chokecherry, etc... Chokecherry will take a lot for how light it is physically, but isn't quite as good as plum.
I had assumed you were making a bow, not buying one.
The bow looks quite nicely made from where I sit. The tiller looks plenty good, and the workmanship is on parr.
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Any plum is good bow wood, if you can get the right piece. That was my point,as well as wild cherries like chokecherry, etc... Chokecherry will take a lot for how light it is physically, but isn't quite as good as plum.
I had assumed you were making a bow, not buying one.
The bow looks quite nicely made from where I sit. The tiller looks plenty good, and the workmanship is on parr.
Thanks for help :)
Yes,i'm planning to buy bow,because i can't make them in apartment right now(maybe in few months).
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You shoul check out sam harpers site for apt dwellers
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Hey guys,one more question.
How long would these two bows last without breaking?
Since im getting it for only 40$,could they last for a few years?
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A good bow should last for decades if not a lifetime.
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A good bow should last for decades if not a lifetime.
Does that rule work for primitive homemade bows,or only manufactured like Bear?
And what do you think by the pictures,will these two bows i talked about last at least for 3-4 years?
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It goes for any well made bow.
Not enough info in a pic to determine lifespan.
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It goes for any well made bow.
Not enough info in a pic to determine lifespan.
Could you tell me how to determine lifespan,when i'll see it (monday)?
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You can't really determine lifespan as it incompasses to many variables including how it's taken care of if it gets overdrawn, if it is left strung for a long time, go look at it, rub your hands all over it feeling for slivers , and shoot it,
Make sure you can draw it and if it rattles your teeth out, and if it has the cast to hunt with, should be able to shoot a hunting weight arrow 120 yds thats the requirement in California
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Imo for $40 the guy dont think much of his work but thats jmo
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40$?!! I wouldnt even ask. Id just buy them. I couldnt even buy a stave for that much. Good find.
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Velociraptor, you are worrying about something that just doesn't really happen. A well made bow of ANY wood (except a handful of tree species that are just not suitable in the first place) will shoot basically until you are an old man. Years and years, at least. Even wooden bows don't just wear out from shooting. And, any bow's longevity has more to do with craftsmanship, design, and how YOU treat it, than wood species.n
An overstrained bow will eventually take a lot of set and shoot poorly. A badly tillered bow with one spot taking way too much of the load will evenbtually hinge there. Limbs can go out of tiller if they aren't strained correctly. If you leave a bow outside over the winter, fungus, bugs, and weather will get under the finish and cause the wood to degrade. If you over dry the limbs down to 5% moisture content, they can become brittle. If you ding it all over on the rocks and fail to touch up the finish, it can fail. If you leave it strung constantly, it will eventually take a lot of set and lose limb snap. If you use it as a wading staff to cross rivers, the finish will wear off the tips and water will get in there, etc....
There is NOTHING about wood that makes it so maple will only shoot 20,000 arrows, but plum will shoot 50, 000 before it breaks, or vise versa. Buy the bow that bends well, suits you, and that you like best, and then take care of it. Enjoy it!
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it depends on how far the bow has been draw and the length
also an unbraced photo will tell alot about the quality
if you want a bow to last a life time,, you might have to have one made by someone that makes that quality bow,,
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It doesn't look particularly well made to me. The edges of the limbs have been left very thin (easy to damage and excess limb weight). The handle fades have been sanded out with the end of a belt sander, the handle itself is also very square edged which won't be comfortable after shooting for a while.
All these things are easy for you to fix with nothing more than a fine rasp,a file and some sand paper. You would of course have to redo the finish.
However more important than any of that is what the tiller is like. The finishing details could be lacking but the tiller dead on...it's still a good bow. If the tiller is off it's not a good bow even if it looked fantastic.
How it bends is the really important thing.
40$ is very cheap for any wooden bow - this in itself would make me nervous. Once you've made a few bows you will realise that to make money out of selling quality wooden bows you would have to charge a lot more than 40$ ;) I would even sell a raw stave for that!
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Elm is excellent bow wood, but I never turn down a plum stave when I can get my hands on one.
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the fact that there is not a full draw pic,, or unbraced pic,,makes it impossible to tell much about the bow,, I am guessing that even though it is a good wood,, that the lack of detail might indicate that it does follow the string more than a good quality bow,, and that the tiller may not be that of a well made bow,,,I am just guessing so please check those details before making a judgement on the bow or quality,, :) it could be the best self bow ever made,, just hard to tell from the photos and lack of information,,
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If all the person wants for their bow is $40, Id run the other way faster than Superman. J-U-N-K
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Never used plum myself. Most of the old school recurves made by Fred Bear and the likes used maple as the core wood. Obviously maple would be more economically sound as it grows like flies in the East. Maple has proved its performance and durability in many applications, like Skis, Toboggans, Snow shoes, Bows, Gymnasium floors, Furniture, Residential applications and more. It has proved its worth in our part of the world.
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It goes for any well made bow.
Not enough info in a pic to determine lifespan.
Could you tell me how to determine lifespan,when i'll see it (monday)?
There's so many variables in how long a bow will last. Length being a major factor. Longer limbs are under less stress than shorter limbs.