Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Gordon on December 27, 2014, 10:17:30 pm
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I have a love/hate relationship with this wood. Today I had the most difficult time ever bringing a stick of vine maple to heal. I somehow managed to eek a bow out of it, but what a pain. If I had any sense at all I would just make bows out of yew and osage. Frickin' vine maple...
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Thats probabely why your bows are so frickin gorgeous Gordon. You have had plenty of practice on less than easy staves so you'v honed your skills. Me, I'm a wuss most of the time and pick the best stave possible. Can't wait to see the pics. Danny
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I feel the same way, I want to love it, but I just dont. The swirly grain stuff hates any kind of tool except sand paper. I cut some hawthorn the other day. Ive hear its similar, but works a little better. Woulnt be surprised if im quoting your words there.
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LOL. I have just the opposite experience with the wood in your area. I have a $200 Yew stave I hinged in my shop and I don't know how many Yew bows I have made that came in under weight trying to treat them like Osage. I have made some killer' bows out of Vine Maple, though, have a Take-Down in the works.
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Dont get me wrong, it makes great bows. Its the most abundant and accessible wood in my area.
Those grain swirls though...
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I get my VM from Brian Melton and it has never failed me yet. It is my main, preferred White wood, and if it's not yellow I usually cook with it. :D ;) It does seem to hang with the humidity fluctuations in Florida better then other whitewoods.
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Wow Gordon, what's the problem? Too reflexed?
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Wow Gordon, what's the problem? Too reflexed?
Yeah, 7" of reflex, unstable limbs that refused to remember string alignment corrections, a dogleg that bent too much even though I left plenty of wood, reflex and deflex in all the wrong places. And that was just the beginning of my problems. Why do I torture myself with this stuff...
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These days I seem to enjoy working the character staves. Why? The challenge?
Interesting question.
I am glad you got a bow out of your vine maple.
I split out a hickory stave. I took the worst part of the split-dog led, drying cracks, one limb reflexed, etc.
I just finished it. Lucky. I almost retired it as a tomato stake for several reasons but I got a bow out of it and a good shooter at that.
I hear ya on the vine maple, Gordon.
Congratulations!
Jawge
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I don't know vinemaple Gordon but I know what your saying about the difficult staves, they test your sanity for sure. After hours of labor trying to wrestle a bow out of one of while looking over at the pile of better wood in the shop you do start to feel a little crazy. ;D
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It must be a heck of a gnarly stave to try the skills and patience of such a supreme bowyer as you, Gordon.
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Wow Gordon, what's the problem? Too reflexed?
Yeah, 7" of reflex, unstable limbs that refused to remember string alignment corrections, a dogleg that bent too much even though I left plenty of wood, reflex and deflex in all the wrong places. And that was just the beginning of my problems. Why do I torture myself with this stuff...
Funny that sounds like MY most available wood: elm and canyon maple saplings. Twists, waves, tries to dry into way too much reflex or into a big C laterally, starts straight, but dries with knees and doglegs.
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It must be a heck of a gnarly stave to try the skills and patience of such a supreme bowyer as you, Gordon.
Actually it wasn't that gnarly of a stave. Radically different limb profiles, excessive reflex, and vine maple's tendency to fight you at every turn (when highly stressed) turned what I thought was going to be a fairly routine effort into a major undertaking. I got it done, but not before I thought of turning the whole affair into a pile of tipi wood several times during the ordeal. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a challenge but every now and then you need a piece of wood to smack you around some and remind you that you're not the boss.
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Twists, waves, tries to dry into way too much reflex or into a big C laterally, starts straight, but dries with knees and doglegs.
Yep, that describes vine maple to a T.
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Here is what the bow looks like AFTER tillering. Still holding almost 4" of reflex!
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/PC280228.jpg) (http://s793.photobucket.com/user/gferlitsch/media/PC280228.jpg.html)
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Wow Gordon, what's the problem? Too reflexed?
Yeah, 7" of reflex, unstable limbs that refused to remember string alignment corrections, a dogleg that bent too much even though I left plenty of wood, reflex and deflex in all the wrong places. And that was just the beginning of my problems. Why do I torture myself with this stuff...
I often wonder how much performance in (fps) you gain struggling through a stave like that vs. a straight stave bent in a R/D design?
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I often wonder how much performance in (fps) you gain struggling through a stave like that vs. a straight stave bent in a R/D design?
I suspect little if any performance advantage is achieved with that much reflex. That said with some care I can usually "unfurl" a curled up vine maple stave into a more manageable profile. But not so this time. It did what it wanted to, I was just along for the ride. And a bumpy ride it was...
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If you guys are longing to do only gnarly staves, send me the ones that are completely lacking in character. I'll give them a good home. :D
Jim Davis
(P.S. no vine maple need apply)
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I often wonder how much performance in (fps) you gain struggling through a stave like that vs. a straight stave bent in a R/D design?
I suspect little if any performance advantage is achieved with that much reflex. That said with some care I can usually "unfurl" a curled up vine maple stave into a more manageable profile. But not so this time. It did what it wanted to, I was just along for the ride. And a bumpy ride it was...
That's the reason I concentrate on non-reflexed staves, or very little. People that never have worked vinemaple before always want a stave like the one you have pictured, and I tell them....no you don't, unless you live here and don't have to buy it. You want a easy stave Gordon?
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Well to be honest I was looking for an easy vine maple stave to make a lighter weight bow and dress up a bit. Everything in my stock is all knarly and or reflexed. You got something relatively clean?
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Simply "D" limb bow, or rigid handled flatbow?
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I want to make a rigid handle bow.