Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Spotted Dog on July 23, 2015, 04:06:29 pm

Title: want to try new wood
Post by: Spotted Dog on July 23, 2015, 04:06:29 pm: Ok, I have built osage, hickory, elm, iron wood, mulberry, and pecan bows. What would be another good one ?
For some reason I really like white wood. what might you all think ? Or even bow design.
I have made molle's plains and eastern Native American bows. Also want mainly to replicate bows.

Dog
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: owlbait on July 23, 2015, 04:21:07 pm: Sassafras.
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: bubby on July 23, 2015, 04:33:36 pm: MAPLE
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: Lee Lobbestael on July 23, 2015, 04:37:43 pm: black locust, apple, peach, plum, yellow birch, white oak, red oak
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: huisme on July 23, 2015, 04:49:23 pm: Black locust. Unless someone sends me a real prime stave to convert me I think locust is going to be my favorite. You can make anything short of a round-bellied ELB with the stuff, and I'm sure someone's pulled that off too!
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: Spotted Dog on July 23, 2015, 04:51:21 pm: I have worked with post oak. Not a strong power wood. Sassafras sounds good. Fruit woods around here would not be long enough.
Where might one find some of there ?
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: RBLusthaus on July 23, 2015, 05:08:22 pm: Quote from: huisme on July 23, 2015, 04:49:23 pm
Black locust. Unless someone sends me a real prime stave to convert me I think locust is going to be my favorite. You can make anything short of a round-bellied ELB with the stuff, and I'm sure someone's pulled that off too!

X2 - but I guess technically not a white wood.
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: Drewster on July 23, 2015, 05:08:32 pm: Yep, try a black locust......a favorite of the Eastern woodland natives.
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: OTDEAN on July 23, 2015, 05:49:55 pm: I have just made my third flatbow using Sycamore. Really great wood up to about 60lb. Less knotty I find than the Elm I have near me and seems to be more resiliant than the Ash I have worked the past 4 years. Ash is either really good or just meh. All in all, a fast shooting wood in a flat bow design.
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: Pat B on July 23, 2015, 06:00:41 pm: Everyone else has given you a good choices of other woods. Since you favor whitewoods do you have Paul Comstock's book, "The Bent Stick". It has lots of useful info about building whitewood bows including good info about design.
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: Spotted Dog on July 23, 2015, 06:20:06 pm: I do not have that one . I will get it. Locust may be a good one to try.

Thank you guys :laugh:
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: make-n-break on July 23, 2015, 06:54:59 pm: White oak :)
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: wizardgoat on July 23, 2015, 07:06:22 pm: Anything that's local, straight-ish, clean-ish, and FREE.
If you want to buy staves, I hear the yew stuff is pretty decent 😉
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: Aaron H on July 23, 2015, 08:25:17 pm: Hackberry
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: JW_Halverson on July 23, 2015, 08:38:33 pm: Quote from: Falcon on July 23, 2015, 08:25:17 pm
Hackberry

x2!

Very hard, feels almost like rubber under a spokeshave, but a very low density wood. Fairly hard, resists denting and scratching. A bit tempermental with heat treating, you wanna heat slower and longer to get results, but don't let that stop you. I have had very respectable results with it.

And if you wanna show off, you can sand it down to a fair-the-well and get a heck of a nice gloss on the wood. It also have what is euphamistically called "Lunar rings", so it has the potential to show interesting grain and character in the fade outs.
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: blackhawk on July 23, 2015, 08:53:52 pm: what is wrong with YEW people(cept the goat).....best wood to work hands down!!!!! :P

juniper+sinew na type bows are fun as well :D

flowering dogwood

ipe....hehehe :laugh:
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: DavidV on July 23, 2015, 08:58:22 pm: Hackberry would be mine too, you can bend it into circles with a little bit of heat.

I've wanted to try some more Cherrybark oak, I think it would change people's opinion on what red oak can do.
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: Spotted Dog on July 23, 2015, 09:24:00 pm: Built a hackberry molle. Love it. I'll set off to the woods next week and see what I come up with.
I know where there is hackberry and pignut hickory, elm too. Losts of locust around but by the highways.
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: Limbit on July 24, 2015, 12:47:19 am: Guava, Myrtle, Orange Jessamine, Juniper.
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: GB on July 24, 2015, 02:59:04 am: I've only used it in board form, but I do like maple.
Title: Re: want to try new wood
Post by: chamookman on July 24, 2015, 04:05:21 am: How 'Bout Buckthorn ? I've seen some awesome Bows from it. Bob