Red Maple

[wvarcher]

I was just wondering if anybody has used it to make a bow?  It has a SG of 0.54 and grows tall and straight all across the US.   

[Hillbilly]

I haven't used it myself, but I've seen several bows on here made from it. It's really variable, some of it is pretty dense and heavy, some is lighter. It seems to be fairly strong wood.

[wvarcher]

Hillbilly, it sounds like you consider it to be a possible bow wood.  There's so much of it growing in every state and Canada.  You would think that more bows should have been made from it by now.  I am thinking about building a 70" flatbow TT pulling 45lbs @ 28-inches with the limbs 2 1/4" wide to mid-limb.  Hopefully, wide enough limsb should keep set under two inches.

[Jim Davis]

I have made a LOT of kids bows out of it and it worked very well.

I made the bows 60 to 66 inches ntn, depending on the kid. I used saplings no  bigger than about 2-1/2" diameter. I just peeled the bark of the wood under it was the back. The front profile was pyramid. They all had 4" long handles with 2"-3" fades.

Actually, the kids made most of them and never had a failure. It's not that the wood is superior. It's just that red maple with a rounded back balances the tension strength and compression strength pretty nicely.

Hope to try a bow for ME someday! For that I would pick a bigger tree and make the bow 2" wide or so at the fades.

Staves are free in my woods. Bet you could get some at the same price!

Jim Davis  AKA Reparrow man

[wvarcher]

Asharrow:  I think i will probably trap the back of the bow to a degree.  Yep, I only need to step off my porch and walk across my lawn into the the woods to find a good straight R. Maple.

[DanaM]

I haven't used red maple but have done quite a few hard maples, I wouldn't hesitate for one second to
use red maple, I'm sure it will make a good bow no problem. I would start at 2" wide and at least 68" long
leave it full width for about 2/3rds of the limb then taper to 3/8" tips. Tiller it eliptically, heat treat the belly and add some reflex.
Wouldn't waste my time trapping the back, not sure how strong RM is in tension but I doubt if its so stong it will over power the belly.

A bendy handle D bow would be another viable option

[George Tsoukalas]

I actually scraped one out using stine while the wood was wet, let it dry a week and shot it. It shoot well. The hemp string broke but I haven't revisited the bow.  Jawge

[wvarcher]

Thanks for all the replies.  George, I would imagine there is plenty of R. Maple around where you live.  Not surprised to hear you have made a Maple bow.   Anyone care to speculate why R. Maple hasn't been used more often as a bow wood.  Could it be that Native Americans did not have R. Maple.  Remember, the tree to was only introduced in America sometime after the American Chestnut tree had disappeared.   
     If it makes a good bow, then no one should ever worry about having enough bow wood.  Its grows almost everywhere.

[Jim Davis]

I just did a little online research to be sure. Red maple is indigenous to the eastern part of the U.S. Maybe all the Indian red maple bows rotted away or ...

Anyway, it's specific gravity when dry is .54, so it should be OK for bows. Now I'll have to get going on that one for myself. Trouble is, I'd rather cut one in summer so the bark would slip ....

[wvarcher]

Asharrow, I did not know RM was an indigenous tree.  RM specific G. is about the same as Sugar Maple.  Everything I've heard about  Sugar M. as a bow wood is all positive.  I do wonder why Sugar M. is considered one of the hard Maples and R. Maple one of the soft Maples.  They both have the same SG.

[Hillbilly]

Remember, the tree to was only introduced in America sometime after the American Chestnut tree had disappeared.    

Where did you get that info? Somebody's given you some wrong facts-Acer rubrum (red maple) is definitely native to NA. It has always been here, it doesn't grow anywhere else on earth except eastern North America unless it has been transplanted there as an ornamental. There are records of red maple pollen from the Pleistocene era in the Southeastern US, so it's been here at least 20,000 years. Since the demise of the chestnuts, there are probably a bigger percentage of certain trees in the canopy than when the chestnuts were a dominant species-red maple, various oaks, and black gum have probably moved in to take over the empty niche left by the chestnuts, but they were already here and just took advantage of an opportunity. Oh, and sugar maple is considerably denser and harder than red maple-Sugar maple has a specific gravity of .63.

[wvarcher]

Hillbilly, I think your right!  It looks like it is one of the more common trees on the east coast.  I had thought its range covered a much bigger area than the eastern US.  Thanks for the good info.

[mitchman]

everybody here has no life

[mitchman]

jk

[sailordad]

no actually everyone here i am sure has "a life"
its just that some of use like to spend some of the free time life gives sharing our thoughts,ideas etc on this site and trying to learn from others.
i would think that trying to learn a few new skils like arrow making,stone knapping,bow making would prove we do have lives,as we are not
stuck in front of the boob tube as much as others out there.after ifn one didnt have hobbies and only worked,then he truly would not have a life.