Red Oak Board Bow Trade

[autologus]

I know the Christmas Bow Trade is starting up but would anyone be interested in a Bow trade using Red Oak Boards?  I am sure there are some on here like me that is in the process of developing their skills or does not have access to staves that would like to be able to participate in a bow trade.

I have seen many beautiful board bows on this site and I would be proud to own any of them,  I too would like to be able to share something I have crafted with someone else but do not feel worthy to commit to something like the regular bow trades.

If anyone would like to participate I will be glad to take on the overseeing of the trade.  If there is enough interest I believe it could be fun and rewarding for those like me who are just getting their feet wet.

Grady

[tattoo dave]

Hey Grady, I'd be happy to join that trade. And I tell ya what, if nobody else wants to join, then maybe just the two of us could trade.

Tattoo Dave

[sharpend60]

I'd join in that.
Ive had a hell of a time with staves recently, perhaps I'll switch it up.

Ive never made a board bow...

[driftingrz]

If this happens i may be interested

[SA]

i'm in..

[paulsemp]

Is this trade only red oak? Or is this a board bow trade?

[JW_Halverson]

The spirit of our bow trades have been about what you can send out, not what you receive.  Anyone that would be upset to receive a board bow would do better to keep their name out of all bow trades.  That is not the spirit of this community.
 
A board is nothing but a radically de-crowned stave. Just like choosing boards, you need to excercise judgement when choosing a stave.  Just like staves, the final outcome is dependant on design and execution.  Period.  End of discussion. 

That being said, I'm staying the heck away from a red oak board bow trade.  FAR away.  I get the yips around red oak boards, I ruin 'em just by looking at them!  My record with them is abyssmal and embarassing.  I have succeeded in finishing exactly one of the 7 or 8 that I have tried and it came in 15 lbs under weight because I couldn't get the tiller right.  I'd probably get an amazing bow and have to send out something that looked like a bucket of wood shavings held together with Elmer's school glue and  sun-bleached baling twine. 

[lostarrow]

I'd giver a go . Can we back them?

[autologus]

Paulsemp it is a trade of bows made from red oak boards.

JW I believe you may have misinterpreted what I meant by being proud to own any of the board bows I have seen here, my intent was that I would be proud to own something someone crafted for me regardless of their skill level because they went to the effort to craft it for me.  The joy of something like this is to be able to craft something for someone else. 

Lostarrow If you feel better about backing the bow for safety or beauty then by all means.

The great thing about a trade like this is if you blow up a board or two you don't have much in it and can start over with out much guilt and everyone is kind of on even terms as far as base materials goes and it gives you the ability to be creative with design, finish and personalization.

JW if you could make a bow with a bucket full of shavings, elmers glue and some bleached twine I would certainly be proud to own something like that.

[JW_Halverson]

I am sorry if I was unclear, but my unspoken message was that no one should be embarassed to enter into the bow trade if all they have access to is boards for material.  Board bows, as far as I am concerned, are just bows. If anyone thinks board bows are second rate, I dare them to put up their best stave bows against most any of the board bows that have been posted in here over the last year. (The bow you posted with the fake snake skins is a perfect example of a great board bow.)  All natural materials are fair game on this website, with some modern glues and finishes allowed with a blind eye.  Board bow makers have no reason to feel they can't enter into any and all bow trades around here, nor should they be made to feel their bows are second rate.   

Now start offering up some effing-glass bow in a bow trade and you are in for a rousing good fight!

As for making a bow out of a bucket of shavings, elmer's school glue and baling twine, there is a challenge I might just take up.  Please lower all expectations of performance at the door!

[sharpend60]

The way I view it is...

It's a trade with a set of requirements. No different that proposing a trade with limited tools, speedy builds or neon colors only.

For some of us it might offer a chance to learn something new.
I think most bowyers with a bit of experience don't look down on board bows.
Bows made from Ipe boards are quite common, hickory and osage too. Nobody looks down on those.

I think red oak gets a bad rap because it's cheap and common... sorta like pigeons I guess.

I agree with JW.
No shame in a board bow. Red oak or otherwise.

[fishfinder401]

of you do this, do you have any clue on the time of year it would end, oh, and what about a bow made mostly out of red oak, but with a backing of maple...if not thats fine, just curious

[autologus]

JW sorry if I misinterpreted your meaning, I do agree with you about the materials but I do not feel I am at a level of experience to take part in the regular bow trade.  I appreciate your kind words and I have to agree about glass. 

I got started shooting 3D last year with a friend and fell in love with archery, I happened to stumble across this site and Paleoplanet and have caught the bug bad, this year will be my first year to bow hunt and can you guess which bow I will be using (I will give you a hit it does not have training wheels).

I have fallen in love so much with primitive archery that I have dreams about bow designs.  You know you have it bad when you love the bow you made from a $9.00 board more than the $650.00 compound.

[autologus]

Lets keep it mostly Red Oak but can be backed with Silk, Linen, Paper, Rawhide, Sinew ect...  Christmas is coming up and what better Christmas present than a shiny new bow. 

[Matt Heppe]

I'm in!