elm bow- never again

[M-P]

Hi folks,   Here's a bow that I think came out OK.  It's not a real fast bow, but it shoots a heavy arrow with authority.  However I just about threw it out each step of the way though.   I collected the stave for this bowduring trip to my inlaw's ranch.
First I cut the tree down on a cool spring day.  It was an american elm ~ 7 inches through the base and had a nice straight trunk.  Unfortunately the tree was growing on the side of a creek at the bottom of a steep sandy bank.  Carrying a fresh cut log up 90 feet of sandy bank was do able, but lets just say I'll be looking for trees that are easier to get to the road in the future.
So I got the log down to the garage and starting removing bark. The bark was not easily removed, hey I needed to work up sweat anyway.  Then I started to split the log.  The juniper I favor splits real easy with an ax and a couple of wedges.....  Elm doesn't.  I might have quit here, but my wedges were stuck.  So after a trip to town to buy another wedge and then another trip to town to buy a new axe handle, and a lot of pounding I managed to split the darn log.  Then I tried to split one of the halves and the split ran out the side and ruined the stave.  Well that was OK I still had one stave, but I was beginning to wonder why anyone ever wanted to make a bow out of elm.
I was anxious to try this stave so I shipped it home (Nebraska to California) even though it was wet and heavy, and cut it roughly to shape.  After ~ 2 months of seasoning in our warm dry CA summer I decided to begin rough tillering.  I got to the stringing stage, but the stave seemed kind of noodlish and was beginning to take a nasty set.  Well I steamed some reflex into the outer 1/3 of each limb, and set the stave aside for several months to cure some more. 
When I got around to doing some more tillering the wood seemed much stronger.  The limbs stayed reflexed and the bow came to its target weight, but the bow shot disappointingly slow.   Then after ~ 30 arrows a large splinter lifted on one of the limbs.  I really thought a long time before putting any more work into this bow, but why quit now?
So, three layers of elk sinew were applied.  Another couple of months of work and curing went by and I must say I would have starved to death about six times over, if I were counting on this bow for survival.   The dang thing actually shoots now.  I haven't chronographed it, but I'm satisfied with the way the arrows fly.
I applied a heavy coat of black leather dye over the whole bow.  Then I lightly sanded to remove much of the dye.  The grain really stands out on the belly and the sinew now looks like tree bark ( sort of.)
The bow is 67" nock  to nock, 1.5 inches wide tapering to 1/2" at the nocks.  It pulls 55 lb at 28".

‘Blackie”

[PatM]

 Lessons learned: Cut Elm when the sap is rising and the bark will peel like skinning a rabbit. Kerf the log as deep as you can with a circular saw before trying to split it. Don't attempt to get too many staves from elm by splitting. Let it dry considerably before reducing it to dimensions that will induce warping. Finally, heat treat the bow. You may never use another wood if you have access to plenty of Elm.
 Pat

[Tim B]

How about some pics?

[M-P]

Sorry Folks, Blackie had an active link to photobucket, but the link went away.   Can anybody remind how to make active links?

In the meantime here are the URL's    :

[M-P]

Well that looked better than I expected. 
Pat and Tim, man you guys are fast!  Two replies before I even finished checking to see if the link worked!    Ron

[akila]

Lessons learned: Cut Elm when the sap is rising and the bark will peel like skinning a rabbit. Kerf the log as deep as you can with a circular saw before trying to split it. Don't attempt to get too many staves from elm by splitting. Let it dry considerably before reducing it to dimensions that will induce warping. Finally, heat treat the bow. You may never use another wood if you have access to plenty of Elm.
 Pat

Hi Pat can you plz tell me whatt periode of time is the best to cum elm??Sorry for the stupid question but my english its not verry good and i dont understand all the time whatt you are saying.Thks a lot.

[Pappy]

Good save,you always learn a lot when they give you trouble.Never tried a bow from elm,
but have tried splitting it for fire wood and it was tough.Nice looking finish,it should blend right
in woods.
   Pappy

[DanaM]

Looks like a nice bow, I have some elm drying and ya its tough to split

[jamie]

i love elm. makes ya earn the bow. excellent job.

[George Tsoukalas]

Super bow. Jawge

[M-P]

Thanks for the kind words.   This stave definitely made me work for the bow!  If I ever take up pig hunting, this bow should do the job.  If I can't hit them with the arrows, maybe I can just run up and use it as a club.    Ron

[OldBow]

Got your bow, M-P, bookmarked for Oct Self Bow of the Month.  Good job.  See you later.

[snedeker]

Congrats on the bow.  Nice one. 

I cut the only elm I've ever done on a stinking hhot 4th of July morning a few years ago.  Didn't split bad at all.  It was on an area about to be developed, so it was either get it then or see it go into the chipper. 

Made a good bow too, and it was early on in my career, big-toe sized tips eg.  I have a stave left and will do one sometime.

Dave

[M-P]

Good luck Dave.  My (limited) experiece is that elm can make a nice bow, but you can't rush it and the stave are a real pain to produce.  If I ever try again I'll probably try DAve's idea about heat treating the belly.   Ron

[Hillbilly]

Good looking bow. I've worked slippery elm, and it's not much harder to deal with than pignut hickory. I like elm from what little I've worked with it.