Boards -vs- Staves

[blackhawk]

Posts: 2392

 Re: Where to Find Wood
« Reply #11 on: Today at 05:40:34 am »QuoteQuote from: lesken2011 on December 19, 2012, 09:15:13 pm
I didn't know you had something against boards, blackhawk. They never did anything to you, did they?

Simply said: A stave is better than a board ....when first learning always use the best wood available to you. A hickory,elm,or white oak sapling or small tree will tolerate a novices hands better than a board.

not singleing you out blackbird, you did


In that case its a true statement ...all he had was red oak boards he could find when he lives in the eastern woodlands and is surrounded by a plethora of better wood available than a red oak board.

[bubby]

Pickin' on bubs boards is liking picking on his family.......You best be careful!


amen brother, i have a hackberry, an ocean spray and two, count'em TWO osage staves, actually 1 stave and two billets that i'm trying to do myself proud on,but i'm not buried in great wood so i take my time and enjoy them,

[bubby]

i hear ya blackhawk, if i lived there i'd have staves coming out my ears, Bub

[osage outlaw]

I've seen some very nice board bows posted.  I don't have anything against them.  I even tried a piece of red oak 1x2 once.  I got it almost all the way tillered out and just lost interest in it.  I threw it in the corner for a couple years and ended up cutting it up to make spacers.  It just didn't have any soul.  It was straight, square, and smooth.  I love working a stave.  Following the grain, the humps, bumps, and knots lets me get to know the wood.  By the time I'm done with a bow I know every inch of it like the back of my hand.  That is why I prefer staves over boards. 

[SLIMBOB]

Although they overlap, the skill set is a bit different for each.  If you want the best chance at success early on, staves are the better option IMO.

[half eye]

I got both.....cuttin a tree and splittin out some 1/4's etc. is a whole bunch easier than knockin down the tree, gettin it to the saw mill with a pee-vee, cuttin out the quartersawn boards (rollin that damned tree around at least 8 times), then seal the ends and rick it all up for at least a year, then mill it flat to identify the grain, then resaw to get perfectly straight grain, etc etc. Yep, them board bows is a piece of cake and no challenge at all
rich

[Hrothgar]

 Its kind of like trying to compare oranges to apples. A stave will give headaches, challenges, unforseen and unimagineable problems, inconsistant material, but if you can pull it off... .

"Its all about the experience", thats a great way to separate the two.

[George Tsoukalas]

It's all good. Been making boards into bows since '94. Been making stave bows since '89.
There's some sentimental value attached to some of the boards I've made into bows and some of the same for my log bows. Let's just leave it at that.
Merry Christmas!
Jawge

[lesken2011]

I, for one, started with boards due to availability and budget. There is a lot to learn for beginners about different woods, designs, and tillering without adding the complexity of knots and curves. I think the early successes I had encouraged me enough to keep learning. I might have had success starting with a stave, but I doubt it, since I had no one to mentor me in person. While I fully intend to broaden my horizons and work some staves, I doubt I will ever stop working with boards.

[gstoneberg]

I've made exactly 1 board bow, of hard maple, and did a terrible job.  It took a lot of set.  Since then it's been all stave bows.  I now have ipe, osage and birch board laminates in various stages of getting started so I'm working up the energy to try the boards again.  I hope to do a little better this time.

George

[paulsemp]

I like both and both have there challenges. I don't see a difference in level of skill needed to make one or the other its just a different type of work.

[ionicmuffin]

i would say that board bows are easier to see the flaws in the tiller, where as, a bow with a section that is deflexed or something would be harder to tell for sure, its basically a bit more deceptive.

[Bryce]

Its about what your after as an experinece more than what performs better, lasts longer or looks better. My passion lies strictly in stave bows.

I also prefer staves... Never built a bow from a board.

How do you know if ya never tried one pinenut

Very true. I have some lemonwood that's sort of in board form.

[RyanY]

I enjoy making both and lately have been itching to try a few board bows. What keeps me from making board bows more often is having to go out and buy them when I have good staves at home. But now that I have a steady income that may change.

[Pat B]

I prefer staves over boards but some of my best, fastest bows have been made from boards...hickory backed osage and ipe. Both make great backed board bows.
 I prefer staves because I like the idea of working the stave to one growth ring on the back and working the bow out of that piece of wood. No glue, no clamps just take off everything that doesn't look like a bow.
  Boards are ideal for the first time builder. They are relatively cheap and available and with thoughtful reduction you can make a nice bow. If you fail you haven't lost much...maybe a little pride but I'm sure we all have plenty of that to sacrifice a little bit.