Tension Wood Question

[wvfknapper]

I made about a half dozen bows about 7 years ago and have recently started getting back into bow building and was reading on Tension wood ................ Can a decent bow still be made from the compression side of a tree? I have permission from a  local coal company to cut a few osage trees (old growth osage probably 40 yrs old)  and one is really nice and straight but it was pushed over by the wind years ago and is leaning at an angle,  the best wood is on the under side, can I still get good bows from it?

[Ryano]

absolutely, as long as its not rotten. Theres no such thing as bad osage......and I tend not to stake to much thought into that whole tension/compression side of the tree thing....it doesnt make much diferance in most cases.

[Pat B]

Most people wouldn't know the difference just by looking at a stave. Unless you see it on the trunk it would be hard to tell the difference. Art Butner built a composite bow with tension wood on the back and compression wood on the belly.   You could always mark the compression wood and make their bows a bit oversized.    Pat

[wvfknapper]

Thanks guys,, I figured that it should still make a bow , this tension vs compression thing seems to be something new and I figure that a lot of bows in the past were made from compression wood and shot well..........The tree is still very much alive and is still rooted, just leaning bad...........There is a couple of trees there that are probably 2' across the base  and I might end up taking those if I can gather enough wedges.

Robert

[tom sawyer]

If it actually grew in compression, it would likely warp into significant deflex when you split it out.  That wood might not make that great a bow.  If it is fairly straight after splitting, it should be OK.  And going farther into the split might not be a bad idea, I've personally had less luck with older larger trees just because the rings tend to get thinner as the tree gets older.  You might do well to work down to a ring farther into the split, might even find that wood wasn't growing at an angle.

Why is the tension side not that good?  Lot of branches grow out of the upper side?  Or is it just thin rings?

[wvfknapper]

Tom

Supposedly the tension wood is what you are looking for in a stave,, I Had seen it a few years back when I was logging but didn't realize exactly what I was looking at,, the rings on the tension side will be tighter and yes from what I have read it does warp more.

Here is a link to a page that talks about it

http://www.bowyersedge.com/reaction.html

Robert

[tom sawyer]

I read Torges' thoughts on the wider-ringed side fo the log, seems like he feels it would work about as well as the thin-ringed side which is a good deal.

I was asking why you thought the uphill side of your particular log wasn't going to be as good of wood.

I had my eye on a black locust tree that had been knocked over at a 45 degree angle.  I was lazy though, and over the course of several months the upper side sprouted many branches.  i never bothered to harvest it because I figured the good stuff was ruined.

[wvfknapper]

Tom

I was worried about the under side, the compressed wood........The top has a split part way up and I suspect it's hollow, plus it's got what you mentioned on the locust, it sprouted branches years ago,,, I will take it also but likely only to make knife handles or foreshafts.

Robert