Is this normal?

[Don Case]

 I cut this stave of Douglas Maple. It was growing horizontally on a bank. It had a small reflex towards the tension side. I roughed it out and stood it in the garage. Six weeks later and it has about a foot of reflex. In hindsight I should have strapped it to something. Is it normal for Maple to reflex that much? Should they all be tied down/
Don

[Carson (CMB)]

Vine maple will do the same thing. It is the reason some have termed it "reaction wood".  It is tension strong.  Horizontal growing trees have a very tension strong upperside.  I now select vine maple that is closer to horizontal, but still identifying and selecting the tension side. 

I wouldn't give up on that stave though.  The limbs are going to be traveling a long way, so keep your design realistic. 

[Joec123able]

Yep now that it has that much reflex you may not get the draw lenth your looking for its going to bend along ways just bracing it

[Don Case]

Is there any possibility of steaming it straighter or would that just ruin it? I have a long enough steam box to do the whole stave.

[steve b.]

Hey Don.  I don't have your steaming answer.  The beauty of this business is that what works form some may not work for others or for the same guy at another time.  So unless you are desperate for staves you might just try clamping it to a board and slowly applying pressure whilst heating.

I tend to be one-track in my thinking and always go one of two or three ways on any piece of wood.  On that piece, and just for the challenge, I would make a gull-wing that bends through the handle.  It will lose a lot of that reflex in the process and you may end up with something reasonable in the end.  Or I might thin the whole thing down and use it as a backing for something else.  Keep it fun.

[Pat B]

Most woods will do that, some more than other. For me it is easier to stabilize the stave by binding it to a form and adding the wanted reflex later with heat. If that was my stave I would try to gradually reduce the reflex a little at a time.

[lostarrow]

It's caused by the sapwood drying quicker than the heartwood. I had some pipe straight BL that did the same thing. If you cut in the winter ,and seal the back or leave the bark on for a while  ,it is less likely to happen.

[aaron]

I have tried several times to reduce reflex in Vine Maple staves like this one with little success. Even after multiple steamings, they always return to almost their super-reflex state. as others said- bows can still be made of these , but it's an advanced project. personally, i look for VM that is growing more vertically ( unkike what CMB said) ((hi carson and I am shooting that old bear you gave me- thanks)). Lately, I am experimenting with taking staves like this and trying to deflex them with a handle splice.

[Bryce]

I had a piece of VM do the same thing. Had 10" of reflex. I heat treated the belly(no form or clamps) and a lot of the reflex went away bc of the compressing wood cells on the belly pulled it out. Ending up with 4" of reflex an the bow held 2.5" of reflex after tillering & shooting in. Boy that bow could shoot.

[Weylin]

My guess is that Carson meant to say vertical instead of horizontal. (but maybe not. Carson likes to live dangerously.  )

[mikekeswick]

It's caused by the sapwood drying quicker than the heartwood. I had some pipe straight BL that did the same thing. If you cut in the winter ,and seal the back or leave the bark on for a while  ,it is less likely to happen.

Not in this case! It was caused by the wood being under tension as it grew. The rest of the weight has been removed so this is it's true shape.
Personally I would deflex both limbs near the handle with dry heat....r/d bow 

[Carson (CMB)]

My guess is that Carson meant to say vertical instead of horizontal. (but maybe not. Carson likes to live dangerously.  )

Yeah I meant the other horizontal...

Here is what I did with a similar VM stave (before I started selecting near horizontal...vertical trees)



I cut the handle area down to get a good degree of bend using steam heat.  Then after it cooled and dried I shaped a piece of osage to glue in to build the handle back up.  Thanks for reminding me of this project of mine, I need to get back to it!

[sleek]

If that were my stave, and I had any sinew....... I would probably trap the back then sinew it. With the wider belly, less likely to fail in compression, and with a trapped sinewed back, its less likely to fail there too... Maybe heat treat the belly also...