Ash longbow - 45# at 28"

[Pat B]

I like cutting whitewood during the spring before the newest ring is laid down. For me I think using last years ring that has had all winter to mature is a better option. Other folks have different ideas.
I know the moisture content is is higher in the spring but if you seal the ends and back well you shouldn't have any checking problems. It has always worked well for me.

[bjrogg]

I have 140 bar Karcher power washer but it doesn't heat water. What do you think about using it?

Filip I'd give the washer a try. I did a bunch of winter harvested HHB and some Elm. I used the burner to heat my water but I also tried it with cold water. It worked with cold but took longer. I did a post if you search "removing bark and cambium with power washer " maybe you can find it. I know some others have told me they tried just cold water and it worked for them. You can't chase a ring on osage but it works for removing cambium on any of the white woods I've tried. Might take Bark off with draw knife first if you prefer.
Bjrogg

[FilipT]

Tried it this afternoon and it just removed thin upper layer but it made it wet. I think I would rather experiment with hot water which will probably soften it and than remove it with scraping (not drawing).

[Strichev]

It still looks to me that you should be able to expedite the process by getting 1/2 of it it removed using a drawknife. I mean, if it's a few mm thick damaging the back is rather unlikely. Or does the under-bark just sort of merge/transform into solid wood?

I'm really curios about this ash you have, seems really unusual with its cambium being so tricky. I've had dry ash with thick underbark (a few mm) but never something as problematic. Wish you luck.

Edit: is it dangerous to leave it on during tillering or would it just pop off?

[FilipT]

I will probably remove first a thin bit of layer with knife and than use hot water. No, the underbark doesn't really transform into solid wood but it almost behaves like a solid wood. What is interesting that ash sapling I worked on before (some time last autumn) had normal bark. I just debarked it with fingers and a bit of draw knife, nothing special. Very weird.

I think it would probably be tight during tillering. When you floor tiller bow with a bit of underbark/bark, it cracks and finally it all pops off during tillering. But this one doesn't do anything during tiller. It really behaves like early growth rings of some sort.

 

[FilipT]

I finally debarked it. Used draw knife to get bark to about 0,5 mm thickness and then I poured boiling water on feet long segments. So I scraped carefully each segment until the bark was gone. Of course, since this is tight grained ash, even with light scraping I violated several rings on the back so I had to remove them.
Result is uniformly clean back of the bow. That being said, when the bow enters final stage where it will be cleaned and sanded, I will be very careful when sanding the back.

Here are two pictures of the side of bow at the center clearly showing tight grain. On one picture you can see ruler in metric system which could give you some reference about width of rings. Back is the edge near the number "0". Notice the almost non existent width of rings there.

[DC]

Good job! You learned two things
1- how to get dried bark off
2- cut your wood in the spring

[ksnow]

Ash and thin growth rings have not been a good combination for me in the past.  Good luck on your build.

Kyle

[FilipT]

DC, I cut almost whole year long. But I prefer autumn because how juices run slowly and wood is not so heavy. Also there is less chance for cracking.

Kyle, could you tell a little more what usually happened?

Forgot to mention, I don't know when, maybe tomorrow, I need to correct string alignment with steaming so I cannot tiller yet. Will keep everyone updated.

[ksnow]

I have had 3 fail, from lifted splinters on the back to violent explosions at full draw.  All the staves were from the same tree.  Good growth rings in the center of the tree, very tight rings on the outside. The tree must have been starved the last 5 to 6 years.  Very thin growth rings. These were all overbuilt, meare heath style flatbows, 2+ inches wide, 68 - 70 inches long, pulling 45-50 pounds. I don't think the thin rings can take the tension.

Kyle

[FilipT]

We'll see what it will happen. This ash and its companion saplings were growing on a small hilly and rocky terrain. Because of this (probably) they had so many rings in such a small diameter of 4 inches.

[Strichev]

Compared to this the yew I have has absolutely huge growth rings. What's that, 4 rings per mm? It seems that even the lightest sanding of the back might violate a ring. 

[FilipT]

Imagine yew with these rings, it would produce a 200# bow just like that LOL. And you are right, even sanding could violate the back so I said I must be really careful.

[FilipT]

After 2 steaming sessions, string is passing almost through center.

[FilipT]

Probably the shortest tillering ever.

Decided to start tiller it today. Before tillering I noticed spots which will probably become hinges and I mark them as places to avoid. I put the string immediately on full brace height and am surprised how good the bend looks like. Put it on the tiller, draw to 15", remove it and scrape the inner 2/3 of the upper limb. Put it there again and draw to 20", remove it, this time I scrape the lower limb fully, to make it less stiff. Here and there and 10 minutes later, bow measures 48 pounds at 28 inches.
After scraping tool marks and making radius on the edges, bow measured 45 pounds, which is just a tad bit under 50 pounds I wanted, but I am very pleased with result.

I will put some other day additional pictures of full draw, before that I must apply pork fat and beeswax coating.

Dimensions:
- 70" nock to nock
- 40 x 20 mm at center
- gradual taper to the tips

Lower limb, back


Lower limb, belly


Arrow pass, thinking about putting leather handle


Belly


Tip, sorry for lack of focus, phone camera literally cannot focus