doug fir bows

[willie]

Don

I have been muddling about this with some branches I have. to use the bottom of the branch or the top.


if using the bottom it is easy to get a wide back but a narrow belly of compression wood, but compression wood may not be the best way to go.

but to use the top of the branch where the tension wood might be, the geometry is upside down for a bow that needs something  extra on its back

[Woodely]

I've always wondered if a branch from the top of an old growth Doug Fir would make a good belly. It's very dense and can take a tremendous snow load. I have a Sitka Spruce in the yard that I could probably liberate a branch from. I don't think I would trust it in tension though. I'm not sure why, just a gut feeling. Funny, because tension is Spruces strong point. Maybe my gut is wrong.

When  I started this addiction about 7-8 years ago, we had a bad wind storm and a limb came down in the back yard.  I think it was Spruce or Hemlock @ 56" NTN at any rate I carved it down cut in the string nocks and it shot quite well.  It was bendy handle.  It had 3" of natural reflex.  The only reason it broke is because I wanted to see what draw it would take.  It broke in the center at about 26" draw.  But it seemed quite tough for all its drawbacks.

[Limbit]

Yes, the bottom portion of a conifer like spruce or fir would be compression wood and a good choice for a belly on a sinew backed bow.

[Dante_F]

ok ill see if i can get a good compression side of a branch

[willie]

seems if your bow was single limb and naturally reflexed, you might have been using the natural "compression" side as the back. keep us informed as you go please as it is interesting stuff to play with.

[Dante_F]

i have my eye on an R/D compression side branch but looks to be really short. maybe a bendy handle

[Bryce]

A properly dense piece of Sitka spruce will make a suitable bow.

[Limbit]

 You'll need to be splicing two branches most likely to get an even distribution of compression wood. I'd mark out the bottom portion of the branch with a red marker or something before cutting it just as a reminder of how it was growing and where the bow limb is likely to be placed.The Finnish bows were made with compression conifer wood. They would actually grow trees at an angle. The angle induces the compression rings to form. They used the wood for birch-backed bows and also for skis.

[DC]

Before I started this as a hobby I used to whittle out bows and arrows if we were camping and I found a feather. I made a bow once out of a recently dead 1" branch of Doug Fir. I remember it because I actually hit the pole I was aiming at with the first shot. Anyway it worked but I don't remember how far I was bending it or how many times I shot it.

[Dante_F]

ok sounds good ill give it a go