Compression Wood out of Pine

blakey

Active member
I was sent an article the other day, a PhD thesis from Finland, that was talking about using pine and conifer for self bows. Apparently in the sub Arctic, where strong prevailing winds howl across the tundra, trees often grow leaning over at a sharp angle to the ground. Because of tension between gravitational forces and the trees innate drive to grow upright, the wood on the underside of the trunk (facing the ground) grows really heavy compressed lignin. This apparently makes very good self bows. The Finns have also gone the next step, using the compression wood fir the belly and a strip of birch fir the back. I thought this sounded quite interesting, because I had never had much of an opinion of pine and such as a bow wood. Then someone pointed out that Yew is a conifer! :)
 

KidCurry

Well-known member
AIUK Saviour
It never ceases to amaze me what areas of research some people come up with for their PhDs. If you have a link to the research I would very much like to read it. :)
 

blakey

Active member
It never ceases to amaze me what areas of research some people come up with for their PhDs. If you have a link to the research I would very much like to read it. :)
If you could run me through the process of how to make a link I'll attempt it. I'm a bit of a dinosaur I'm afraid! :)
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Interesting!
Some research, on the wood used by Stradivarius for his violins, shows that the growth rings were closer together than they have been since his times. They feel that gave the wood a strength that might help give them their unique properties.
 

WillS

New member
This isn't anything new at all. Quite a few of the Scandinavian bow finds were made of compression pine. I have a couple of friends in Finland and Norway who have taken compression pine bows up to 150lb. Eirik even made a laminated compression pine Tvividr replica with a birch backing strip glued with just hide glue that was around 100lb.
 

blakey

Active member
This isn't anything new at all. Quite a few of the Scandinavian bow finds were made of compression pine. I have a couple of friends in Finland and Norway who have taken compression pine bows up to 150lb. Eirik even made a laminated compression pine Tvividr replica with a birch backing strip glued with just hide glue that was around 100lb.
Hi Will, it wasn't claiming to be a new discovery, it was claiming that it's a technique that's been around for thousands of years, but a lot of old bows in museums that were diagnosed as heartwood were in fact compression wood. I wish I could post a link to the whole article. I thought it was interesting because I've never heard of it. It made me wonder whether a similar process might happen down here up on the mountain? :)
 

WillS

New member
Hi Will, it wasn't claiming to be a new discovery, it was claiming that it's a technique that's been around for thousands of years, but a lot of old bows in museums that were diagnosed as heartwood were in fact compression wood. I wish I could post a link to the whole article. I thought it was interesting because I've never heard of it. It made me wonder whether a similar process might happen down here up on the mountain? :)
I see what you mean!

Yeah it shows what "archaeologists" know doesn't it. Makes you wonder how many bows were discarded as "sticks" as well...

Yew compression wood is amazing stuff - you can make the most stupidly heavy bows out of tiny, tiny pieces. I've not used any compression wood from other conifers yet but I'm hoping to be travelling to a bowyer's camp in Norway this year and hopefully getting hold of some (along with some more real poplar instead of that horrible tulipwood that everybody thinks is poplar - it grows like a weed out there!)
 

Corax67

Well-known member
Sadly the sign of a misspent youth poring over computers instead of discovering archery !

Thankfully I have now reversed this alarming situation ;)


Should you ever need a spot of IT assistance feel free to PM me.




Karl
 
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