Harvesting local wood

drumgerry

New member
First posting here but have been reading the forum archives avidly the last few days.

I'm an experienced woodworker but have never made a bow. Always wanted to (the usual story eh?) but only now getting round to it. Bought the Traditional Bowyers Bible Vols 1-3 and really enjoying that too.

To get to the point though I was reading the chapter in Vol 1 on using white wood as they describe it to make bows. Living where I do in Nth East Scotland I'm surrounded by birch, sycamore, and rowan (mountain ash) forests. In fact there's a fair amount of it in my garden.

Just wondering what size of trees/branches I should be looking at? Out walking this morning I noticed a fair amount of straight branches/saplings of around 4 inches wide. Would these be too small or would it be possible to get a working bow out of them?

Cheers

Gerry
 
First posting here but have been reading the forum archives avidly the last few days.

I'm an experienced woodworker but have never made a bow. Always wanted to (the usual story eh?) but only now getting round to it. Bought the Traditional Bowyers Bible Vols 1-3 and really enjoying that too.

To get to the point though I was reading the chapter in Vol 1 on using white wood as they describe it to make bows. Living where I do in Nth East Scotland I'm surrounded by birch, sycamore, and rowan (mountain ash) forests. In fact there's a fair amount of it in my garden.

Just wondering what size of trees/branches I should be looking at? Out walking this morning I noticed a fair amount of straight branches/saplings of around 4 inches wide. Would these be too small or would it be possible to get a working bow out of them?

Cheers

Gerry
Hi there, lucky you on being surrounded by forests! I generally ask local farmers who have woods on their land if I can take a tree or two and if you show them what you intend to make then i've found most are agreeable.
I haven't made a bow from any of the woods you've mentioned but if you follow the 'standard bend test' in bowyers bible vol 1 you'll be able to determine suitable limb widths for any type of wood. As for the diameter - i'd go for trees that are at least 9 inches across. The reason being that when you split the log into staves the larger the starting diameter of the log the flatter the bark surface will be, this will then give you a perfect undisturbed, one ring back for the bow by simply taking the bark off!
If you wanted to use a 4 inch log then you would probably be better following the 'ancient european bows' chapter in b.b. vol 2 and making the bow 'backwards.'
The main tip I can give you regarding cutting your own wood is to get a moisture meter (10-20pounds) and wait till it says 9%!!! Hope this helps
 
D

Deleted member 7654

Guest
Look at the bow building forum.
http://www.archery-interchange.net/forum/bow-building/21118-bow-bark-left.html (This Birch Bow is actually Hazel :eek:, but I seasoned it quickly and it was fine)
I've made two lovely Hazel bows from a stave 3 1/2 inches diameter (at the small end).
My Yew longbow was probably slightly smaller than that at the thin end, I had to work hard to get the length I needed.
Small logs split to make two staves is fine. I've yet to see the log which would split to make 4, as there is usually some curve so you end up with one reflexed, one deflexed.
Split 'em de-bark, the paint the ends with PVA.
The Rowan should be good in theory (not used it myself, but would like to try some)
Go for it... 4"-6" is plenty :eek:
Del
BTW If you go for 9" logs all you'll get is a hernia!
(TBB vol 1 is V good on the white wood stuff)
 

ChakaZulu

New member
TBB 4 has a chapter on different bow woods and another on design and performance revisited, which is well worth a look - revising their findings in Vol 1.
 

drumgerry

New member
Thanks for the replies guys - good advice from all of you I think.

Actually I also have an old yew tree in my garden but I think there would be too many flaws in the branches - knots, not straight enough. Which led me on to thinking about other types of woods. Good to know that I can perhaps get away with 3-4 inches although wider would maybe be better. I can't see myself going around felling 9 inch diameter trees but I'd manage 3-4 inch saplings without a problem.

From reading on other forums (Paleoplanet, Primitive Archer) I think I might have a good chance with some sycamore (plentiful around here) and Rowan (the same).

I'll be sure to post my pitiful efforts here once I get going. First thing to is to get the garage/workshop in order, get a new blade for the bandsaw, buy a rasp etc etc !!

Cheers

Gerry
 

calib

New member
Sorry to butt in, but has anyone made a bow out of Rowan? It's called mountain Ash, but apparently it's not really a member of the Ash family, so I'm wondering if it's suitable.
 
D

Deleted member 7654

Guest
Sorry to butt in, but has anyone made a bow out of Rowan? It's called mountain Ash, but apparently it's not really a member of the Ash family, so I'm wondering if it's suitable.
I think it's pretty good, but I've not tried it.
BTW, I got my moisture meter from Maplin, don't use it much now, but it's handy if you are trying to season wood quickly.
Del
 

cloutman360

New member
Just finished cutting up a Hawthorn tree (it blew down at the end of garden).
Will it make a bow?The main trunk looks ok.
 
D

Deleted member 7654

Guest
I think someone on this site has a Hawthorn bow...can't remember who.
I have some Hawthorn I intend using, but it has split a bit whilst seasoning.
Ah yes it's 'Yew Selfbow'...
I asked him about it and I hope he won't mind me quoting his reply..

Del
It's a bow with a very interesting histoy. A friend from my former archery club is a telecom engineer. He was working with a groupof forresters clearing Hawthorn from the side of a railway line. He saw the tree and asked the forresters if they could take it out in one piece. To cut a long story short I stored the pole in the round in my hay barn for 3 years before splitting. Hawthorn is an attractive pale wood but it has no bark to speak of but it's a dream to work with. Any way it made a nice 50lb bow, nothing special performance wise, but it keeps it's cast all day long and is as steady as a rock and as smooth as silk.

When he says 'no bark to speak of I think it's a slip and he prob meant no grain

Del
 

cloutman360

New member
I think someone on this site has a Hawthorn bow...can't remember who.
I have some Hawthorn I intend using, but it has split a bit whilst seasoning.
Ah yes it's 'Yew Selfbow'...
I asked him about it and I hope he won't mind me quoting his reply..

Del
It's a bow with a very interesting histoy. A friend from my former archery club is a telecom engineer. He was working with a groupof forresters clearing Hawthorn from the side of a railway line. He saw the tree and asked the forresters if they could take it out in one piece. To cut a long story short I stored the pole in the round in my hay barn for 3 years before splitting. Hawthorn is an attractive pale wood but it has no bark to speak of but it's a dream to work with. Any way it made a nice 50lb bow, nothing special performance wise, but it keeps it's cast all day long and is as steady as a rock and as smooth as silk.

When he says 'no bark to speak of I think it's a slip and he prob meant no grain

Del
Sounds promising!

Thanks for the info.
 

gallois

New member
Hi,
The only one of the woods you mention that would be suitable for a single stave bow would be the ash. It would need to be as straight grained as possible with no knots. Any other wood you might consider, except yew, would need to be laminated.
 
D

Deleted member 7654

Guest
Hi,
The only one of the woods you mention that would be suitable for a single stave bow would be the ash. It would need to be as straight grained as possible with no knots. Any other wood you might consider, except yew, would need to be laminated.
Your statement may hold true for a Longbow but is definitely NOT true of wide flat section single stave bows.(You only have to look on this forum to find a convincing video of me shooting such a bow)
Del
 

gallois

New member
Your right Del...in fact you can make a bow out of anything...even plastic! I guess I should have been more specific and said Traditional English Longbow. I make 'longbows' mainly in yew (taxus boccata), ash, oak and hickory. I prefer self bows rather than laminated.
 

gallois

New member
I have found a few people in America who have made self bows from Hawthorn. However they never say which Hawthorn. Just for your horticultural education heres a short list of the known Hawthorn plants or Crataegus Genus;
Crataegus aemula - Rome Hawthorn
Crataegus aestivalis - May Hawthorn
Crataegus altaica - Altai Hawthorn
Crataegus ambigua - Russian Hawthorn
Crataegus ambitiosa - Grand Rapids Hawthorn
Crataegus anamesa - Fort Bend Hawthorn
Crataegus ancisa - Mississippi Hawthorn
Crataegus annosa - Phoenix City Hawthorn
Crataegus apiifolia - illegitimate name
Crataegus apiomorpha - Fort Sheridan Hawthorn
Crataegus aprica - Sunny Hawthorn
Crataegus arborea - Montgomery Hawthorn
Crataegus arcana - Carolina Hawthorn
Crataegus arnoldiana
Crataegus ater - Nashville Hawthorn
Crataegus austromontana - Valley Head Hawthorn
Crataegus azarolus - Azarole Hawthorn
Crataegus berberifolia
Crataegus biltmoreana
Crataegus boyntonii
Crataegus brachyacantha - Blueberry Haw
Crataegus calpodendron - Late Hawthorn
Crataegus canbyi
Crataegus chlorosarca
Crataegus chrysocarpa
Crataegus coccinea
Crataegus coccinioides
Crataegus collina
Crataegus columbiana
Crataegus compta
Crataegus crus-galli - Cockspur Thorn
Crataegus cuneata - Japanese Hawthorn
Crataegus cupulifera
Crataegus dahurica
Crataegus douglasii - Black Hawthorn, Douglas hawthorn
Crataegus dsungarica (C. ?dsungarica)
Crataegus ellwangeriana
Crataegus erythropoda
Crataegus flabellata
Crataegus flava - Yellow-fruited Hawthorn
Crataegus fontanesiana
Crataegus harbisonii
Crataegus heldreichii
Crataegus heterophylla - Various-leaved Hawthorn
Crataegus holmesiana
Crataegus hupehensis
Crataegus intricata - Thicket Hawthorn, Intricate Hawthorn
Crataegus iracunda
Crataegus jackii
Crataegus jonesae
Crataegus laevigata - Midland Hawthorn- English Hawthorn
Crataegus lavallei (C. ?lavallei)
Crataegus lepida
Crataegus mackenzii
Crataegus macrocarpa (C. ?macrocarpa)
Crataegus macrosperma
Crataegus marshallii - Parsley-leaved Hawthorn
Crataegus maximowiczii
Crataegus mercerensis
Crataegus mexicana
Crataegus mollis - Downy Hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna - Common Hawthorn
Crataegus nigra - Hungarian Hawthorn
Crataegus okanaganensis
Crataegus orientalis
Crataegus oxyacantha
Crataegus pedicellata - Scarlet Hawthorn
Crataegus pentagyna
Crataegus peregrina
Crataegus phaenopyrum - Washington Hawthorn
Crataegus phippsii
Crataegus pinnatifida - Chinese Hawthorn
Crataegus pruinosa - Frosted Hawthorn
Crataegus pubescens - Mexican Hawthorn
Crataegus pulcherrima
Crataegus punctata - Dotted Hawthorn, White Haw
Crataegus putnamiana
Crataegus rhipidophylla
Crataegus rivularis
Crataegus saligna
Crataegus sanguinea - Redhaw Hawthorn
Crataegus sargentii
Crataegus scabrida
Crataegus scabrifolia
Crataegus sinaica - (C. ?sinaica) - Za'rur
Crataegus spathulata - Littlehip Hawthorn
Crataegus submollis
Crataegus succulenta - Fleshy Hawthorn
Crataegus tanacetifolia
Crataegus tracyi
Crataegus triflora
Crataegus uniflora
Crataegus vailiae (C. ?vailiae)
Crataegus viridis - Green Hawthorn, including cultivar 'Winter King'
Crataegus visenda
Crataegus vulsa
Crataegus wattiana
Crataegus wilsonii
The Hawthorn that you see along most of the Btitish hedgerows is Crataegus Monogyne or Common Hawthorn. One reason why it was not used by bowyers in the past was its folklore. It was believd that it was bad luck to cut the tree as it was home to fairies! Lucky we arent so superstitious these days eh?
 
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