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steelheadSABO
08-06-2009, 10:30 PM
im intrested in making a bow and wondered what type of wood would you look for in bc to make a self longbow out of.thanks

Ddog
08-07-2009, 10:01 AM
there is actually lots of woods you can use, if you're starting from scratch i would go to home depot and get one of the 1 x 3 pieces of oak. it is already dry and you can start right away.
if you are going to cut a piece it is going to need to dry for a couple of years unless you get it done at a kiln.
there is quite a number of woods here in BC to use and it all depends on what you want your bow to look like one of the nicest self-bows i ever seen was juniper.
that being said a list off the top of my head of woods to use---> YEW, OAK, JUNIPER, WALNUT are just a few of the more popular ones. check this out the best build along i have ever seen. Steve Moore build along.
http://www.geocities.com/salampsio/index.html

Samsquantch
08-07-2009, 10:15 AM
Yew (Taxus brevifolia) is what the english used for long bows. Very dense wood, beautiful colour.
More of a coastal species though, Im not sure where you are, but they like the maritime climate.

Ddog
08-07-2009, 10:21 AM
More of a coastal species though, Im not sure where you are, but they like the maritime climate.[/QUOTE]

....tons of yew in the west kootenays ..The coast, and vancouver island has a few spots too, being interested in self bows myself i have several pieces of yew, that i found without alot of effort.
we are lucky here in BC for that sort of thing.

Samsquantch
08-07-2009, 10:47 AM
Cool. I didnt know they grew in the interior.
Good luck with the bow.

Monashee
08-07-2009, 11:28 AM
Ditto on the red oak ,ash and maple you want straight grained wood, Windsor plywood is a good place to look, the wood is already dry so you can start right away. Make it at least 68" between the string nocks.

Bow quality juniper is quite rare in BC as is yew , yes there are places where it is not hard to find but both are not suitable for beginners. It takes more than few wasted trees before a beginner is able to read a tree IMO so you are way further ahead to buy finished lumber.

Some good info here , http://www.murraygaskins.com/durable.html

silvertipp
08-07-2009, 11:47 AM
you should try bamboo or balsa

M@B
11-08-2009, 11:24 PM
If you are looking to make a true self bow(unbacked) I would start with hickory. it takes a lot of set but, is practically indistructable. you don't have to worry about following growth rings, you can have some grain run-off and really not worry much about it exploding on you.
If you go the route of a stave self bow I would NOT start with Yew. the growth rings are so fine that chasing the back down to one growth ring is very hard. Plus a clean striaght grained knotless Yew stave is like the unicorn of the bow making world. get good with maple(easily found in BC) or order up an Osage stave from the states(huge growth rings, easy to chase but, usually pretty snakey). If it's your first bow, go to home depot and pick up a red oak 1x2x72 board and back it with something cheap ie: linen, drywall tape something like that. that way WHEN it breaks(cuz the first one alway does) you're out 10 bux. hope that helps.

Regards, Matt.

d6dan
11-09-2009, 03:53 PM
More of a coastal species though, Im not sure where you are, but they like the maritime climate.

....tons of yew in the west kootenays ..The coast, and vancouver island has a few spots too, being interested in self bows myself i have several pieces of yew, that i found without alot of effort.
we are lucky here in BC for that sort of thing.[/quote]


Sorry boys, last I heard Yew is a protected tree on the coast.:cry: We used to knock it down in the log blocks, but now have to leave it standing.

835
11-09-2009, 03:59 PM
not like i used to work sales at windsor plywood at all but..... we did sell hickory bow blanks there 75$. I didn't read this thread to know if someone has said it already, but try phoning around you might find something that will work good to learn on for cheep

M@B
11-10-2009, 09:51 AM
Winsor ply doesn't have Hickory anymore. Westwind hardwoods in Sidney can get you anything you want. Plus they'll do any custom cut you need.
I called and asked if they could cut me some Hickory backing strips 1.5"x72"x1/8th"(not a real easy cut for most shops to pull off) and they didn't even bat an eye. "sure, no problem".
Great place to start.