Bow wood question

[carbinecasey]

Good day all:

I hope I find everyone well and safe? Go a question about some bow making wood. I know Osage, Ash, & Yew are very good woods to make a bow, but I have a nice Locust (honey/yellow) that has fallen due to the recent ice storm. I read an article that you could make a nice bow out of this type of wood (can't remember where I seen it), but might need some type of backing. This will be a venture in something I have wanted to do for years now, ( I have several traditional bows, but I gotta try). Any help, thoughts or insight would be appreciated. Also if someone has the good used copy of the Bowyers Bible (volumes 1-4) they would part with that would be awesome.

Carbinecasey

[halfstock]

Don't know what honey locust is but black locust makes one hell'uva fine bow, 2nd only to osage orange( boise de arc) sorry my frenchy spelling aint to good.

Halfstock

[Stumblin Wolf]

I have a lot of honey locust around me, its pretty wood, but I think a little brittle for a good bow. If you try it, bamboo would be about the best backing you could use.

[tom hargrove]

it will  work fine for a flat bow but also will require backing with something like a simple linen try to  keep it under 45@28" and should be fine.

[Don]

I have an Osage Orange tree down on my farm .  It is in the woods line right along my hay field.  I have a couple of questions for you all:

1.  My tree is so twisted that I don't see how you could make anything out of it much less a bow.  Are they all that way?
2.  I still get 5 or 6 apples from it each year.  If I dig a hole and put one in do you think it will grow and will I have to live a hundred years or so to see the tree?     

[heatherhistorian]

Might be, but you won't ever know it, so you can plant it and tell yourself that in 100 years there will be something here you planted. :)

Just kidding....I am sure that would work.  It probably wouldn't take that long for the tree to grow.  All hedge trees are knarly and stickery, but some have some pretty good sized straight limbs.

[Don]

Yeah, I know Heather.  Only thing is that a hundred years from now my land might be paved over for a strip mall.  Would be nice though to see that tree pop up from under the pavement and start dropping apples...........

[heatherhistorian]

http://www.gpnc.org/osage.htm

http://www.cirrusimage.com/tree_osage_orange.htm

http://www.answers.com/topic/osage-orange

http://www.lewis-clark.org/content/content-article.asp?ArticleID=2523

http://forestry.about.com/od/silviculture/p/osage_orange.htm

[Don]

Thanks Heather for the links..... :)

[bckskin2]

I cut some mulberry this spring and it LOOKS a lot like Osage orange. Is it any good for bows. I was set to try some cedar fence post, but TSC stopped selling them. I can get 6x6 cedar at Menards.

[Muler44]

Mulberry can be used for a selfbow.  It is mentioned in several threads on the Primitive Archery Forum. Check it out, there is a wealth of information on making primitive stuff: http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php

You may have to join, but it's fascinating stuff. 

There is a book by Paul Comstock called "The Bent Stick".  He writes about making selfbows from commonly available woods like Mulberry, it's a great read.  Most Traditional/Primitive supply places sell the book and it's not too expensive.  Try http://www.3riversarchery.com/  or http://www.kustomkingarchery.com/

They both have lots of stuff for making your own archery equipment, with books and videos for sale.

Good luck with the Mulberry, it should work for you if its not too twisted up.  I don't think you would be happy with the results you'd get from the cedar fence planks from a supply store.  You can find Eastern Red Cedar staves for sale sometimes on Ebay, those would be much better suited for whittlin' a bow.

Let us know how it goes for you.

[bckskin2]

These were post not planks, but yes they were a narley lot. That's part of why I didn't start. Kept looking for a big post with a section with no knots. Thanks for the link. I had a book on primitive bow can't remember who wrote it, but It got lost. Either my wife pitched or my step son took it to school. I remember about finding a growth ring & following it down. I think this guy backed his cedar bows with raw hide. Got a lot of malberry. I have been whittling on one for 3 months. That's really hard stuff

[wlksnpeace]

Maybe make it a composite type layering sinew and hide glue on the back side to strengthen it