[kegan]

Not possible. Everything will work if you design it right.

 

[J0nathan]

I'm talking about standard longbows, I know you can make a bow out of pine if you do it "right" but honestly, who wants to shoot a 3-4in wide bow? These combos do not work in a standard longbow configuration.

 

[archerm3]

I'm talking about standard longbows, I know you can make a bow out of pine if you do it "right" but honestly, who wants to shoot a 3-4in wide bow? These combos do not work in a standard longbow configuration.

You didn't say that in your original post...

Disagreeing with Kegan.....lololololololoRoflhelicopter.

 

[kegan]

I'm talking about standard longbows, I know you can make a bow out of pine if you do it "right" but honestly, who wants to shoot a 3-4in wide bow? These combos do not work in a standard longbow configuration.

There is no standard longbow, jsut as there is no standard set of given dimensions. You can make a pine longbow that is 1 1/2"... but it owuld probbaly only pull about 30# at 28" and be about 74" long (and of course that all depends on the density of the specific piece, whether it's reaction wood, heartwood, just sapwood...).

What you want from the bow makes a big difference, so you build in certain design characteristics with a given material to reach that goal.

If there was one material or wood that worked best in every situation, we'd be using it. I've broken/ruined more than my fair share of bows and I can tell you- it was my lack of understanding and skill, not the wood.

 

[J0nathan]

I'll elaborate on that and say it was both of our misunderstanding of the specific wood/style we were working with, and not a lack of general bow building skills, although, there is always room for improvement.

 

[Jamie Miller]

If there was one material or wood that worked best in every situation, we'd be using it. I've broken/ruined more than my fair share of bows and I can tell you- it was my lack of understanding and skill, not the wood.

breaking bows is part of the learning curve. anyone who has made very many bows has broken their share. there is plenty to learn during the post-mortem examinations. so, even an outright failure isn't a total loss. broken bows provide revelations about bow design and construction that succesful ones cannot.

there is a wood that works best in almost every situation. it's called "osage orange". :teeth: hehehe

I'm going to be cutting osage all day today. some for stave bows, some for board stock. might post some pics later.

 

[kegan]

breaking bows is part of the learning curve. anyone who has made very many bows has broken their share. there is plenty to learn during the post-mortem examinations. so, even an outright failure isn't a total loss. broken bows provide revelations about bow design and construction that succesful ones cannot.

there is a wood that works best in almost every situation. it's called "osage orange". :teeth: hehehe

I'm going to be cutting osage all day today. some for stave bows, some for board stock. might post some pics later.

I gotta admit, I always get a little jealous when I hear someone speaking so nonchalantly about going to cut Osage.

Jamie, are you in the bow swap in the build-along section?

 

[Jamie Miller]

no, I guess not. I'm not familiar with the bow swap.

too tired to post pics today. cutting osage is brutal. I only bled on 4 occasions and nobody incurred a serious injury. an exceptional day of felling osage trees!

 

[elk country rp]

are Kegan & me the only folks jealous?
i'd love to have access to a stand of osage.
not much osage for a few hundred (more like a thousand) miles from here.....
you can send me some if you want Jamie!

 

[No.1 Hoyt]

I wouldn't use cherry between hickory(hickory would overpower it) and I would think mahogany would be too brittle.

Cherry is weak in tension so it doesnt make the best backing

I am not jealous becuse I have a bunch of osage and its all over the place where I live!epsi:

 

[elk country rp]

i'll trade either of you elk sheds for osage staves......

 

[kegan]

no, I guess not. I'm not familiar with the bow swap.

too tired to post pics today. cutting osage is brutal. I only bled on 4 occasions and nobody incurred a serious injury. an exceptional day of felling osage trees!

It's up in the build-along forum, Elk started a bow swap.

I'm sure any of us would be proud to recieve one of your Osage hunting bows.

 

[Tajue17]

this is said with a smile but we made tons of selfbows bows from red oak and all ton of them broke :mg:! I think it was mostly the newbie bowyers fault though and not understanding moisture content.

any wood should work to some degree though.