Help please with NZ wood for bow.

Hey Guys - my son has been making bows himself and now wants to improve them into something suitable for a little hunting. Like any young fella he has watched lots on youtube and picked up some good information. But any advice especially for NZ would be appreciated.
- What timbers native or other timbers make good bow staves ? He has heard Lance wood is ok and currently has a piece drying in his room. He wants to try few different species ?
- How long do we need to season it for ?
- And do we simply season with bark on and just let it dry ?

Cheers

What diameter is the lancewood? It has a tendency to split during drying.

It's about 3.5 inches diameter and about 10 feet long. How long do you reckon it will take to dry, he is pretty impatient like all young fella's.

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Originally Posted by MSL

What diameter is the lancewood? It has a tendency to split during drying.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMANpElhULs - good video from Josh James on making his own bows

I don't know how it would go in a bow stave, but it does (suprisingly, at least to me, but apparently not to Maori who used it extensively for walking sticks) make a superb springy and tough walking stick - Kowhai

Yew

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Originally Posted by Pengy

Yew

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Mah people ;)

Yew was that good for bow making compared to other species, that the introduction of firearms to Western Europe basically saved it.

Bamboos.
But I am not sure we grow them big enough in nz for descent bow construction.

This is a French documentary on bow making. Just watch to see what is involved.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qN-ghlfo9vE

What about heavy schedule PVC pipe? No seasoning required.

There I'd guy in hamilton making them in pvc and selling them on trade me I think?

I heard privet is pretty good for making bows. Have a google and you will probably find the same info I did. No first hand experience on this though

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Originally Posted by Pete_D

Hey Guys - my son has been making bows himself and now wants to improve them into something suitable for a little hunting. Like any young fella he has watched lots on youtube and picked up some good information. But any advice especially for NZ would be appreciated.
- What timbers native or other timbers make good bow staves ? He has heard Lance wood is ok and currently has a piece drying in his room. He wants to try few different species ?
- How long do we need to season it for ?
- And do we simply season with bark on and just let it dry ?

Cheers

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Most milled timber will dry at 1 inch per month. With a 'bark on round' a guess would be to double that. If your son wants to make a primitive style but very fast bow he could try a long branch from a Macrocarpa. If you take one of those whippy branches from the bottom of a spreading tree especially one that the cows have been using as a back scratcher he will be surprised at how good it is. Better than Lancewood IMO. With a bit of suitable cord on the back of the bow like a sinew bow and a binding it will rocknroll

Rule of thumb for drying properly stacked and stickered rough sawn timber was always 1" of thickness per year. Obviously there are many variables that influence the actual drying time including species, initial moisture content, ambient temperature and humidity, ...

Thanks guys - he has followed a you tube video and made a great little PVC bow, must be about 25 lb in draw. We'll wait a few months for the wood to season and he can try some wood carving skills.

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Originally Posted by Pete_D

Thanks guys - he has followed a you tube video and made a great little PVC bow, must be about 25 lb in draw. We'll wait a few months for the wood to season and he can try some wood carving skills.

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I reckon we need a few photos of said PVC bow. Top effort.

There made from 20mm PVC pipe and bent using a heat gun. Pretty cool and after a couple of stuff ups came out sweet. Mum helped with the leather grip. They also shoot sweet in the garden!

That is a great result, I bet he is wrapt that he has made his own bow.

Well done you lot. If you are interested there are vids on YouTube that detail how to make those pvc bows look like wood grain.

Good way to get young people into archery cheap but also rewarding in the sense of building what you shooting.

Aussie Blackwood could be a go, the thinner braches are incredibly hard to snap, and really "springy"

If he can laminate he can use timber that's less suitable on it's own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_sb2Me3hdo
@Pete_D

Thanks - we'll check that out later.

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Originally Posted by Boar Freak

If he can laminate he can use timber that's less suitable on it's own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_sb2Me3hdo
@Pete_D

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What about Tanekaha,
It's a very strong tough and stringy wood
Zq

As kids we used to use Lancewood for bows. Used the trunk as cut and about 1 1/2 inch across. Worked fine for kids bows but would break when dry or a few years old. If he cuts it I understand to have the sap side away from you and the heart side toward you. That's hoe the English made their long bows.

Only ever built one out of yew, dried a 4" piece for three years then split it with a bill hook following the grain, this prevents splitting latter on, you want sap wood on the outside (white) core wood (red) on the inside, to keep the Spring in the bow, work away at both woods following the grains, until you have a draw weight you like, a lot of work and time but worth it.

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Originally Posted by Taff

Only ever built one out of yew, dried a 4" piece for three years then split it with a bill hook following the grain, this prevents splitting latter on, you want sap wood on the outside (white) core wood (red) on the inside, to keep the Spring in the bow, work away at both woods following the grains, until you have a draw weight you like, a lot of work and time but worth it.

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Cheers Taff - he's working on a Yew stave at the moment, only 2-3 inches but going good. I'll get a picture up when finished.