[Ansteorra-archery] Bowyerthon materials, Step 1: the bowstave
Sylvrfalcn at aol.com
Sylvrfalcn at aol.com
Mon Mar 28 16:18:51 PST 2005
Friends,
"Proper" bowstaves are wood that's split out from a tree in such a way as
to take maximum advantage of the wood's grain and growth ring orientation. Such
staves are more expensive and take a bit more work than building bows out of
board "staves". So, for our purposes, I'll focus on the latter. I'll keep my
terminology simple, if you're a techno-geek, please refer to chapter one, of
volume two, of the Traditional Bowyer's Bible. So, without further ado;
- What wood?: Oak, Hickory, Ash, and Maple are considered "inferior" to the
classics like Yew and Osage, but I can tell you from experience they work just
fine. Of them, Oak (Red Oak) is the most commonly available (Lowe's or Home
Depot), but decently priced hickory staves can be ordered off the internet (I'll
list suppliers at the end).
- What size?: 2" wide x 1" thick x 6' long is a good basic starting point.
It's fine if it's longer than you think you need, you can always trim it down.
By the way, that brings up a good tip; if you're down at Lowe's and can't find
a six foot board that's just right, take a look at what they've got in the
eight and ten foot lengths. Might cost you a couple extra bucks, but you can
often find a nice six foot bowstave lurking in a ten foot board that's less than
perfect on one or both ends.
- How do I pick out a board?: Start by looking for the "plainest" looking
board you can spot. It's plain looking because it lacks all the pretty ripple and
swirl patterns that result from cutting through growth rings, and cutting
across grain. Now, even if you don't understand what grain or growth rings are,
you do know what lines are. Scope out all four sides of the board. Are all the
lines pretty much straight, and running side by side?(good board) Or, do they
make a lot of bends and wiggles, maybe even running off the edge of the board
at a slant?(bad board) We're not looking for absolute perfection of so called
"parallel grain" (well we are, but you ain't going to find it) so don't drive
yourself nuts with it. At eight bucks a pop for six feet of Red Oak, you can
afford to learn from mistakes and avoid them on your next try ;-)
Okay, where and how much?:
Red Oak: Lowe's or Home Depot, between eight to twelve bucks
Hickory: www.buildabow.com ~or~ www.rudderbows.com, twenty to thirty five
bucks plus shipping *Note: both sell "foor tillered" staves that are already cut
to shape if you're in a hurry, or lacking in woodworking skills. They're an
excellent bargain, since most of the hard work's done for you. I highly
recommend them ;-)
Questions? No? Then go forth and gather staves my friends, your bowmaking
journey has begun.
Cheers for now,
Robert of Yorkshire
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