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Bow ????

I have wytch elm growing on my boundary, what length/diameter do you use.
The bowstave needs to be a quarter of piece of trunk about 12 inches in diameter and roughly 7 feet long. Straight and knot free. Wych elm is very rare these days, almost an endangered species, I wouldn't want to cut one down. Not when ash makes a perfectly good substitute
 
Found an old photo of my Samick from Merlin Archery..

5-day-camp-027.jpg
 
The bowstave needs to be a quarter of piece of trunk about 12 inches in diameter and roughly 7 feet long. Straight and knot free. Wych elm is very rare these days, almost an endangered species, I wouldn't want to cut one down. Not when ash makes a perfectly good substitute
Really?, I recently redistributed a few thousand seeds all along the woodland either side of my drive removed from my gutters, dropped there by the wytch elms behind my house. Unfortunately that area has been coppiced by the previous owner so there is nothing of the right dimensions for making a bow. They are particularly targeted by grey squirrels and their bark stripping antics.
 
Watching your progress with interest Mark. My daughter and her husband are coaches at the local club Brixham Archers and she shoots for the Devon ladies team from time to time. I am being pressured to join but like you I have a lot going on. Some really good advice so far.
 
Really?, I recently redistributed a few thousand seeds all along the woodland either side of my drive removed from my gutters, dropped there by the wytch elms behind my house. Unfortunately that area has been coppiced by the previous owner so there is nothing of the right dimensions for making a bow. They are particularly targeted by grey squirrels and their bark stripping antics.
Yeah, Elm and Wych Elm got decimated by Dutch Elm disease in the 1960s. I don't know why it's called 'Dutch' because it came from Canada. Elms used to be a common species and large ones graced many a hedgerow. Now they're as rare as hen's teeth and any that are about are youngsters. If you really do have wych elm (there are three points on the leaf that sort of form a W) you should treasure them and do what you're doing, cast the seeds about
 
I’ve got one of these


Not sure what it’s draw strength is; shot a friend in the arse from about 25 yards; made a satisfying whack and she screamed if that’s any sign of power.

38
 
Not sure what it’s draw strength is; ................... made a satisfying whack and she screamed if that’s any sign of power..

Probably a 3 or 4 Octave Bow then 38..............
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Yeah, Elm and Wych Elm got decimated by Dutch Elm disease in the 1960s. I don't know why it's called 'Dutch' because it came from Canada. Elms used to be a common species and large ones graced many a hedgerow. Now they're as rare as hen's teeth and any that are about are youngsters. If you really do have wych elm (there are three points on the leaf that sort of form a W) you should treasure them and do what you're doing, cast the seeds about


I wouldn’t want to destroy them buddy ,what would you recommend for my first stave? I would want to start with green wood first so I could grow my skill and confidence before I tried with a more seasoned piece
 
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I wouldn’t want to destroy them buddy ,what would you recommend for my first stave? I would want to start with green wood first so I could grow my skill and confidence before I tried with a more seasoned pice.
Ash would be my choice Mark
 
Watching your progress with interest Mark. My daughter and her husband are coaches at the local club Brixham Archers and she shoots for the Devon ladies team from time to time. I am being pressured to join but like you I have a lot going on. Some really good advice so far.



thanks dick, progress could be slow right enough lol.

it’s a bugger when there’s always something in the way, the problem I have is I want to try everything
 
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Ash would be my choice Mark

thanks buddy 👍🏻 I think @Ichneumon mentioned that to, I just don’t want to take anything that’s considered rare, didn’t think about that initially lol. I think my first step is seeing what’s available and reasonable to take before I do anything.
 
thanks buddy 👍🏻 I think @Ichneumon mentioned that to, I just don’t want to take anything that’s considered rare, didn’t think about that initially lol. I think my first step is seeing what’s available and reasonable to take before I do anything.
The other very cheap option and it wouldn't do any damage to the enviroment would be hazel working initially with about a 4 inch diameter staff
 
Thanks for all the information guys 😊😊 not over yet as I will probably have more questions soon 😂
 
I wouldn’t want to destroy them buddy ,what would you recommend for my first stave? I would want to start with green wood first so I could grow my skill and confidence before I tried with a more seasoned piece
This is an Ash bowstave before starting work on it (see picture), a 7 foot long log split lengthwise twice into a 1/4. Ash is plentiful and a very good wood to use. It needs to be seasoned before you work on it. If you work on it green there are two problems 1. It will warp out of shape as it dries. 2. You cannot tiller it because green wood will hold a bend and not spring back. You will also need a wide selection of tools - axe, saws, drawknife, G cramps, spoke shave, small files and a selection of other odds and sods. If you can recruit a few others who would like to make a bow, and if you can source the bowstaves, I can supply all the necessary; we could probably sweet-talk Matt into organising something next year.
 

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This is an Ash bowstave before starting work on it (see picture), a 7 foot long log split lengthwise twice into a 1/4. Ash is plentiful and a very good wood to use. It needs to be seasoned before you work on it. If you work on it green there are two problems 1. It will warp out of shape as it dries. 2. You cannot tiller it because green wood will hold a bend and not spring back. You will also need a wide selection of tools - axe, saws, drawknife, G cramps, spoke shave, small files and a selection of other odds and sods. If you can recruit a few others who would like to make a bow, and if you can source the bowstaves, I can supply all the necessary; we could probably sweet-talk Matt into organising something next year.



Sounds like a plan, very generous offer, would definitely take you up on that 😊 👍🏻 @Matt 😊😊


The green wood idea was just to play about with in the woods, more for practice than function. And a great reason to make a survival bow. However I would love to make a bow that stood the test of time and outlived me, one I could take my time making. For me it’s more building my confidence than skill, learning on the job so to speak.
 
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