Kiln Dried Maple vs Air Dried
I'm a newbie and this is my first real query. For a straight forward 5 piece bow, can kiln dried Maple (Acer Saccharum) serve well? I have looked through many previous postings and almost all dealt with the steaming and bending properties of kiln dried versus air dried versus green cut maple. Some sources indicate kiln dried is fine, some have stated it is totally unsatisfactory.
I am looking to build a Magyar type bow. The limbs of these bows are straight and require no steam bending, unlike the the much more popular Turkish Bows. I am able to get quite straight even grained Maple at local stores, but I don't want a wood that is too brittle, soft, or generally prone to poor performance or failure. Locally, we have lots of Red Maple (Acer Rubrum) as well as other, much softer species.
I would appreciate any advice on this issue. Thanks.
I am looking to build a Magyar type bow. The limbs of these bows are straight and require no steam bending, unlike the the much more popular Turkish Bows. I am able to get quite straight even grained Maple at local stores, but I don't want a wood that is too brittle, soft, or generally prone to poor performance or failure. Locally, we have lots of Red Maple (Acer Rubrum) as well as other, much softer species.
I would appreciate any advice on this issue. Thanks.
What draw weight are you looking for? I've built several Magyar style bows with "store bought" Maple. If you've got good grain you should be just fine since the maple is "just" a core between the horn and the sinew.
I am looking for about 60 lbs. An earlier posting I had seen here on ATARN, said that I would need 4mm wood, 4mm horn, and 4mm sinew to give me that weight of draw.
I had actually attempted this bow last year, using kiln dried maple. I felt great about it until I started 'bending' the bow on the 'spreader board'. Then I heard the dreaded "crack" and saw a cross fiber crack in my sinew on one of the limbs. Not knowing if it was a sinew failure or core failure, under the sinew, all I could do is cut it up and look at the pieces. Sadly, the pieces don't tell me anything; with the tension off, nothing really shows. I did see however that my wood core was 5 plus millimeters thick .
So, now I want to start yet again on this bow, double checking everything. As the core is the 'spine' of the bow, I want to ensure that my kiln dried maple will work.
Thanks.
I had actually attempted this bow last year, using kiln dried maple. I felt great about it until I started 'bending' the bow on the 'spreader board'. Then I heard the dreaded "crack" and saw a cross fiber crack in my sinew on one of the limbs. Not knowing if it was a sinew failure or core failure, under the sinew, all I could do is cut it up and look at the pieces. Sadly, the pieces don't tell me anything; with the tension off, nothing really shows. I did see however that my wood core was 5 plus millimeters thick .
So, now I want to start yet again on this bow, double checking everything. As the core is the 'spine' of the bow, I want to ensure that my kiln dried maple will work.
Thanks.
Make sure that the core wood has good humidity. Overly dry wood can crack on you. If it were me, I'd probably shoot for 3mm in each layer. If need be, you could always add more sinew to bring the weight up a bit...
Thank you for the guidance.
Without ever having touched a real horn bow, I'm still on the front side of a real learning curve. I have read on so many threads where 'first' bows were under-performers that I've tended to round up on my dimensions. At the same time I was making this Magyar Bow last year, I was also making a Han Dynasty Bow. It has not failed, but is far too strong for me to even begin to draw. Once I square away a symmetry problem, I guess that it will make a nice 120 lb. Han Crossbow.
Thanks again.
Without ever having touched a real horn bow, I'm still on the front side of a real learning curve. I have read on so many threads where 'first' bows were under-performers that I've tended to round up on my dimensions. At the same time I was making this Magyar Bow last year, I was also making a Han Dynasty Bow. It has not failed, but is far too strong for me to even begin to draw. Once I square away a symmetry problem, I guess that it will make a nice 120 lb. Han Crossbow.
Thanks again.