Selfbows

[Bisch]

With a hatchet? Your the man!

I think he just put that hatchet there for looks. Looking at the end of that trunk, it looks as if he chewed it off like a beaver! He is a Cajun, ya know!

Bisch

[Dry Bones]

I started roughing out another elm stave today, gave me the itch, when you started this thread, and had to pull one from the shed. Not a great stave, has some twist and knots, but as an old log hand once told me, " It's real trees, and none of em are perfect, ..."

[SwampGhost]

With a hatchet? Your the man!

I cut most of it with that hatchet, had a little help from a friend with a dull axe lol

[Green]

Definitely a Beaver job!

[4dog]

Seems to me Scott started a trend here on TBH ...maybe we will get our own subforum on selfbows ....yallkeep it up !!

[FLASH_OUTDOORS]

Will this turn into a build along thread? If so I'm in!


youtube/user/jordanflash714.com

[SwampRabbit]

Should be seeing some bright yella wood any moment now ...right???
Im impatient...lol

Yeah, I am getting antsy too... just trying to control myself. Still waiting on a draw knife. I ordered some cabinet scrapers yesterday. I have a really nice Gransford hatchet that I kept thinking I might use to start reducing wood from the heartwood side and remove the bark (leave the sapwood for the knife)

I wasn't feeling great after playing paintball with a bunch of 5th graders... and I kind of had a deer in the headlight moment on removing the heartwood because I have this feeling there could be a kids bow in there somewhere closer to the heartwood.

Cut me a Ash this evening!

Nice! Are you going to do one of those "hatchet only" bows that I've read about.

Will this turn into a build along thread? If so I'm in!


youtube/user/jordanflash714.com

I was going to start another thread for my build along... but I am rethinking that. I think keeping this one thread going for a while where everybody can post their selfbow activites on would make it easier for folks to check-in.

Seems to me Scott started a trend here on TBH ...maybe we will get our own subforum on selfbows ....yallkeep it up !!

Not a trend setter by any means... just threw a fresh log on the fire!

[SwampGhost]

Nice! Are you going to do one of those "hatchet only" bows that I've read about?

Not that primitive lol
I will use only a hatchet, draw knife, rasp and sand paper though

[SwampRabbit]

Not that primitive lol
I will use only a hatchet, draw knife, rasp and sand paper though

Be sure to post up a pic of the staves after you split them.

[SwampGhost]

Ok folks I'm new to this stuff. What's the preferred method? Do I let it dry for a year after painting the ends? Do I split it into staves first?

[KenWood]

Ok folks I'm new to this stuff. What's the preferred method? Do I let it dry for a year after painting the ends? Do I split it into staves first?

Probably spilt now and put up in a dry place for a year or two. Never messed with ash but I would think its kinda like any other white wood. I'd also leave the bark on so doesn't dry too fast. Smear some polyurethane on the ends to keep it from checking.

[4dog]

If i have the time , i will sometimes bring the stave to near bow dimensions and then set it up a month or three till its dry..its a quick dry method that does work but it depends on wood type..moisture content to begin with relative humidity in general...and all that is variable....but i dont usually sit on a stave for a year or more ,,,im entirely too impatient.

[KenWood]

I like the quick dry method. I've actually put some really good reflex in a green stave by clamping it to a form to dry. That said, never worked with ash. I would imagine that wood would dry pretty quick in floor tiller stage. But then again, your in LA. Not too dry there.

[SwampRabbit]

[SwampRabbit]

Was going to use a saw to trim off all that belly wood to within 3" but ran into a snag, so I broke out the hatchet.

Chips are flying!!!