G'day!
I am new to bow building, have a red-oak long bow, 6', ~20-25 pounds built recently the process was sure fun and the end results even better
I am wanting to build Osage, Hickory and Yew bows, combination there of using them as laminates, being new to Oz I only know Masters, Bunnings and Miter LOL! I have made some calls and google to see if I can buy staves or how to "get" them to vain. I was hoping I can get some help here as to where to source the staves from??
Thanks in advance, Green Thumb
Melbourne, VIC - Sourcing Staves (Osage/Hickory/Yew)
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GreenThumb
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2015 8:09 am
Re: Melbourne, VIC - Sourcing Staves (Osage/Hickory/Yew)
John Mc Donald [amso 128] on front of ozbow page, has hickory billets which you can splice.
nil illigitimo in desperandum carborundum
razorbows.com
razorbows.com
Re: Melbourne, VIC - Sourcing Staves (Osage/Hickory/Yew)
I've recently come back to Australia from overseas (where I picked up the bowbuilding bug!) and can appreciate your difficulty finding staves. In North America & Europe it was a far more common hobby with more opportunities for materials accordingly.
For Osage, your best bet is to contact small, independent Lumber Mills operating in rural NSW and/or Victoria. Better still, find a location with some Osage and get permission to take it. This might be in exchange for a few cartons if the tree is on private property, or contact through Local Government and/or Local Land Services if on public land. I'm informed that Osage is a rampant pest in and around Inverell, so start there. I did contact a mill in Glen Innes but he'd never heard of the timber (weirdly, if it's a pest...) but he's keeping an eye out for me. Down here in the Riverina there's a few, hidden trees about but they're difficult to source. There's a guy called Terry something in Cootamundra who operates a mill and he's aware of the tree and claims to be able to get some, but I'm still waiting on him.
Hickory is a rare one here in Australia with some boards sometimes coming in from the US, your best bet being John McDonald (for good bowmaking boards) or I've seen mention that Otto's in Adelaide often has some Hickory in board form. Pecan is a cousin of Hickory and there are substantial plantations in Northern NSW & Southern QLD. I would imagine these businesses would be removing trees several times a year and I've been meaning to chase these up at some point. I'd be interested to see how the timber would behave in a bowmaking context. If all else fails, there's the classic Hickory Pickhandles, but that's a very expensive way of sourcing bow making timber.
For Yew, you almost have to import this from the US or (less frequently) the UK. However, there are some very, very rare opportunities about - particularly in Tasmania. You may find some Taxus Baccata Fastigiata, that is Irish Yew, but it tends to be very knotty & pinny. I'm very proud to have called 'shotgun' on a 5m Taxus Baccatta Yew being trimmed up later this year in Victoria
But that's a secret and I don't want anyone else nabbing it before I get to it! And there's a few guys on this board who would be disappointed as I've earmarked a stave from it for each of them too, although only one of them know it yet. An alternative to Yew is Celery Top Pine, which is a distant, distant cousin of the Taxus genus. It's not the same as Yew by any means, but it's the closest native species we have. This in itself is not easy to source either (I've actually had more luck with Osage & Yew!) but it is available. I believe that OzBow Industries can provide these as ground lams, which are not staves, I'm afraid.
If you're dedicated & are young enough, you may consider planting your own - Yew is available in saplings and take 15-25 years to mature (seeds are a pain, requiring 2 years inc. fridge time to germinate), Osage seeds will germinate much quicker with a 15 year maturation period for stave size timber. I, myself, have put in English Yew & Osage Orange saplings for harvest in a few decades. Patience, patience, patience... I've also been able to exercise a little authority within my local area, so I hope that in decades to come bowyers will flock here for the rare Yew & Osage trees we'll be planting around our Shire!
But planting, tending, harvesting & processing timber is a big job and it's not unreasonable to expect most people to not have the resources to appropriately handle this. If you are interested, there are native timbers which are suitable for bowmaking and can be sourced as flitches from a small lumber mill. Your best bet is to call around a few independent mills locally (or your nearest rural area) and asking what they're processing. If it's a hardwood, it's generally worth a shot - many have had luck with Spotted Gum & Ironbark while those up in the very top of the country have a whole host of other timbers. If you want to consider working with boards, bamboo and other options, your choices tend to open up a little and it's much, much easier on the wallet.
For Osage, your best bet is to contact small, independent Lumber Mills operating in rural NSW and/or Victoria. Better still, find a location with some Osage and get permission to take it. This might be in exchange for a few cartons if the tree is on private property, or contact through Local Government and/or Local Land Services if on public land. I'm informed that Osage is a rampant pest in and around Inverell, so start there. I did contact a mill in Glen Innes but he'd never heard of the timber (weirdly, if it's a pest...) but he's keeping an eye out for me. Down here in the Riverina there's a few, hidden trees about but they're difficult to source. There's a guy called Terry something in Cootamundra who operates a mill and he's aware of the tree and claims to be able to get some, but I'm still waiting on him.
Hickory is a rare one here in Australia with some boards sometimes coming in from the US, your best bet being John McDonald (for good bowmaking boards) or I've seen mention that Otto's in Adelaide often has some Hickory in board form. Pecan is a cousin of Hickory and there are substantial plantations in Northern NSW & Southern QLD. I would imagine these businesses would be removing trees several times a year and I've been meaning to chase these up at some point. I'd be interested to see how the timber would behave in a bowmaking context. If all else fails, there's the classic Hickory Pickhandles, but that's a very expensive way of sourcing bow making timber.
For Yew, you almost have to import this from the US or (less frequently) the UK. However, there are some very, very rare opportunities about - particularly in Tasmania. You may find some Taxus Baccata Fastigiata, that is Irish Yew, but it tends to be very knotty & pinny. I'm very proud to have called 'shotgun' on a 5m Taxus Baccatta Yew being trimmed up later this year in Victoria
But that's a secret and I don't want anyone else nabbing it before I get to it! And there's a few guys on this board who would be disappointed as I've earmarked a stave from it for each of them too, although only one of them know it yet. An alternative to Yew is Celery Top Pine, which is a distant, distant cousin of the Taxus genus. It's not the same as Yew by any means, but it's the closest native species we have. This in itself is not easy to source either (I've actually had more luck with Osage & Yew!) but it is available. I believe that OzBow Industries can provide these as ground lams, which are not staves, I'm afraid.If you're dedicated & are young enough, you may consider planting your own - Yew is available in saplings and take 15-25 years to mature (seeds are a pain, requiring 2 years inc. fridge time to germinate), Osage seeds will germinate much quicker with a 15 year maturation period for stave size timber. I, myself, have put in English Yew & Osage Orange saplings for harvest in a few decades. Patience, patience, patience... I've also been able to exercise a little authority within my local area, so I hope that in decades to come bowyers will flock here for the rare Yew & Osage trees we'll be planting around our Shire!
But planting, tending, harvesting & processing timber is a big job and it's not unreasonable to expect most people to not have the resources to appropriately handle this. If you are interested, there are native timbers which are suitable for bowmaking and can be sourced as flitches from a small lumber mill. Your best bet is to call around a few independent mills locally (or your nearest rural area) and asking what they're processing. If it's a hardwood, it's generally worth a shot - many have had luck with Spotted Gum & Ironbark while those up in the very top of the country have a whole host of other timbers. If you want to consider working with boards, bamboo and other options, your choices tend to open up a little and it's much, much easier on the wallet.
Re: Melbourne, VIC - Sourcing Staves (Osage/Hickory/Yew)
Congratulations on your first bow, can you post some photos of the bow?
Before progressing to what may be regarded as ‘premium’ bow woods I would suggest making another six or more bows out of other timbers [milled boards] such as hickory or hard rock maple.
This will give you an opportunity to fine tune your bow design and further develop your bowyer skills.
Remember that the timber will dictate what style of bow is best suited to its properties.
Check the net for ‘specialist’ timber merchants and be prepared to travel to source the goods.
Daryl.
Before progressing to what may be regarded as ‘premium’ bow woods I would suggest making another six or more bows out of other timbers [milled boards] such as hickory or hard rock maple.
This will give you an opportunity to fine tune your bow design and further develop your bowyer skills.
Remember that the timber will dictate what style of bow is best suited to its properties.
Check the net for ‘specialist’ timber merchants and be prepared to travel to source the goods.
Daryl.
"And you must not stick for a groat or twelvepence more than another man would give, if it be a good bow.
For a good bow twice paid for, is better than an ill bow once broken. [Ascham]
“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” [Einstein]
I am old enough to make my own decisions....Just not young enough to remember what I decided!....
For a good bow twice paid for, is better than an ill bow once broken. [Ascham]
“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” [Einstein]
I am old enough to make my own decisions....Just not young enough to remember what I decided!....
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GreenThumb
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2015 8:09 am
Re: Melbourne, VIC - Sourcing Staves (Osage/Hickory/Yew)
Thanks All,
Sure, I'll post some pics.. It's actually not that great, I broke 4 bows before I got this one finished. The only criteria I had on the 5th bow was that it didn't break and I spent more time tillering than any other bow.
I have started on another bow of red-oak, I'll start posting some pic of that too.
The reason I posted this was that even for board bow building the only wood I can get my hands on is red oak in Masters - to try others, can you folks suggest which other board I can try (barring white oak, pine and gum tree)?
Sure, I'll post some pics.. It's actually not that great, I broke 4 bows before I got this one finished. The only criteria I had on the 5th bow was that it didn't break and I spent more time tillering than any other bow.
I have started on another bow of red-oak, I'll start posting some pic of that too.
The reason I posted this was that even for board bow building the only wood I can get my hands on is red oak in Masters - to try others, can you folks suggest which other board I can try (barring white oak, pine and gum tree)?