First time Self Bow project

[Hockeyref]

Just took down part of a large elm tree and saved a fairly straight 8 foot piece about 8" in diameter with the intent to split into staves and try my hand at making a bow.... Have had the urge for a while, but the opportunity presented itself when a storm partially broke a limb (actually top half of the trunk) that was 15" in diameter and maybe 30' long. THere are a few other limbs of the same size that we are going to take off in the future and may be taking the whole tree down at some point. Trunk is maybe 3' in diameter.... Who knows, I may end up with a bunch of self bows out of the deal...

Any suggestions or things to watch out for? Pretty much gonna try to follow Trad Bowyers Bible vol 1... Gonna split it tomorrow evening and remove the bark and inner bark. I would have preferred to do it tonight, but didn't have time.

I figuring ~68"-70", maybe 2" wide limbs, 55#@32" (yep 32".... I'm one of those long armed sasquatch sorta guys at 6'4" & 270#).......We'll see, the worst I can do is add it to the rest of the firewood!

I'll try to take pics and document it as I go...

[barking mad]

Steve,

by no means should you consider the following as advice from an expert, but I'll pitch in, regardless.

The faster you get to splitting your log the better you are off. The interlocking grain of elm makes it a rather challenging wood to split. Once dry, it becomes even more so. You might consider helping the split by using a bandsaw, or a chainsaw for that matter. If the grain is straight this should be of no consequence to the integrity of the stave. The final shaping to a bow will happen later, anyway.

If at all possible, work the staves down to a floor-tillering thickness when green. They will dry very fast, and should not check if you keep them in a stable environment. Avoid direct heat and sunlight. If this is not feasible, a 2" thick stave should dry in a few months. Just remember to leave the staves as long as possible, and seal the ends.

Elm is very strong in tension, and will make very nice bows. Keep them long, and they will fare fine with your draw. My draw is just about the same as yours, and my favourite selfbow is just shy of the 70" mark.

Please keep us posted on your progress.

Happy scraping,

-bm.