Will these boards work

[yote20]

Do these boards have the right grain?

[mmattockx]

For what? Lams, board bows, something else? Are they oak? What size?

Grain is very straight and the ring orientation isn't too bad. With the rings going through at an angle you may get a bit of limb twist through the draw but that isn't the end of the world overall. Unless you're trying for a world beating flight bow I expect those boards will make decent middle of the road bows. I'd certainly be happy to use them.


Mark

[yote20]

For what? Lams, board bows, something else? Are they oak? What size?

Grain is very straight and the ring orientation isn't too bad. With the rings going through at an angle you may get a bit of limb twist through the draw but that isn't the end of the world overall. Unless you're trying for a world beating flight bow I expect those boards will make decent middle of the road bows. I'd certainly be happy to use them.


Mark

Sorry. I am trying to make a bow to hunt with. Board bow. I have some bamboo I was going to back with on one of them. They are red oak.

[Pat B]

They would make a board bow but I doubt they will hold up to a boo backing. Hickory, elm or maple backing would work ok with it.

[mmattockx]

They would make a board bow but I doubt they will hold up to a boo backing. Hickory, elm or maple backing would work ok with it.

I agree with Pat. Red Oak is compression weak to start with; putting a strong, stiff backing on like bamboo will just make that problem even worse. Instead, I would be trapping the back to help balance it with the weaker belly.


Mark

[yote20]

They would make a board bow but I doubt they will hold up to a boo backing. Hickory, elm or maple backing would work ok with it.

I agree with Pat. Red Oak is compression weak to start with; putting a strong, stiff backing on like bamboo will just make that problem even worse. Instead, I would be trapping the back to help balance it with the weaker belly.


Mark

Ok. Im glad I asked. So I need to use a different backing or nothing at all with oak and use the bamboo with something else?

[mmattockx]

Ok. Im glad I asked. So I need to use a different backing or nothing at all with oak and use the bamboo with something else?

Yes, correct. Red oak is fine on its own without a backing if the grain is clear and straight.


Mark

[Pat B]

You can back it with rawhide or even brown grocery bag paper to help prevent splinters from lifting. Use TiteBond wood glue for these backings or the other wood backings.

[Kirkll]

I know you self bowyers will build bows out of most anything, but why encourage the use of red oak? The stuff splinters easily and is terrible in compression. 

I think  you'd be much better off using Ipe, Osage or even rock hard maple with a bamboo backing...... I think you will be disappointed in using this material.

I don't mess with board bows or self bows much myself. Too much effort for poor longevity and constantly dealing with MC levels effecting the finished product. I prefer a glass backed bow system myself.

Just thought I'd throw in my .02 cents worth here....   Kirk

[dbeaver]

Kirk you came into this a pro carpenter, oak board bow is a phenomenal entryway into the craft.  You can find out for under 50 bucks in tools and material on most occasion if you even have the patience for tillering or even the focus needed.

First bow i ever shot was a deer rawhide backed red oak board bow and after it took some set and i was onto other things now i use it to shoot 3 inch foam tips at my friends on the proper occasion.

[Kirkll]

It's true that I had a lot of woodworking experience before ever getting into building bows. Not just basic carpentry either. There was a period of time in the 90's that a lot of architects were bringing arched openings, spiral stair cases and radius cabinets back into their designs that required a more advanced skill set for finish carpentry. I did a lot of that in the 90's.  I handled a ton of red oak and mahogany in those days and learned how far you could push it in radius bending.

But most of my experience with oak was with building furniture, and I must say that it is very receptive to steam bending. I think the low compression properties probably helped in that application. But man that stuff splinters just looking at it.

Have any of you board bow builders dealt with Honduras mahogany? It was a widely used wood in boat building, and I built a bunch of radius top doors and frames using it. The spring back was noticeably different than Teak and other hardwoods we used, making me think that with the higher compression strength, it may be a good choice for the belly side of a board bow, and not hard to find..... or at least it used to be common.

Kirk

[mmattockx]

I know you self bowyers will build bows out of most anything, but why encourage the use of red oak? The stuff splinters easily and is terrible in compression. 

I think  you'd be much better off using Ipe, Osage or even rock hard maple with a bamboo backing...... I think you will be disappointed in using this material.

I don't think anyone is encouraging the use of red oak, OP already had the boards when he asked the question. Red oak boards are a cheap, easy way to try making a board bow for a new bowyer. The other thing is you can get red oak everywhere whereas most of the better bow woods are not nearly as widely available. I do agree that hard maple boards are better if OP has access to them and they aren't crazy expensive, either.


Mark

[yote20]

I know you self bowyers will build bows out of most anything, but why encourage the use of red oak? The stuff splinters easily and is terrible in compression. 

I think  you'd be much better off using Ipe, Osage or even rock hard maple with a bamboo backing...... I think you will be disappointed in using this material.

I don't think anyone is encouraging the use of red oak, OP already had the boards when he asked the question. Red oak boards are a cheap, easy way to try making a board bow for a new bowyer. The other thing is you can get red oak everywhere whereas most of the better bow woods are not nearly as widely available. I do agree that hard maple boards are better if OP has access to them and they aren't crazy expensive, either.


Mark

I have access to maple, alder, hickory, mahogany. None of those had straight enough grain in my opinion. I have the bamboo so now I'm wondering how picky I need to be if I have that to use as a backing.