How best to work a tree for green wood?

[halfseminole]

I'm building at least one horn composite for myself, if not a few of different types since I'm felling a tree to do this.  But all of my information calls for green wood, generally slats about 2" wide by roughly 3/8" thick and three feet or more.  I have plenty of maple and birch to use, but I'm unsure of how to cut it properly.  I know how to work with it afterwards, I just need to know how to get from tree to slats.

Green maple can be bent very easily, which is the point for horn composites.  It also takes hide glue very well, helping with the horn and sinew bonds.  Air dried is next best, and kiln dried is pretty much right out.  I want to do this right, even if it means extra work.

[Bowjunkie]

What tools do you have available? I use a chainsaw to drop it, a bandsaw to get rid of the bulk of the waste and reduce it in size, sometimes employing the use of a tablesaw too to rough it to board/slat shape, and then use a jointer and planer to square everything up.

That said, it can be done with less, it's just more work and takes longer. When I didn't have much in the way of tools, I did it with a bandsaw and a power hand planer.

[halfseminole]

Chainsaw and a 9" bandsaw.  Found my copy of Adam Karpowicz's book, and it offers more help, but a drawknife is definitely in my future.  It also mentions using hop hornbeam, which I am rich in as well.  Just have to wait till spring to start cutting.

Anyone know where to buy a froe?

[ChuckC]

on the bay.  They have them in the tools section.
ChuckC

[mikkekeswick]

You want thicker slats than 3/8 for sure.
For this pirpose you want the most plum perfect straight tree you have ever seen. No pins, no twist no nothing! Flawless.
Once you have the tree selected cut it with whatever you have. You want a length around 3 foot.
Then split it with wedges. You could saw it but much better to find out if it's at all twisted by spliting it.
So for your lathes you want flat sawn timber. DO NOT use anything else!
Use the bark as the future belly of the bow so it's on the outside of the bend. This will give you the structural integrity to be able to steam bend it far enough. So just remove the bark on this face.
The rest is best trimmed with either a bandsaw or a drawknife. Go slow and steady so that you get the piece uniform.
As a side note I am being held up making more hornbows due to a lack of good straight, green maple. If you have any spare I would gladly buy some off you. Please!