Birch Build Ideas

[Innocente]

Hi
new to the board, and new to bowmaking.
have made 4 red oak bows, some of which turned out well (sam harper taught me everything i know).
just got me a 72" stick of birch, planning on making a silk or linen backed bow.

any suggestions on making a bow out of birch? will this wood need to have thicker limbs? i'm hoping for a 50 or 60 pound bow, (at 29" of draw), is that unrealistic with this wood? is this the kind of wood i should try experimenting WITHOUT a riser, for once? any special tricks for tillering birch?  (i'm still using suroform, rasp, file and sandpaper for my tillering, haven't tried a scraper yet).   recommend wide flat limbs, or skinnier limbs?   i don't have a heatbox, but i do have a pot, water, and a stove! but is this a good wood to experiment with putting a decurve in? (?recurve? i still don't know the difference!)

makin a birch bow because i can't find a lumber yard around me that has hickory.


thanks in advance!

[razorback]

I have done one yellow birch bow. Was nice until I broke a limb stringing it. I had wide limbs 1 5/8 but would go a little wider if I had the wood. I put a handle on it like most board bows, including Sam's, but I think a bend through the handle style would work. I had trouble keeping the timing right in the limbs, but that was more likely my inexperience than the wood. I had mine to about 50# without any problems so your goal should be attainable. It did loose a fair amount of weight during shooting in, not sure how much as I was using the bathroom scale and that is just not very accurate. Pay attention to any grain swirls or waves, this is where I had the most trouble with tiller.
Again this was one of my first attempts at making a bow so many of my problems were more likely me than the wood. I liked the wood and am making another one in the next couple of weeks. I will try to find the thread and post it, once I work out how to.

[razorback]

Check out these links for some of the work I did on my Birch Bow.

 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=000986#000000

 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001054#000000

[Pat B]

Keep your birch bow long with wide limbs most of the way out. Allowing it to bend through the handle will spread out the stresses along the entire bow and not just in the limbs which would be better for a not so strong bow wood.

[bubby]

you should find hickory and other hardwoods at a hardwood supplier. If you can't find one go to a cabinet shop, they can help you out with a source for your wood.

[Innocente]

great suggestions, thanks guys.
i'll try the no riser technique this time, and some wider limbs.
called all the cabinetmakers in town (there are a suprising LOT of them) they all get wood trucked in, dangit.  no worry, i'll try san fran or sacramento, bound to be a hardwood shop there.

there are a LOT of us who got a Sam Harper start, i notice.  like a cult, but less jesus and stuff.

will try to post a pic of it once i complete it.

[Innocente]

@ Razorback:

i'm with you man, i LOVE the arrow cutout. i bought 2 plastic arrow rests, but i love the arrow cutout so much i have to install it on every bow. the crappy plastic thingies are still sitting in the packaging.

thanks for postin your build, that was useful to look at.