Supplier for a decent piece of Red Oak?

[SteveL]

I've been searching through the lumber at Lowes for a couple of months now and having no luck. I'd really like to try and build a pyramid bow like the one in 4est Trekkers tutorial.

Are there any online suppliers?

Thanks

[Jeremy]

None that you'd be confident of getting a suitable board.  "Straight Grain" doesn't mean the same thing to furniture makers and bowyers.

Keep at it.  I usually can find one good 1x2 or 1x3 every other week or so at the two local big stores.  That'd average out to one a month if I only had one store to check.

[George Tsoukalas]

I would not buy a board I didn't pick.I allow 2 run outs per limb for 50-55#.  Jawge

[DCM]

Google or yellow pages for "hardwood lumber" in dealers your area.  They'll frequently have "pecan" which is hickory, oak (probably red and white) and potentially other material that will be much better suited to your purpose than a home center board, imho.  Same place glass bowyers will go to look for exotics, or lam stock.  We have a "Coleco" in our town, not sure they are franchised.  The difference in material, density, is remarkable.

[SteveL]

Thanks Gents. Since perseverance is an attribute of a wood bowyer, I'll keep on looking.

Thanks again,
Steve

[hova]

a buddy of mine who makes fly rods , said he gets 90% of his  supply from local amish. this method only applies if you have amish around , obviously...


-hov

[Mechslasher]

before you put too much work and effort in to looking for and making a bow out of red oak, i'd contact gary davis and get one of his excellent osage selfbow blanks.

[AZ_Shooter]

I went to Lowes over the weekend and went through about 60 boards.  I found one that was just about perfect, but upon closer inspection I found 3 small knots that appeared to go almost all the way through the board.  I am getting disillusioned trying to find a good piece of wood.  I have been looking for months with no luck.

[KellyG]

Try the sponsers on this site. There are a few that carry boards just for bowyers and will be what you want and need. Grab the onld note pad and search them all. If you don't find it there try google board bows and that may give you something.

[George Tsoukalas]

Keep looking. You'll find one. My site has more info. Jawge
 http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/

[Sal]

You'll find a board, I find one just about everytime I go to home depot, which is about once a month.  As DCM suggested, there are other boards you can use, I've had great luck with ash.  

The advantage of redoak is that is so easy to find, ironic isn't it.

[fish n chicks]

According to woodcraft's site, you have 6 locations in California. I don't know exactly where you are in Cali, but here's the link to the 6 stores. Call em up and ask if they have any quarter sawn red oak, or even quarter sawn anything really. That's the cutting method that's going to give you the "straight-grained" boards you're looking for. While there, you can also pick yourself up some thin laminates to add some style to your bow. If you like making your first one you'll want to make another one, but different of course. Thin 1/8" to even 3/4" stock is usually readily available at their stores, in MANY species.

 http://www.woodcraft.com/stores/Default.aspx?locationType=state&location=CA


Good luck to ya!

[fish n chicks]

I also checked Rockler, and you have a number of those in Cali as well. Again, not sure how far you are from them, but maybe they can ship to you locally?

 http://www.rockler.com/retail/display_region.cfm?state=CA

[dcmeckel]

Here's a website where I get some of my wood from.BellForest .com,they let you pick what you need and sometimes they even take pictures for you and send 'em to you.

[Sal]

Hey Steve, where in California are you located?  Perhaps I can give you other sources.

[SteveL]

Hi Sal - I'm in Pioneer, about 60 east of Sacramento up in the high foothills - not quite the sierras.

Fish n' Chicks - thanks for the tip on Woodcraft. I'd forgotten about them and in fact have been in the Sacramento store. I'm headed down that way on business at the end of the month. I'll try and sneak away and see what they might have.

[fish n chicks]

Originally posted by SteveL:
Hi Sal - I'm in Pioneer, about 60 east of Sacramento up in the high foothills - not quite the sierras.

Fish n' Chicks - thanks for the tip on Woodcraft. I'd forgotten about them and in fact have been in the Sacramento store. I'm headed down that way on business at the end of the month. I'll try and sneak away and see what they might have.

Awesome! Good luck with your search. I hope those guys have something to go with. If you don't find oak, try for ash. Also a great bow wood.

[AZ_Shooter]

Let us know what you find.

[vanillabear?]

[c'ville]

Let us know what you get.  I like the woodcraft chain.  I built my first shooter and a dozen arrows from a quarter sawn piece of ash that I picked up from one of the virginia stores.