Big Leaf Maple

[PapaB]

How does Big Leaf Maple compare to Rock Maple?  Can it be used for core wood or can it be a selfbow if backed?

[SourOwl]

I'M GLAD YOU ASKED THIS QUESTION PAPA B;  I HAVE BEEN WONDERING THE SAME THING.  I'LL PROBABLY CUT ONE DOWN ON MY PROPERTY TO EXPERIMENT WITH, BUT I'D LOVE TO HEAR OTHER'S OPINIONS OF BIG LEAF MAPLE FOR A SELF BOW.

[wildcat hunter]

Big leaf Maple ?? I have "sugar maples", I wonder where they would come in as a bow wood?

[Brently]

I have heard that big leaf maple is brittle and will not make a good bow, however I read of some being made that were made wider than normal to compensate for the brittle wood.

[Crimson mist]

I've made a number of bows out of it and it worked just fine, even from narrow sapplings. It's lighter than rock and should  be a little wider or longer. It's makes a nice longbow if made a little longer as it's lightness makes it a fairly quick shooter with little handshock especially with narrow tips.

[Curt Brisky]

It depends on the draw weight you are wanting. I would like to know who has made BLM bows and to what length and draw. I have made a few but they were not even close to Vine Maple. But then I usually make 65-70# longbows.  The one bow that kept its profile the best was 2" at the handle fades, 70" long and 65#.  I kept the limb slightly tapering from the 2" fades until the last 7" where I cut in a 1" wide limb tapering to the 3/8" tip.  After shooting it in I still had 1.5" of set.  I made the 1" cut in limb tip fade so I wouldn't have so much mass at the end of the limb to reduce handshock but still keep the tension compression spread over a wide surface. For me, the wood crushes too much to make what I call a good bow for cast but it does make a bow.  If you want to see more of the bow design I am talking about go to my site at  www.briskybows.com  click on page two it is the second to the last bow picture.  So in answer to the question of BLM compared to eastern hard rock the BLM is much more soft than the eastern maple.  The eastern Maple makes a much better casting bow.  But as we bowyers always do, you need to try it yourself and see what you can make from it.....keep those chips a flyin'