juniperus virginiana

[canopyboy]

Anyone make a bow from them?

I'm kicking myself.

I do trees as a hobby business.  We removed a bunch of these guys along a fenceline.  Several 8 inches or more, and planted a couple feet apart so there were sides with no real branches.  I remember thinking they were tough as iron, and might make a good bow wood.  But I didn't say anything to the crew, and when I walked back around they were already being bucked up.  There are a few lengths that someone took for a garden project, I want to look through those and see if there is anything that seems salvagable.  But the clearest parts are now firewood.

Today I looked up the wood to learn more about it, and sure enough - it shows up as a great bow wood for sinew backing.  Darn it....

 

[hova]

my  new  lesson after watching the guys cut down a 60ft hickory in my in-laws front yard : every tree can be utilized in some way.

keep some of that juniper even if its for overlays and risers. you  never know...


-hov

[Dmaxshawn]

I use juniper for veneers and so have others on here.  They are real nice under glass.  

Shawn

[Pat B]

Juniper virginiana is Eastern Red Cedar and can make a very good bow. Try to find a piece with as few knots as possible. Knots can be the Achiles heal of an ERC bow. You can use just the heartwood, a combo or heart and sap wood or just the sapwood alone if it is un-diseased.
   ERC can be VERY EXCITING when it blows!

[canopyboy]

Originally posted by Pat B:
Juniper virginiana is Eastern Red Cedar and can make a very good bow. Try to find a piece with as few knots as possible. Knots can be the Achiles heal of an ERC bow. You can use just the heartwood, a combo or heart and sap wood or just the sapwood alone if it is un-diseased.
   ERC can be VERY EXCITING when it blows!

Wow, I'm all for VERY EXCITING.

I think I found a log that was saved that a couple of knot free bows could be pulled out of.  However, I think we're talking an all sapwood bow as the sapwood is half the diameter and the heartwood has more knots.  But we'll see. I'll give it a shot.  I was reading that it goes well with sinew backing, maybe that'll be my first foray into sinew.

[Pat B]

The all sapwood bow I saw and shot was an ELB style bow pulling 45# to 50#. Shot very well and the bow had very little set.
  ERC should be a very good candidate for sinew backing. I have a 49" ERC bow blank, 50/50 sapwood/heartwood that I plan to sinew back.

[canopyboy]

Great.  I'm going to see if I can split a couple decent staves out of what's left.  Make sure you post when you start working on yours.

-Dave