When taking a,log to the mill what is,the best cut for laminated wood bows?
Rift , flat, quarter?
Ron, each one will have a different grain configuration. On my Treadway bow Mike put edge grain elm on the belly and flat grain elm on the back sort of a camo effect. I really don't think it matters under glass. Edge grain or bias grain for wood lam bows.
if you are talking core woods for backed wooden bows or tri-lams, any grain orientation will work, with quarter sawn being the most desirable because it is the most stable and predictable, but it has to be clean. whenever I have osage logs sawn for board stock I take them to a bandsaw mill and have it slabbed into heavy 5/8" boards. I rip them up myself in order to get the best bow material, not the most board feet of lumber. always plenty of waste when cutting boards into slats.
I take 'laminated wood bows' to mean 'no glass'. As-in all wooden tri-lams, bamboo backed bows and such. I have made them with flat, rift, and quarter sawn wood and have developed a preference for clear quarter sawn and rift sawn for the reasons Jamie mentioned, they're more stable and predictable, but I won't hesitate to use a good clear flat sawn piece if that seems to be its calling.
The 'fancy' looking flat sawn stuff, or pieces with less desirable growth ring ratios, I reserve for glass bows.
So, if it's good woodbow wood like osage, yew, hophornbeam, etc basically I try to get as many quarter and rift sawn pieces from a log as I can, but try to make as much use of the remaining pieces as possible.
If the tree species is better for glass bows, say like sassafras or cherry, I try to end up with a good balance of quarter and flat sawn pieces.... quarter sawn for the core, and flat sawn for the visible stuff under clear glass.
and "waste" is often not a total loss. much of the stuff that I cannot or will not use for core material will become risers. some of it will become kindling, but not much.
Thanks everyone.
If you have them sawn into 2" thick boards by whatever width they may be, then you can orientate them to pretty much get 1/4 sawn, rift sawn, or flat sawn to suit your needs. I prefer 1/4 sawn then rift sawn.
I turned this Osage stave into slats. First with a table saw, then a band saw, then finished them up with a drum sander.
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f165/ROY-CHRIS/lams2_1.png) (http://s47.photobucket.com/user/ROY-CHRIS/media/lams2_1.png.html)
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f165/ROY-CHRIS/lams4.png) (http://s47.photobucket.com/user/ROY-CHRIS/media/lams4.png.html)
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f165/ROY-CHRIS/lams1_1.png) (http://s47.photobucket.com/user/ROY-CHRIS/media/lams1_1.png.html)
(http://i.imgur.com/dRIuXtQ.png)