Here is a d-bow i just made from vine maple gathered locally.  It was cut maybe 6 weeks ago.  I am not sure of the poundage but i have pulled it to 26" or so many times and it feels strong.  Right now i'm down on equipment:  no tiller tree, scale, or even arrows.  So, i haven't shot it yet.  But it feels strong, doesn't follow the string, and gives no audible sign of its back being in any danger.  Will probably draw safely to 28".

http://www.youtube.com/user/bowyer10#p/a/u/2/f9d8BjuEapY


Here are some pics.  It's not finished yet.  I still need to style up the nocks, smooth it all over, give it some kind of decoration, protect it from the weather.  But i really like this wood.  It is really fun to work with.

awesome character there, glad you found a wood you like alot. im going to have to get my hands on some vine maple myself and give it a try. i love the look of a snakey bow, shows the natural aspect of the sport alot.

I have Vine Maple instructions on my site.  Go to  www.briskybows.com  and click on Tips and thoughts.  VM is a great bow wood.  Finding it straight is the challenge.  If you like character try some VM.

yes i've read your vm tips, thanks for putting them up.  I have maybe 2 dozen 6 foot vm staves right now, each minimum 2" diamter, most closer to 3"...i see a lot of vm bows in my future.

Very nice. I like character bows, but hate to make them;)

haha growing up me and my brother used to make bows out of wild grape vines, lots of twists and nodes/knuckles to deal with. they didnt last long because we always cut them wet, but it was fun anyway.

Yewsage, that bow looks great! Keep us posted on how she shoots. Jawge