Hello,

I was looking through some douglass fir lumber to make arrows, and I found a piece (1.5 X 3 inches, 8 feet long) that would be absolutely perfect to make a bow. The growth rings are perfectly straight, consistent and they run flawlessly parallel to the board.

Now I know that douglass fir is not a great bow wood, and the board cost me 5$. So even if it blows on me, it's not so bad.

But is it possible?

Loa

keep the limbs as wide as possible and make the bow low poundage and i think you could do it. i don't think a hunting weight bow though. maybe a kids bow. don

I agree with Don. Keep it at least 2 1/4" wide most of the length and taper the limbs about 10" from the tips. I wouldnt go under 68-70" long and I would make the handle work. Im not saying it will work, these are just what I would shoot for if I was going to attempt a doug fir bow. I would rather make a crap load of great arrows with that board.

I was wondering the same thing myself the other day.  I did a search and found a similiar question posted.  However it was in regards to a fir stave.  Most said it would work but it's not the optimal wood of choice.  One suggestion was to back it with a thin backing strip to add strength.  Let us know how it goes!

-Jeremy  

8' x 3" seems about right for fir  

QuoteOriginally posted by John Scifres:
8' x 3" seems about right for fir    [/QUOTE

Aint that the truth John!  

Ya all realize I was just funnin' right?  I once made a "bow" from a pine board.  Try it.  See what happens. I'd go 72" long, 2-1/2" wide at the fades and straight taper to the 3/4" nocks.  Make it 1/2" thick.

I'd go for it.  If fir is better than pine than it should make an even better bow.

I took a 6 foot 1x2 pine board and tillered it out to 40-45lbs @ 28" with less than 1.5" set.

The mark on the shaft is at 26"

 

Good luck with your fir bow...I've been trying to find a suitable fir board for a while.

Beautifulbow, AZN. Love the tiller. Well heck! I guess I have to be the one to throw some water on here. LOL.  I have a hard enough time making bows as it is. D fir, pine  and poplar are my favorite arrow woods. They all make great hand planed shafts. I go for the red oak for bows when I want to make a board bow. I leave the poplar, d fir and pine for arrows. Yes, it is possible to turn those woods into shooters but I would cringe every time I pulled a  bow made from one of those  back to full draw. They are not good bow woods for a variety of reasons not the least of which is low densities. One would have to make a bow from these woods excessively long and/or wide unless boards of more than average density are  found. As a hunter I like bows in the mid 60's for inches in length or lower. Check this site. Jawge
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wood-density-d_40.html

Hello,

Thanks for the inputs. As I said in the first post, I "know" that this fir is not typical bow material. But the board is just so perfect for it. As for the density, according to the table linked, douglas fir is right in the range of some elms and sycamore.

In any case, I like my bows very wide (2.5 inches at the flares) and long (72" ntn: I'm a tall guy so I don't mind), and I don't plan on hunting with it.

3 quick questions:

-is 35#  at 31" reasonable?
-should I bring its moisture content to around 10%?
-should I reinforce the nocks?

Thanks

Loa

Seems very possible.  If it were me I would do a pyramid bow with the limbs starting out the full 3" and taper to 1/4" nocks.

TBB2 says a board with large late growth rings (dark wood) makes a good bow. As mentioned fir is also my favorite arrow wood, but I never considered a bow out of it. Back it with linen or flax cord and go for it. Backing will help with tension and protect you from a good harpooning if it blows. My thought would be if it broke it would break like cedar a bit on the sudden and violent side. Definitely a pulley system for tillering.

D fir is a conifer tree, thinner rings means denser wood with conifers, just the opposite of hardwood trees.

i dont think i have seen doug fir locally. do they call it or sell it as something else?


as for bows , i say anything can work , depending on what risks youre willing to accept. if you have seen a bundle bow , then you should know that anything is possible if its within reason.


anytime youre working with inferior woods , longer , wider are better and a bit safer overall , and they always recommend backing. i say use a tree and keep notes.


-hov

Douglas fir is a west coast tree. The only reason we have some trees out west is because of the settlers bringing tree stock out with them. Don't think there were any settlers that didn't stay out here and brought fir seedlings back to the midwest or east with them. But fir, cedar, pine, tamarack, vine maple, oak, and some others are natives.

Hello,

I had forgotten that thick rings on a conifer mean weak wood... And the rings are huge on this board. Guess it'll be arrows after all.

Thanks for your inputs.

Loa

It's not the width of the rings, it's the proportion of early wood to late wood that determines density. Early wood, also called spring wood, is lighter in color and lower in strength. Late wood, also called summer wood, is darker because it's denser, and that's where the strength is found.

I should have better explained that when I said large dark ring. sorry

Hello,

It's a board of very light-colored wood. Guess I'm so used to searching for ash that I forgot that conifers are reversed...

Loa

the pine bow I made had very thick growth rings and it seems to have worked out well lol.