Mahogany longbow making

[Staghound]

Hi

I've just got my hands on a quantity of old mahogany boards of various sizes. In the past I've seen references to mahogany longbows and am thinking I might have a go at making one but I haven't been able to find out any specific information on using mahogany to make a bow and wondered if anyone out there had any experience and/or references.

Thanks for any help

Steve

 

[John Fenna]

Sounds good to me!
Let us know how you get on.

 

[John Fenna]

Sounds good to me!
Let us know how you get on.

 

[John Fenna]

Sounds good to me!
Let us know how you get on.

 

[John Fenna]

Sounds good to me!
Let us know how you get on.

 

[Nicolas]

what the heck?

 

[Eric_Methven]

Sounds good to me!
Let us know how you get on.

You got a sticky keyboard John?

 

[dwardo]

paleoplanet69529.yuku.com has a wealth of information and help with bow making.

Good luck

 

[jojo]

I haven't used mahogany for bows, but mahogany is often quite a brittle wood that can shatter when you put some stress on it. I have had planks on boats shattering on me with a bang whilst being bent ! May well work much better with a backing of some sort, such as hickory, so that the mahogany would work in compression rather than tension.

Good luck though. If you have some good mahogany, the bows could look really stunning. Let us know how you get on.

 

[John Fenna]

Seems I have a problem here!

 

[loz.]

I haven't used mahogany for bows, but mahogany is often quite a brittle wood that can shatter when you put some stress on it. I have had planks on boats shattering on me with a bang whilst being bent ! May well work much better with a backing of some sort, such as hickory, so that the mahogany would work in compression rather than tension.

Good luck though. If you have some good mahogany, the bows could look really stunning. Let us know how you get on.

Gotta agree, I turned a few rounders bats from same for the hols, and did experience splits.

 

[irishlostboy]

composit lamination time?

 

[Robbo]

Silk and linen even hessian material work as backings too, though with silk it might be advantageous to stretch the fabric as you apply it and clamp it at each end while the glue dries. I try and keep any joins in the fabric to a minimum and place these at the centre of the bow.

A silk backing helped me make a useable longbow out of a scrap piece of unknown hardwood, alas it broke after 700+ shots and a year of constant use due to a very bad violation of the wood grain (in hindsight if I'd made the corners rounder perhaps the fatal splinter wouldn't have happened) imediately under the silk that and the fact it the tiller could have been better.

I've even seen bows with a cotton parcel string laid in parallel lines as the backing on a bow.

If you want to be really bushcrafty use pounded and shredded deer sinew fibres or raw flax/nettle fibres dipped in hide glue and laid on the bow in over lapping bundles.

Also make the cross section of the bow limbs as rectangular as possible to spread the compression load on the belly.

But Paleoplanet is a goldmine of information.

One minor point is it definetly mahogany? many tropical hardwoods with similar coloured timber are sold as mahogany.

Andy

 

[Staghound]

Cheers guys

I had been thinking in terms of laminates, possibly using something pale for the back to make a contrast (a sort of fake sapwood/heartwood effect). Alternatively I considered backing with rawhide.

I've had one bow 'blow up' in my face this year and I'd be quite happy to avoid another one

 

[galew]

Cheers guys

I had been thinking in terms of laminates, possibly using something pale for the back to make a contrast (a sort of fake sapwood/heartwood effect). Alternatively I considered backing with rawhide.

I've had one bow 'blow up' in my face this year and I'd be quite happy to avoid another one

I have been considering making on using water buffolo horn, has anyone here tried using horn

 

[Staghound]

I have been considering making on using water buffolo horn, has anyone here tried using horn

Not tried it myself but these people could be a source of info and materials.

http://www.highlandhorn.com/Archery-g.asp

 

[jojo]

Presumably the mahogany you have got come in plank form? you then definitely need a backing because it's almost inevitable to cut through the grain of the wood and that would leave plenty of potential for splinters to lift off the back and for the bow to shatter on you.I would really consider using a hickory strip for backing your bow, you could get one here

Using silk or thin rawhide does not add much tensile strength to the bow although it would prevent splinters lifting of the back of the bow.

Hickory would add tensile strength. Also it would probably do a very passable impression of Yew, if you've got some dark mahogany.
Sinew would also add strength, but is probably a little on the heavy side for a long bow.Sinew and glue is heavier than wood and I think for a long bow that probably would add too much mass to the bow and make it a sluggish shooter.

 

[Staghound]

Presumably the mahogany you have got come in plank form? you then definitely need a backing because it's almost inevitable to cut through the grain of the wood and that would leave plenty of potential for splinters to lift off the back and for the bow to shatter on you.I would really consider using a hickory strip for backing your bow, you could get one here

Using silk or thin rawhide does not add much tensile strength to the bow although it would prevent splinters lifting of the back of the bow.

Hickory would add tensile strength. Also it would probably do a very passable impression of Yew, if you've got some dark mahogany.
Sinew would also add strength, but is probably a little on the heavy side for a long bow.Sinew and glue is heavier than wood and I think for a long bow that probably would add too much mass to the bow and make it a sluggish shooter.

Yes it's 1 1/5 to 2 inch board, I think that following the grain would be almost impossible. I've made a few self bows in ash before but not laminated bows, is hickory in a suitable thickness easy to source?

 

[jojo]

The only places I know of is Richard Head Longbows, but they only seems to have the backing veneers, and North Heigham Sawmills in Norwich. I was there a couple of weeks ago and they had some Hickory and also some Lemonwood I think. I don't know if they would post though.

Actually, yes they do send timber throughout the UK,it says on there website.

 

[Mike B]

I don't think (but this is only my opinion and surely someone will correct me if I'm wrong) that Mahogony would be suitable for Bow making even if used in a composite bow.
The component wood parts needed for Bow making are a wood that will stretch slightly and a wood that will compress slightly,hence the sapwood heartwood one piece type and the laminated types.
I would think that Mahogony doesn't have enough of either property to make a bow but like I've already said I could be wrong.
Mike B...