Elm needed

[stuckinthemud]

Cheers Tom, Wentwood was my first call, then Interesting Timbers but neither have anything suitable at the moment

 

[Sheffield Tony]

I don't know if it helps, but I contacted a friend who I know sourced elm for chairmaking. He says :

The elm came from Witney Saw Mills from Witney on Wye, 5miles from Hay. Normally it is Which elm for welsh long bows because of the twisty grain it makes superbly tensioned limbs without all that yew messing about with heart and sap and the ring change needed in ash.

Don't know if that helps.

 

[bjm]

I plan on making a replica of an 11th century crossbow. The original was 120cm long, 4cm wide and thick and used an elm or wych elm branch (probably) or sapling. I am having trouble sourcing any elm, can anyone suggest a supplier. I would rather not pay for a board as a stem or branch is best and on a board I only need the wany edge, although then it would need to be quarter sawn . Sorry if I seem a bit fussy, but thanks for looking, Andrew

Have you seen this post

 

[stuckinthemud]

Thanks Tony! I haven't been up to Whitney for years, will give them a bell. Switch twisty grain out for interlocking grain and he's correct, yew sapwood is often too thick and needs reducing to 2 or 3 mm, not difficult but a few hours of potching about you don't have to spend on elm

 

[bourbon]

I'm interested in the finished result, As a wars of the roses re-enactor, I have educated (bored) many a MOP with the development of crossbows and other weapons of the age

 

[stuckinthemud]

Me too, am really fed up with inadequate reproductions and poorly informed academics' and novelists' speculations leading to wild statements both positive and negative about these weapons . Hopefully I can build something using the original's measurements and materials and get some decent data

 

[Cabinetman]

Tillering, it’s always good to learn a new word so thank you for that, and now I’ve looked it up it’s fascinating.
You will have to look it up for yourselves folks as you will learn a great deal more than if I tried to tell you what it is. Ian

 

[stuckinthemud]

Yeah, sorry about that I try to avoid technical terms as much as possible but there's no short way of saying paring away the wood so that the bow will bend in a sweet curve without damaging it

 

[Keith 66]

There are plenty of elm saplings as described over Hadleigh country park where i walk the hound every day, the trees grow readily as suckers from the roots of older ones that die of dutch elm disease, once they get to a certain size & age the bark fissures, the beetles get in & they die off.
The parks dept have recently been doing some scrub clearance, will have a look & see whats laying about.

 

[Suffolkboy]

Out of interest what sinew would have been used? Deer I guess? Red or Fallow?

 

[stuckinthemud]

Thanks Keith, much appreciated.
Suffolkboy, beef and deer sinew were commonly used, tendon from ankles and silverskin from the ribs, but most useful is the backstrap along the spine. In tendons, length is the most important factor

 

[Suffolkboy]

Thanks Keith, much appreciated.
Suffolkboy, beef and deer sinew were commonly used, tendon from ankles and silverskin from the ribs, but most useful is the backstrap along the spine. In tendons, length is the most important factor

Interesting. Are you going to use any to make the string?

 

[stuckinthemud]

My preferred bowstring material is linen, though sinew does make an excellent string, its really really really difficult to come by in the UK as most butchers use prejointed cuts rather than butchering carcasses, so, any I get hold of I keep for backings

 

[--Tom--]

My butcher in Cardiff has his own beef herd so might be able to separate sinew. He’s been pretty accommodating with a lot of my pit of the ordinary requests

 

[Suffolkboy]

My preferred bowstring material is linen, though sinew does make an excellent string, its really really really difficult to come by in the UK as most butchers use prejointed cuts rather than butchering carcasses, so, any I get hold of I keep for backings

How much sinew do you need? I can get sinew from deer. Mostly lower leg as a lot of the deer I shoot go to a gamedealer. I can get backstrap out of any I butcher but these would mainly be roe or muntjac.

 

[stuckinthemud]

Umm, the trite reply is as much as I can get. I currently have a lightweight yew/sinew crossbow in-build which needs the equivalent of 6 leg tendons and 1 backstrap. Over the next 2 years, probably, I have started a horn composite I will probably sinew next summer that will need 5 to 10 times that, and somewhere along the way a heavy yew/sinew 16th century replica crossbow using a broadly similar amount and a Hungarian style horse archery bow...

 

[Doug B]

Re Elm Nelson Butler put some elm up on their Instagram feed today, might be a bit far for you but they obviously have it Fine Timber and Specialist Woods from Nelson Butler & Son, Horncastle, Lincs, LN9 5AU - Nelson Butler & Son Ltd

 

[stuckinthemud]

Thanks Doug, I'll check it out

 

[Mark Karacsonyi]

Umm, the trite reply is as much as I can get. I currently have a lightweight yew/sinew crossbow in-build which needs the equivalent of 6 leg tendons and 1 backstrap. Over the next 2 years, probably, I have started a horn composite I will probably sinew next summer that will need 5 to 10 times that, and somewhere along the way a heavy yew/sinew 16th century replica crossbow using a broadly similar amount and a Hungarian style horse archery bow...

Hi,

Which Hungarian bow do you use. I personally know Kassai Lajos. Have worked in his shop repairing or making trial bows. Still do it on and off.

Just love horseback archery. Recently did some work for Monus Josef. Aka the White Wolf.

Worth a look on YouTube if you have a few minutes spare.

 

[Nautilus21]

Umm, the trite reply is as much as I can get. I currently have a lightweight yew/sinew crossbow in-build which needs the equivalent of 6 leg tendons and 1 backstrap. Over the next 2 years, probably, I have started a horn composite I will probably sinew next summer that will need 5 to 10 times that, and somewhere along the way a heavy yew/sinew 16th century replica crossbow using a broadly similar amount and a Hungarian style horse archery bow...

Hi there I may be able to get hold of some from back straps from both red and fallow..... how do you want them storing etc? I would just vac pack and stick in freezer til
I get a few?