Stave Selection

Part of Hunting and Trapping

Choosing the right wood and preparing it correctly is 90% of bow making. A perfectly tillered bow from poor wood will break. A roughly tillered bow from excellent wood will shoot for years.

Why Wood Choice Matters

Not all wood bends the same way. When you draw a bow, the back (facing the target) stretches under tension while the belly (facing you) compresses. A good bow wood must resist both forces equally. Wood that’s strong in tension but weak in compression will develop belly chrysals (compression fractures) and eventually snap. Wood that resists compression but fails in tension will splinter on the back and explode.

The ideal bow wood has a high modulus of rupture (resists breaking), moderate density (stores energy without excessive weight), and straight, even grain (distributes stress uniformly).

Wood Species Guide

Tier 1 — Outstanding Bow Woods

Yew (Taxus baccata / Taxus brevifolia)

The legendary bow wood, used for English longbows that dominated medieval battlefields. Yew’s unique advantage is that it has two natural layers: the pale sapwood resists tension (perfect for the back) and the orange-red heartwood resists compression (perfect for the belly). A yew stave with both layers intact is essentially a natural composite bow.

Property	Value
Density	630-670 kg/m3
Draw weight potential	60-100+ lbs
Working characteristics	Moderate — follow the grain carefully
Seasoning time	1-3 years ideal, 3-6 months minimum
Availability	Western mountains (Pacific yew), ornamental plantings (English yew)

Yew Toxicity

All parts of yew are highly poisonous except the red berry flesh. The seeds inside the berries are lethal. Wear gloves when working yew, don’t inhale sawdust for extended periods, and never use yew wood near food preparation.

Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera)

Arguably the finest bow wood in North America. Extremely dense, elastic, and rot-resistant. Native American bows of osage orange were so valued they were traded across the continent. The heartwood is bright yellow-orange when fresh, darkening to brown with age.

Property	Value
Density	800-900 kg/m3
Draw weight potential	50-100+ lbs
Working characteristics	Hard to work — dense, stringy grain
Seasoning time	6 months-2 years
Availability	Central US native; widely planted as hedgerows

Tier 2 — Excellent Bow Woods

Hickory (Carya spp.)

The best all-around bow wood for beginners in eastern North America. Extremely strong in tension — hickory backs rarely fail. Slightly weak in compression compared to the top tier, so bows may develop some string follow over time, but they’ll shoot reliably for years.

• Shagbark and pignut hickory are preferred
• Wide growth rings are better (fast-grown wood is tougher)
• Can be used unseasoned in emergencies — it’s that tough in tension
• Seasoning time: 3-6 months

Ash (Fraxinus spp.)

The most forgiving bow wood for learning. Strong enough for hunting bows (45-55 lbs), easy to work with stone tools, and widely available. White ash is preferred over green ash.

• Look for straight trunks in open areas (forest-edge trees grow fastest)
• Wide rings = stronger bow (counterintuitive but true for ring-porous hardwoods)
• Seasons faster than most hardwoods: 2-4 months
• Moderate rot resistance — keep the finished bow oiled

Elm (Ulmus spp.)

Extremely tough and forgiving. Elm’s interlocked grain makes it nearly impossible to split cleanly, which is a disadvantage in stave-making but an advantage in the finished bow — it resists catastrophic failure. Good for flat bows.

• American elm is best; slippery elm is acceptable
• Tolerates beginner tillering mistakes well
• Moderate draw weight potential (40-50 lbs)
• Seasons in 2-4 months

Tier 3 — Serviceable Bow Woods

Maple (Acer spp.)

Hard maple makes decent bows. Slightly brittle compared to ash and hickory, so it demands more careful tillering. Good density and stiffness.

Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)

Dense, strong, and extremely rot-resistant. Makes excellent bows but is very hard to work with stone tools. The heartwood is naturally golden-brown and almost impervious to moisture.

Birch (Betula spp.)

Yellow birch is serviceable. White/paper birch is marginal — too soft for serious draw weights. Better than nothing but not a first choice.

Hazel (Corylus spp.)

Common in European woodlands. Makes acceptable light bows (30-40 lbs). Good for small game and practice bows.

Emergency / Avoid

Wood	Problem
Willow	Too flexible, won’t store energy — bow will feel “mushy”
Poplar / Aspen	Too soft, compression failure immediate
Pine / Spruce / Fir	Weak in tension, splinters on back. Only Douglas fir is marginal
Alder	Soft, brittle, poor in both tension and compression
Sycamore	Interlocked grain tears out; difficult to follow a single ring

Harvesting the Stave

When to Harvest

• Winter is ideal. Sap is down, moisture content is lower, bark is tighter, and the wood seasons faster.
• Avoid spring — sap is rising and wood is waterlogged. Staves cut in spring take much longer to season and are prone to checking (surface cracks).
• Summer and fall are acceptable but not optimal.

Selecting the Tree

Walk the woods looking for these characteristics:

1. Straight trunk or branch — minimum 180 cm (6 feet) of straight growth with no significant curves
2. Diameter — 10-20 cm (4-8 inches) for splitting a stave from a trunk, or 5-8 cm for using a whole sapling
3. No visible knots in the section you’ll use — knots are stress concentrators
4. No spiral grain — look at bark furrows; they should run straight up the trunk, not spiral
5. Healthy, living wood — no dead branches, no fungal growths, no woodpecker holes
6. Open-grown trees over forest-interior trees — they grow faster and produce wider, tougher growth rings (for ring-porous species)

Cutting and Splitting

1. Fell the tree or cut the branch cleanly
2. Cut to length — 180-200 cm (72-80 inches), slightly longer than your intended bow
3. Split immediately if the trunk is over 10 cm diameter:
   • Use wedges (stone, antler, or hardwood) and a baton
   • Split in half, then quarters if large enough
   • Each quarter can become one stave
4. Seal the ends with wax, pine pitch, hide glue, or even mud — end-grain dries fastest and will crack if unsealed
5. Leave the bark on — it slows drying and protects the critical outer growth rings

Whole Saplings

A sapling 5-7 cm in diameter can be used as a whole stave without splitting. This is faster but limits you to lighter bows (30-40 lbs). The entire outer surface becomes the back — just remove the bark carefully and leave the outermost growth ring intact.

Seasoning (Drying)

Green wood is too heavy, too flexible, and will take a permanent set (string follow) quickly. Proper seasoning removes moisture until the wood reaches equilibrium with ambient humidity — typically 8-12% moisture content.

Drying Method

1. Store in a cool, dry, shaded location — never in direct sun, which causes uneven drying and checking
2. Elevate off the ground on a rack or lean against a wall
3. Allow air circulation on all sides
4. Weight or tie the stave straight if it has any curve — wet wood can be straightened under weight as it dries
5. Check monthly for cracks, especially at the ends

Drying Times by Species

Wood	Minimum Seasoning	Ideal Seasoning
Yew	6 months	1-3 years
Osage orange	4-6 months	1-2 years
Hickory	3-4 months	6-12 months
Ash	2-3 months	4-6 months
Elm	2-3 months	4-6 months
Maple	3-4 months	6-12 months

Emergency Bows from Green Wood

In a true survival emergency, you can build a bow from green (unseasoned) wood. It will work, but expect:

• 30-40% less draw weight than the same stave properly dried
• Significant string follow within days of use
• Shorter lifespan — weeks to months instead of years
• Oversize the stave (wider and thicker) to compensate for the reduced performance

Ash and hickory tolerate green use best. Dry the bow as quickly as possible after making it — store unstrung, in shade, with good airflow.

Evaluating Stave Quality

Before investing hours in tillering, assess your stave honestly:

The Grain Test

Hold the stave up to light and examine the growth rings on the end grain:

• Tight, even rings — consistent wood density. Good.
• Wide rings (2-4 mm) — fast growth, tougher fibers in ring-porous species (ash, hickory, oak). Good.
• Very narrow rings (< 1 mm) — slow growth. Fine for yew and osage, poor for ash and hickory.
• Uneven rings (wide on one side, narrow on the other) — the bow will want to bend toward the narrow side. Workable but requires careful tillering.

The Flex Test

After seasoning, grip the stave at both ends and flex it gently:

• Does it bend smoothly through its length? Good.
• Does it hinge at one spot? Problem — likely a knot, grain irregularity, or density change. Cut that section out or work around it.
• Does it make crackling sounds? Reject it. Internal damage.

Checking for Defects

Defect	Severity	Can You Work Around It?
Small pin knot	Minor	Yes — leave extra wood around it, let it be a stiff spot
Large knot (> 1 cm)	Major	Only if near the handle where the bow doesn’t bend
Twist in grain	Moderate	Steam-straighten before tillering
Checking (surface cracks)	Depends	Shallow checks can be scraped away. Deep checks = reject
Insect holes	Minor to major	Superficial holes on bark side are fine. Holes through sapwood = reject
Compression damage (sweep in trunk)	Major	The compressed side will fail. Reject unless very mild

Storing Staves

If you have the luxury of time, harvest multiple staves and store them for future use:

• Store horizontally on a rack, or vertically leaning against a wall
• Label with species and harvest date if possible
• Rotate every few months to prevent warping
• A good stave improves with age up to about 5 years — after that, it may become too brittle
• Keep away from rodents — they’ll chew seasoning staves

Key Takeaways

• Best beginner woods: ash and hickory. Widely available, forgiving, strong enough for hunting bows.
• Best overall: yew and osage orange, but they demand skill and patience.
• Harvest in winter from straight, healthy, open-grown trees. Split and seal ends immediately.
• Season properly. Minimum 2-3 months for fast species, 6+ months for dense species. Green bows work but perform poorly.
• Inspect before you invest. Check grain, flex, knots, and cracks before spending hours on tillering.
• The back is sacred. One continuous growth ring, undamaged. Every other decision is secondary to this.