# What do you look for in a natural fork?



## AncientIrish (Apr 29, 2014)

Hey guys, just wondering what you guys look for when you're traversing the woods, looking for new natural forks to work with (or pieces for PFS's, since fork doesn't apply much to them). There's a couple of more direct questions, too:

1) Do you look for live wood? Dead wood in good condition? Where are you generally looking for your forks?

2) How thick do you normally start from (before you start whittling down to find the slingshot within?)

3) Are there any things that would look good to a newcomer but should be avoided if possible out there?

4) Any certain types of wood you're looking for? I figure most are decent for slingshots, but are there any considered "prime"?

5) If anyone has pictures of forks they've chosen, before they started cutting away at them, I am VERY highly interested in seeing them!

Sorry if this was a little long-winded. I just went out searching for forks today, and after several hours in the woods, only found 2 that I deemed worthy of actually cutting. They were both green, sadly, but I'm not sure if I should feel bad about that or not. Hoping to pick up a few tips and tricks to make my next search a little easier and time-friendly. Thanks everyone!


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## Sunchierefram (Nov 16, 2013)

I found this fork once. It looked pretty good on the outside but was rotted from the inside. So that would probably be something to avoid.


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## AncientIrish (Apr 29, 2014)

Sunchierefram said:


> I found this fork once. It looked pretty good on the outside but was rotted from the inside. So that would probably be something to avoid.


Ha, thanks for the heads up Sun  I'll be sure to avoid rotten things.


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## D.Nelson (Feb 20, 2014)

Live wood. And a perfect "Y".


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## ash (Apr 23, 2013)

1. I only collect dead wood. Going out after a storm is a great time to find a lot of windfallen branches.

2. It depends on the bark thickness of a given species, but the best forks are usually a bit over 1" in diameter before starting.

3. Branches with lots of fork options on them. Go for one excellent fork rather than two compromised ones.

4. In your neck of the woods, I'd say most of the local hardwoods are going to be good. Oak, ash, maple, magnolia, holly, etc.

5. Here's a whole gallery full of uncarved forks: http://slingshotforum.com/gallery/album/1096-forks-and-materials/


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## Dannyparker (Oct 29, 2013)

Just any piece of wood but make sure i mean 100%sure its strong dead or alive i like booth and a perfect (Y) is more acurate than a wonky (Y) just made one today


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## Individual (Nov 6, 2013)

Before you start working equip your good quality respirator.

I use a draper that i managed to pick up for £25, about $40 i think

It may sound like a lot but treatment for lung damage would be a lot more expensive.

Anyway, i personally like extremely thick, live or dead, spalted frames.

I picked up a LOVELY birch fork that is thicker than my forearm, with spalting and extreme strength before Christmas.

I picked it up from a freshly fallen birch tree, that would of died anyway so i got it at the perfect time.

Be especially careful working with some woods, some cause lung cancer (oak), some are poison(yew) and all of them are bad for your lungs without a respirator.

I can post some pictures of some forks i harvested over the last few months that still have bark on if you'd like.


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## AncientIrish (Apr 29, 2014)

Individual said:


> Before you start working equip your good quality respirator.
> 
> I use a draper that i managed to pick up for £25, about $40 i think
> 
> ...


Some pictures would be great  Also, what do you mean by "spalted"?


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## Sunchierefram (Nov 16, 2013)

Well, it's when fungi changes the color of the wood but not to the point that the wood is rotting. So the wood is still plenty strong. And it ends up looking pretty, well, pretty. Here's a picture I found of a table made from spalted wood.


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## Longers7 (Feb 18, 2014)

Great thread this as I've recently started using naturals over board cuts, a lot of good advise, thanks


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## Lacumo (Aug 18, 2013)

Hardwoods are good, but fruitwoods and nut woods are best. I prefer live branches over dead because I know the structural integrity and strength of the wood aren't compromised, but the live vs. dead thing is a personal preference choice. Cutting over-thickness and over-length forks gives you a beefier raw piece and more and better carving/shaping options. I like to cut a fork with a >4" thick handle and >2" thick forks because it gives me serious carving/shaping potential. If you just want to do a "basic natural" SS (Y-shaped with round handle, round forks and no sculpting), a 2" thick handle and 1" thick forks should do it. If you're cutting live wood, I've read you're best off if you cut the fork twice as long as you need because any splitting hopefully won't go as far as into the part of the fork you'll end up using.

You need to let live wood dry out---without splitting---after you cut it. I'm new at this, but thoroughly sealing the ends with Titebond or Elmer's carpenters glue seems to do that well. I've let mine sit that way for >3 months before carving the bark off and now I'm leaving them that way for a few more months. So far so good...

If you cut live forks in the dead of winter, the wood will be a lot drier than during the spring/summer/fall, when it'll be saturated (which doesn't help anything but will greatly increase the chances of splitting while it dries).

There's also a whole world of info here about microwave-drying of fresh-cut live forks. I think the consensus on that is 20 to 30-second bursts in the nuke followed by enough cooling-down time to let the fork get back down to room temperature. Use the search feature here to find posts and threads about microwaving fresh-cut live forks.

One other problem (for those of us who don't live in or near any farms or big woods) can be where to go cutting live forks without getting the locals all excited. Parks and golf courses are obviously out. I've found some good cutting spots while hiking main railroad lines. I'm also working on getting the OK from a couple tree service companies to follow their crews and scrounge forks from their job sites before they jam everything into the chippers. Local DPW operations crews may also be a good source to follow. Checking out possible source areas right after major windstorms, ice storms or hurricanes (if you're near the coast) is mandatory. The landscape may be covered with what you're looking for until the clean-up crews get around.

Good luck with whatever you end up doing!


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## Djones02021985 (Apr 9, 2014)

I tend to look for either forks in a good 'Y' or lately I tend to look for unusual shapes that can still work. as for live over dead, as long as it's useable and strong then i'm not bothered either way.lol


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## SlingshotMadness (Jan 17, 2014)

What I look for is a for about 3/4 to an 1in thick, and a nice "Y" or a "y" both with great


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