New Bow Wood?

[Jmilbrandt]

Here is a bow I made out of a small tree I cut down in the mountains of Montana. It is 65" ntn 1 1/2 at the fades with a straight taper to 1/2 at the nocks, It pulls seventy five pounds at 28". The stave had a slight deflex to it after it dried so I reflexed it at the handle so it ended up with a slight gull shape. I have no idea what the wood was I thought maybe you guys could help me identify it. I don't have any picture but it grew in like a group or grove of about ten or fifteen others they were about 15' to 20' high 3" to 4" in diameter. It had smooth grayish bark and grew pipe straight for about 7' or 8" with no branches. The wood is almost bone white with really no heartwood all it had was a small dark spot in the center (the pith?) I think it had small round leaves. It grew in the swan mountains near Kalispell Montana. It seem to be a very good wood and took only about 1/2 inch of set. Samples I broke seemed very strong in tension and very elastic. It also steam bends easier then any wood I have done, though I admit I haven't done a whole lot. Any Ideas?

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[Jmilbrandt]

By the way I know the tiller is off I'm still working on It . Just needs a little adjustment after shooting.

[JustAim]

Looks good......although the pictures appear alittle blurry to me so l cant see it to well.....but then again l just woke up 

[DanaM]

Not familiar with the flora of montana but perhaps a type of serviceberry?

[sulphur]

sounds like hackberry.  did the bark have warty looks bumps here and there???  the hackberry i have cut had almost no heartwood and was very white.  don't know if it grows in Montana but it grows everywhere it Texas.  Makes a darn nice bow.

[Kitsu]

love the bow, but it still would be nice to figure out what kind of wood it is

[Jmilbrandt]

It's been a while since I cut it but I don't think it really had any bumps on it. It was just really smooth. Wish I had grabbed some more but there was a few feet of snow on the ground and the truck got stuck, I actually cut that to help the tires get traction and threw it in the back as an afterthought. I noticed the pictures were a little blurry I'll try to get some more today.

[Jmilbrandt]

I just looked up serviceberry and hackberry. It definitly not hackberry and i'm pretty sure it's not serviceberry.

[Jmilbrandt]

My earlier pictures were a little blurry so here are some new ones.

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[stiknstring]

From your description of the little groves etc it sounds almost like Quaking Aspen...?

[Diligence]

By your description of the bark, it could have been a variant of chokecherry....  http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4DMG/Trees/canred.htm

Or it might have been Saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia) which you folks down south call service berry or juneberry sometimes.  http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4dmg/Trees/Shrubs/junebrry.htm

[Jmilbrandt]

It may have been the Saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia) the bark looks almost identical but the actual plant doesn't grow like the pictures you gave. I saw hundreds of them while I was in the mountains and they all grew as individual trees. I'm going to try to get a picture of the bark for you guys I left a small log of it at my dad's house there I'll see if he can send me a picture of it.

[DanaM]

Bow looks nice Quaking aspen or popple as we call it here has smooth bark especially at sampling size.
But its really light weight wood and very brittle so I doubt if it would hold together for long.

[terence pinder]

if it was highbush saskatoon/serciceberry  they grow as individual trees and not bushes like the more common low bush variety. my backyard is full of highbush stoon it sounds simmiliar  first 7 feet no branches  fairly straight 3-4 inches diameter max

[Jmilbrandt]

I'm pretty positive it's not aspen. It's probably seviceberry like a few of you are suggesting. I'm still working on getting pictures I hope to have some today.