compression woods

[bootboy]

Hey guys, I was wondering I dont really know all the best woods for compressive strengths. I know hickory is awesome for tension but often crysals on my bellies. black locust is really good wood, but not great in compression either, I live in toronto, Canada so we have nearly everything but osage. I wonder if you fellas can tell me a bow thats Really excellent at compression and weak in tension. Im planing sinew it. I understand you dont need that type of wood to make a sinew backed bow obviously. I was just thinking Often you see bowyers backing different woods with hickory or bamboo, so Id like to wood my siew so to speak. What would the best wood be for that. Ed Scott said messquite, But i dont have it here as far as i know.

[Jim Davis]

I'd think red maple would work well. The wood doesn't have to be super in compression to work with sinew. Hornbeam is a little harder, but needs to be well dried. Sugar maple is between these two.

American Indians used woods as diverse in hardness as Osage with sinew backs.

Jim Davis

[George Tsoukalas]

Osage=high in both. Hickory =high in both. Red and white oak =medium in both. Black locust= high in tension and med. in compression. White ash = low in both. Just my opinion based on making lots of bows from these woods.  Yew, hop hornbeam, elm, maple, and others to few bows to judge. Jawge

[0209]

I'd go with hickory if I were you.  And if you still feel unsure of its compression capabilities, you could always temper the belly to increase the compression qualities.  I think hickory is by far one of the best, most available bow woods out there. 
On another note, if you could get your hands on some ipe and try a sinew ipe bow that would be awesome.  Ipe is an amazing compression wood, but it has oils in it, which aren't the best for gluing sinew.  I figure you could clean it with acetone before you sinewed it to get rid of the oils, then it ought to be alright.  I wish I could try something like it, I just don't have the time.
Best Regards,
Ian Mittelberg

[Pappy]

If you can get it ,I would go with Iron Wood [Hop hornbeam] I think the more I work with it,It ranks right up there with Osage. 
   Pappy

[half eye]

Don't know what profile you normally make your limbs...but most of the native bows in these parts (Northern Michigan) were made with flat backs and flat bellies, as this helps spread the compression (and tension for that matter) a domed back and belly will concentrate the load into the middle of the limb and could make the compression fracturing problem worse. I make most all of my bows from native area whitewoods and don't have problems with compression fractures at all (except when I get froggy and screw up the tiller). I use both white and black ash, hard maple, elm, and walnut as well as white and red oak.

I really like the hard maple for strength and speed. But if I had to choose a wood that is very forgiving and makes a good bow as well I think my first choice would be elm. In this neck of the woods we have both red elm (slippery) and grey elm and the red is about 25% tougher than the grey....but they are both good woods. Most of the viking bows where they could identify the wood, was elm so I guess it probably works good in cold and wet conditions.

The grain (wood fibers) are really entangled in both species of elm which makes them strong by themselves....but should really hold sinew or other backing really well. Just this old guy's opinion, for whatever it's worth.
half eye

[Kegan]

Hickory and white oak are the two best woods around here, with white oak being stronger than hickory, and they only trouble I've had with these woods is when the wood was green or untempered for high stress bows.

[PatM]

 I'm in Toronto too. The best high compression low tension wood here is probably Red Cedar. It certainly doesn't grow extensively in this particular area but it is fairly accessible through specialty wood dealers in plank form.
 The best local wood would be HHB. You can also get Bulletwood and Ipe at several locations.

[snedeker]

Mesquite is really strong in compression.  Not a real local ticket around Toronto though!  Yew and ipe are two of the strongest comp.  woods.

Dave

[Hillbilly]

If you're looking specifically for wood that is high in compression and low in tension, black cherry and juniper (red cedar) both answer that description.

[shamus]

I know hickory is awesome for tension but often crysals on my bellies

Sounds like you need to match the right design for your wood.  Match the right design to the wood, and tiller it well, the rest will follow.

[akila]

Ipe, massaranduba,  is realy great in compresion....and also iff u can  get some CORNUS MAS....its an  excelent wood in compresion...

[bootboy]

wow awesome feedback fellas thanks.
I have some musclewood. If im not mistaken thats another type of hornbeam.
I'll try it with that

[Hrothgar]

Hard maple or hickory; do you have any red mulberry up there?

[PatM]

Red Mulberry seems restricted to the Niagara area.