Lilac

[DanaM]

Here are some pics of my lilac tree as promised.

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[GregB]

Dana, that looks similar to a hophornbeam. Is that a squirrel on the first pic in that right hand branch? 

[DanaM]

Nah thats a shingle, from the house that was town down. Did I mention I burned it and it wasn't mine
Now I own the lot.

Dana

[Marc St Louis]

I cut some Lilac several years ago for making bow. I tried to pick out some that had the least amount of twist in them, all have twist up here. Left the bark on and let them dry out. They all split in a spiral as they dried. It hard wood though and the smell of the wood as you work it is something else. I would not consider it self bow wood

[sumpitan]

Lilac is the greatest self bow wood I've laid my hands on. Crowned-back stick selfies safely pulling 60#, 1 1/8" limb width and sub-1" set (no heat-treating) count as great in my book.

From what I've heard, lilac should be even stronger south from the cold, dark north where I live.

Lilac grown on open ground (*like in Dana's pic) is almost always twisted beyond use. Bow lilacs grow in dense, "overgrown" habitats where they have no time to get all twisted and gnarly when competing for light and survival. Lilac growing on moist, rich soil is better in ring quality, too, compared to the thin-ringed, lighter-wood lilac found on dry, windy spots & poor soil.

*edit

Tuukka

[David Long]

Tuukka knows this wood. There is a thread on LW you will be interested in. I have roughed out a stave that really shows the unusual quality of this wood. Checking, ah checking is the problem. I've not given up on it. 
Dave

[Justin Snyder]

Wow, that bark sure looks like it swirls around the trunk a lot. I don't know that you will be able to use it.  Justin

[DanaM]

My sister in law has big patch of lilac I'm going to check next time I get there. But its
more bushy than my tree. I'll see what I can get.