A new contender for king of bow wood

[randman]

Seattle. I have to go to the woods to get Vine Maple but we got Ocean spray everywhere - in heavily wooded city parks, along freeways between overpasses. I've even seen it growing as an ornamental in people's yards. Not hard to find if you just notice that bloom tassel everywhere.

[Bryce]

Hahahaha I can just see yah being chased down by one of your neighbors bc you cut there shrubs lol

[Knocker]

Oceanspray (Holodiscus Discolor?).  I looked it up on the net.  I live in Olympia, Washington and have seen it.  Thanks for letting me know it's a bow wood - I'll have to cut some to season.

Keith

[Bryce]

Yep that's the one. It's awesome man hard to season though if you want to leave the bark on which I advise just bc it looks really good. You gotta cut it in winter.

[Tom Leemans]

This reminds me of a bow wood conversation at MOJam where I heard Torges say "pretty much yew and osage and screw the rest."
 

[BowEd]

I think someone should mention about the forgiving qualities of osage orange from a bad tiller etc.Might be one reason why at these bow making seminars they're using osage orange for a beginners first bow.

[PaulN/KS]

This reminds me of a bow wood conversation at MOJam where I heard Torges say "pretty much yew and osage and screw the rest."
 

Gee, did he have to suger coat it so much..?

Since "kings" rule in their kingdom I would say that it is kind of a locality thing. Out here in the Middle of the Midwest "kingdom", the Hedge King rules... He is gnarly and thorny of disposition but tough,as well as prolific .

[vinemaplebows]

keith,

             Good to see you back on.. Make sure to cut that ocean spray long!  Bryce, Can't find vine maple straight, heard that before, look harder, better yet look for billets. With vine maple I really like those 1 inch diameter suckers they make some great "limb" bows. If I am after a flat bow I rarely cut anything that is not billet sized.

Brian

[rossfactor]

Bow woods are like communists, they have no king!

Gabe

[Knocker]

Hey Brian!  Good to see you here.  Do you have Oceanspray in your patch?  Ever used it?  Can't trust  these city slickers (SEATTLE!!!) to know anything about primitive arts...   

Keith

[Jim Davis]

I fear most people form an opinion for what is the king of bow woods for the design of bows they  make.

The fact is, if the design is right for the wood, the kind of wood has no bearing on the performance of the bow. This is what Tim Baker demonstrated at MOJAM years ago. Osage does well with slim outer limbs, yew has to have a rounded belly to do its best, most hardwoods do well with a narrowed back...

There are so many variables that the term "King ofbow woods" doesn't tell us anything.

I supposes we can still have a Favorite bow wood, but it may be king only to us.

Jim Davis

[Bryce]

VMB that's what I do is cut the 1 inch saps. And they make great bows! Never thought about billets though

[rossfactor]

I agree with sentiment Jim, but I wouldn't go so far as to say  "the kind of wood has no bearing on the performance of the bow."  Look at some of Bakers best performing bows (Pecan, Maple, Oak) while these are white woods and have different design requirements than say yew or osage, they all have mechanical properties that make them good bow woods. 

You don't see great self bows made of alder, balsa, hemlock, pine, or lots of tropical hardwoods for a reason: their mechanical properties don't make them suited to the stress of being bent.

Gabe

[Arrowind]

I think the best bow wood is the wood you have. 

Honestly I can't comment to much on Osage or yew or vine maple or ocean spray because I haven't had much chance to work with any.

I really like hickory though.  Probably because you can screw up and still make a bow! 

[randman]

Since "kings" rule in their kingdom I would say that it is kind of a locality thing. Out here in the Middle of the Midwest "kingdom", the Hedge King rules... He is gnarly and thorny of disposition but tough,as well as prolific

I agree with that statement. If I lived in the Midwest and had lots of hedge, I'd probably be using that to the exclusion of everything else.
And the forgiving aspect someone mentioned about hedge is another one of the  traits I love of ocean spray. You can get away with really bad tiller and still have a good shooter.

Can't trust  these city slickers (SEATTLE!!!) to know anything about primitive arts..

I wasn't always a city slicker I'm originally from Eastern Washington. It don't get much more primitive that that