First let me say how impressed I am that you all have stayed very polite and have had a healthy discussion on what could become a "my dad is better then your dad" discussion.
What I find interesting is the way our experience and comfort zones affect our approach and even our likes or dislikes of certain woods. I have found many people from the southern states like the harder dense woods like Osage, and are often hesitant to work softer woods like yew, vine maple, cascara and other white woods. My observations are they often bow past the target weight and end up with a bow of low poundage.
People from areas where white woods and softer woodsare more common, are often spoiled by the ease of scraping yew and similar woods, and find Osage to be like scraping concrete. I know this is true for me and several others I know in this area.
I see the same scenarios with knapping. Many knappers who have cut there teeth on very hard chert have learned to hit the rock with much more force and when they work obsidian they hit so hard it shatters and they view obsidian as inferior rock.
This being said it is easy to understand why I like yew and juniper more then Osage. For me they heat treat excellent, and are a pleasure to work. I must admit I got a good chuckle out of the "poplar" comments, As my very first primitive bow was made out of poplar. I did not know any better and made a decent shootable bow that is still together. After being told it would eventually blow up I never shot it again. LOL
Yew, Juniper and Vine maple are often full of pin knots and multiple lumps and bumps, that might cause a problem in other woods so it can often through people for a curve on the comfort zone. Even the mindset of not having to remove spawood or chase a ring can make some hesitate on how to start.
