wood selection for consistent performance

[akswift]

 Would any bowyers be willing to share their experiences or preferences for choosing one wood over another, when the primary criteria for selection is to build a bow that is a consistent performer throughout a wide range of  temperature and humidity conditions? Even with a good finish to protect from humidity changes, some woods must  be better than others in climates that alternate from damp rainy summers to long dry cold winters.

Which woods have you found to be more temperamental to climatic variation?
Any suggestions for woods that seem to handle wide seasonal changes better than average?

An alternative might be to use two bows.
Which woods do folks who live in the arid west prefer?
What about if you live on the coast?

Bob

[Weylin]

I'd say hickory would be a good choice for a desert dweller but not for a rainforest.

Yew however does better in wet climate and can become brittle if too dry.

Seems like osage can handle either fairly well. There are many many different kinds of bow woods that would do well in one, the other or both but those are a few examples off the top of my head.

[akswift]

Thanks Weylin
I was doing O.K with my hickory board bow that was made in the winter (which is very dry here in Alaska), but it took a lot of set and lost cast when I had it on the boat for a few months last summer. Going to look for some staves of something more suitable for my next bow.
Bob

[Pappy]

Hickory is very good in dry climate as is most white woods,over all I would have to say Osage for a wide range of weather.  Probably get a lot of flak on that but that has been my experience. Had it everywhere for sub 0 to 100's and from raining to bone dry and never had any problems.  As with any wood bow you have to care for it,keep it sealed/un strung when not in use and out of the weather when possible or not in use.
   Pappy

[turtle]

I have hunted with osage from daylight to dark in nonstop rain for several days in a row and also extreme heat and cold with no ill effects. In wet weather i always dry my bows good at night and wax it before going back out.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Osage is all you need anywhere on the planet.

[MWirwicki]

Osage.

[Will H]

Osage

[blackhawk]

Rhamnus cathartica....aka European buckthorn...glossy buckthorn  ...didn't you guys get the memo there's a new king in town and has been crowned?   

But yeah that yeller wood is some ok stuff

If you can't get osage look into boo or hickory backed ipe or other oily dense tropical woods(massaranduba,etc...)....you might be able to find some of that up there..ipe is used for decking planks and wood do well in your climate too...ya just gotta back it with boo or hickory

[Carson (CMB)]

I have to agree... Osage.  But like blackhawk points out dense woods are what you need.  Might try Ocean spray.  It is as dense as osage, and depending on where at in Alaska you are, there might be some growing near you. 

[George Tsoukalas]

Osage, white oak, and black locust, in no particular order,  are my proven performers across all ranges of humidity. Of the 4, white oak is the easiest for the beginner to make a bow. There's no ring chasing and straight staves are possible. A good straight grained red oak board is pretty heard to beat. Also, osage does not grow on trees around here. You have more of a chance for money growing on trees in NH. Beginners need a ready supply of staves unless they have an experienced bowyer looking over their shoulders. In the final analysis, with the proper designs, most woods will do. Jawge

[Bryce]

I will use yew in the desert, arctic and in the rain forest(or 'home' as I like to call it)
My second and third would be Vinemaple and Oceanspray.

[Sidewinder]

I agree with most everyone, osage would be the one that fits that criteria best but I like Carsons idea as well because osage probabley does'nt grow in Alaska. I would research what woods grow in your area and post again what you find and then let everyone chime in based on what available to you.   Danny

[akswift]

Osage seems to be the favorite, perhaps one reason being because it is a good choice for all seasons? Although as Sidewinder pointed out, it might be too long a paddle from here to find some staves. Would it be fair to generalize that oily or resinous woods are less prone to moisture uptake than white woods of comparable density?   I will have to give the shrubs a second look this summer, as Pacific Serviceberry ( Amelanchier florida) and Saskatoon Serviceberry (Amelanchier anifolia) are reported to be present here in south central Alaska, although Ocean spray is not. Oregon Crab Apple (Malus diversifolia) is another that might have the desired denseness. All local hardwood trees I have found so far, (paper birch, bebb willow, aspen, cottonwood and alder) are white and light  (< 50 S.G.)  I did find some black spruce (Picea mariana) in the swamp that has 120 rings per inch in the outer sapwood, and it's the densest  wood I have found so far.
Thanks to all who have shared their expertise thus far
Bob

[Bryce]

The Inuit used black spruce for bows, I've seen a few in museums.
Also the sap makes really good gum