Wood for self warbow?

[AndiE]

Hi

For the upcoming winter my project is to make a self warbow out of every wood that is possible and so I was searching the net and found some. But on some I am not so sure and so I want to hear your opinions, experiences, stories...
- ash (for light warbows not bad, but always problems with set and folds)
- hazel (for light warbows not bad, but always problems with set and folds)
- hickory (for light warbows not bad, but always problems with set and folds)
- laburnum (Has anyone ever seen a laburnum warbow? Or has anyone ever seen a straight piece in warbow dimension?)
- lilac (Really? Has anyone ever seen a lilac warbow? Or has anyone ever seen a straight piece in warbow dimension?)
- osage (heat treatment necessary?)
- wych-elm (sapwood yes or no? heat treatment necessary?)
- yew (no need to talk about it! )


Kind regards
Andi

[Stoker]

Thanks for keeping a open mind 
Thanks Leroy

[WillS]

Ash makes really good warbows if you're very careful.  There's a 160# ash bow on one of the EWBS forum threads.  I think jaro makes some stunning heavy ash bows as well.

You have to keep it very flat on the belly and trap the back heavily.  A rounded or D section ash bow will chrysal and take heavy set.  It does really well with heat treating but doesn't always need it.  Let the set during tiller guide you regarding heat. 

Can't speak for the other woods aside from yew as I haven't worked with them yet.

[AndiE]

Hi

Thanks for the tips WillS.
So it is better to make a flatbow warbow instead of an english warbow with D-profile?
Any tips for how to find the best quality ash?

Kind regrads
                    Andi

[WillS]

Yeah a D-section will never really work unless you have some crazy good ash.

Here's a couple of links you should find useful

Laburnum 100# warbow (character bow!)
http://warbowwales.com/#/laburnam-record-bow-copy/4570492142

Ash 128# warbow (check out how flat the belly is!)
http://warbowwales.com/#/welsh-ash-record-bow/4562210258

[AH]

how about elm?

[toomanyknots]

While your at it, give black locust a try. I'd like to know how it does as a heavy bow, I got a real clean piece of it.

[AndiE]

Hi

Yes, I forgot locust/robinia and also elder, boxwood, lemonwood and maple/sycamore.

Now it seem that they are getting to many and I will have to divide them for small/light warbows, warbows and heavy warbows and start this winter with the small/light ones.

Does anybody know more wood or has made experiences with an other wood in the list?

@WillS: Thanks for the links! The laburnum warbow looks crazy. 

@Livefortheoutdoors: Elm (wych-elm) is already listed. Or do you think of an other conspecies?


Kind regards
Andi

[gianluca100]

treat black locust like ash, flat(ish) belly and rounded back. depending on the piece you have, you can go a bit narrower than with ash.
black locust has very good tension characteristics.
It's an amazing bow wood, once you can leave aside the round belly concept of the english warbowers and conform to the real quality of this wood 
It reacts good to heat treating too.

ciao,
gian-luca

[Bearded bowyer]

Lilac?!?
now there's an idea, there is tonnes around where I live, has anyone come across a lilac bow of any sort?
matt

[WillS]

The crazy Norwegians make Lilac warbows.  I've never seen one, but I know that Daniel Taralrud has made some Lilac warbows. 

[toomanyknots]

Hey, I can jump in on this warbow testing with some amur honey suckle. I have a roughed out bow of it that has been sitting and seasoning since last year I believe. It has a bit of reflex in it, is around 75", and is definitely seasoned, so it should be a great test piece for it, to see what it can handle. I know it has been done once on paleoplanet a couple years ago, but I honestly was not too satisfied with the draw length in the full draw pictures I saw, they looked under drawn, and these were the only examples I have ever seen. They all had follow as well, but they all were made from deflexed staves anyway I believe ( I could be wrong about that ). I mean they looked like nice bows, I am just saying the wood didn't look like it was working very hard, and I am just curious what it can do and the abuse it can take because the stuff is harder than crap. Well, I mean it is reasonable tough, not tough like ipe or anything.

[Badger]

  Toomanyknotts, I think honeysuckle would make an outstanding warbow, I had a small 40" piece last month I was playing with, only a 3/4" diameter. I was able to get 50# out of it drawing 24". The high crown finaly lifted a big splinter but didn't have a catastrphic break. Very tough wood. It kind of remined me of ocean spray a little bit.

[toomanyknots]

  Toomanyknotts, I think honeysuckle would make an outstanding warbow, I had a small 40" piece last month I was playing with, only a 3/4" diameter. I was able to get 50# out of it drawing 24". The high crown finaly lifted a big splinter but didn't have a catastrphic break. Very tough wood. It kind of remined me of ocean spray a little bit.

Sounds promising! I got another stave around 65" or so that is reasonably wide, with 4" reflex, that I think would make a great d bow. Was the honey suckle you used the bushy amur honey suckle? The stuff I got is non-porous as heck. It seems to loose moisture very slowly too, and take a long time to dry out.

[AndiE]

Hi

A honeysuckle warbow??? You guys a crazy! 

We also have honeysuckle here in Germany but it goes dormant every year from october to april and so it never gets that thick. So there is unfortunately no chance for me to get this wood.

So ash, robinia/locust and maple/sycamore a better for warbows in flatbow shape!? What about osage than? The same? Than I will make those someday when I am through with all the other woods that fit with D-shape belly / a real english warbow design.

Here in Germany there are a few very good lilac bows but I have never seen a ELB or a warbow out of it.

Does anybody know whats the maximum possiple drawweight of a good quality hickory?

Kind regards
                    Andi