European beech suitable?

[stuckinthemud]

Hi everyone, just a quick one, following Upstatenybowyer's latest using Fagus Grandifolia, is European Beech, Fagus Sylvatica, useful for UK bowyers?  It is harder, with a higher mor and higher em than FG. 

Figures off wood database
Common Name(s): European Beech.
Scientific Name: Fagus sylvatica.
Distribution: Europe.
Tree Size: 100-130 ft (30-40 m) tall, 3-5 ft (1-1.5 m) trunk diameter.
Janka Hardness: 1,450 lbf (6,460 N)
Modulus of Rupture: 15,970 lbf/in2 (110.1 MPa)
Elastic Modulus: 2,075,000 lbf/in2 (14.31 GPa)

[Del the cat]

Never tried it, I know it's hard and heavy, the rest is just hearsay. Maybe make a small try out bow first.
Del

[stuckinthemud]

I can't tell you how many perfect beech saplings I've walked past and not cut because of hearsay, but, I think I will cut one and have a go, beech is one of the main forest trees in this valley. Beech, birch, Norwegian maple, sycamore, hazel, then oak are the dominant species, in that order.

[Del the cat]

That Norwegian Maple makes a nice primitive 
Del

[stuckinthemud]

Really? Sound of saw-blade being sharpened....

[Del the cat]

Really? Sound of saw-blade being sharpened....

https://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/maple-ii-vs-maple-i.html
Del

[FilipT]

Woods here are basically 95% E. beech. Would be interesting to attempt to make bow out of it. Can maple be made with warbow configuration or it prefers flatbows?

[DC]

I've got a big European Beech in my front yard. I've done searches for "European Beech Bows" on a few occasions and all I ever found was "the fibers are too short" whatever that means.

[stuckinthemud]

I've just read through the posts on Del's blog (Sept and Oct 2012) and his maple primitive flat Bow worked very well. As for the too short fibres thing, I wonder how much is experience and how much is rumour, I am definitely going to cut some this winter.

[Marc St Louis]

The few people that talked about using European Beech in the past said that bows made from the wood broke in tension, hence the short fiber thing

[FilipT]

We can assume the usual "if you don't see much bows out of it around forums, it's not suitable" or we can experiment with it.

[mikekeswick]

Yes the wood is dense and hard but the short fibers thing is not hearsay. Bows made from it tend to break in tension and it doesn't do too well in compression either. Save it for spalting and tool bodies

[stuckinthemud]

 

[meanewood]

I've made Warbows out of beech and found it a good bow wood!
You can check my post no 108 on page 8 of my posts for some pics.

[Del the cat]

I've made Warbows out of beech and found it a good bow wood!
You can check my post no 108 on page 8 of my posts for some pics.

Errr, that looks to be a thread about stand count on warbow string s
Couldn't see any pics.
maybe post a link?
Del