Low humidity, Arizona desert, and hard maple vs white oak boards

[StickMark]

11% humidity currently in Tucson, Arizona.  My local board supplier is running sales on hard maple and quarter sawn white oak.  I have some hickory, and know it handles the humidity extremes here. Monsoon season in the late summer and winter can bring high humidity.  Still, the norm here is dry. 

Any thoughts on either species in dry conditions?   

[Springbuck]

I actually have no direct experience here as far as either/or, but my gut tells me white oak.  I'm from Utah, and it's usually dry here, too.  White oak backings have proven very unlikely to act tension-brittle in the least for me.  Maple MIGHT be just fine, but I'd fully expect white oak to be great.

[StickMark]

That is what I am leaning towards, the white oak boards.  I have broke a few oak board bows that I tried to get down to a "draw length times 2" length.  Presently, I have no problem going "draw length times 2.5" for a smoother draw, as per J. Hamm's recent Longbow article.  Of course, this helps the wood survive being strung all day for hunting; I will just have to deal with the length when in ambush.   

Had a maple bow, 68", snap in two in Missouri, the last day of a hunt while stumping.  Silk backing did nothing, btw. A birch bow, 68", that saw a deer dodge the arrow, broke as well in Arizona, with no backing.  Since then, been cautious about those lighter weight white woods, even though they made great shooters.   

Thought about a backing on the maple, like bamboo, as I have only backed with rawhide (for protection in the rocky desert) or linen and silk.  With a tight 2018 bow budget, I will probably go towards the oak.

[Pat B]

Rawhide or silk will not prevent a doomed bow from breaking. They will help keep splinters down.
 In an area of low humidity where you know the low M/C will be a problem then a longer, wider bow will help the bow stay together. Designing a bow for the wood and conditions is a better way to achieve success than building a design that you want to build without considering the wood and conditions.

[StickMark]

thx for the help in thinking this through.  Longer and wider with boards seems overall the best move.  Without knowing the history of the boards, I am liking the rigid handle design better.

[Bryce]

I would grab as much white oak. It makes REALLY good backing strips.

[loefflerchuck]

I'm almost as dry in Utah here. Either one of those woods will work. I like white oak, but hard maple will probably make a faster one. If they are getting too dry and you live in a house, the problem is probably in storage. Get a moisture meter and a humidifier. Both will run you less than $50. Find a room(basement or ground level) with RH between 30% and 50%. For you don't worry about the range. Just keep the humidity above 30%. If it gets too dry run a humidifier. Most of my problems with brittle dry in the past are from winter months where the heating system in the house may average well under 20% rh for months at a time where the bows were stored.

[Marc St Louis]

Maple can explode when too dry, I've got a hole in my ceiling to prove it