Woods superior to osage

[Badger]

 When all things are considered, I still consider Osage #1, but there are several species of trees I would take over Osage when I can find a rare, good stave.

#1  Ocean spray. I believe this is about the fastest wood I have ever worked. But hard to dry without splitting, hard to find a decent size stave.
#2 Purple plum, this is my all-time favorite for its flexibility, stiffness and workability.
#3  Chinese elm, like hickory it tends  to be somewhat hygroscopic but if kept around 6% it is super fast and virtually unbreakable even with massive violations. No need to chase a ring or even worry about cutting across the grain. The city cuts them down all the time but the trunks weigh over 1,000# and it is virtually impossible to split so must be sawed.

[RyanY]

I can’t speak to this from experience but yew seems to be such an interesting wood in its properties. Should be included. I also find hop hornbeam unique in how stiff it is compared to other woods.

[willie]

osage (and yew) will both bend further than most other woods without taking too much set, allowing narrower and/or thicker limbs for a particular design.

all woods take set when worked to the max  or overworked, but I wonder if the woods that Badger is investigating or searching for have a quality that does not really have a name. The ability to work repeatedly without loss of strength just below that point where set finally happens.

[Badger]

osage (and yew) will both bend further than most other woods without taking too much set, allowing narrower and/or thicker limbs for a particular design.

all woods take set when worked to the max  or overworked, but I wonder if the woods that Badger is investigating or searching for have a quality that does not really have a name. The ability to work repeatedly without loss of strength just below that point where set finally happens.

  I forgot to mention yew, purple plum has the same feel as yew to me when drawing and tillering. I wish I knew how to perform an engineering-grade bend test. I suspect that purple plum can surpass yew, ( currently #1) I haven't had the pleasure of working much purple plum but I do remember that blown-away feeling I had while working with it.  Most of the elms are excellent and I feel slightly better than hickory, but Chinese elm has a quality that would allow it to cut into boards for self-bows without worrying about grain run out, it is also fast growing tree that often grows straight as a pole for 10 or 12 feet. Nice creamy white wood, strong and I suspect low hysteresis for a white wood.

[Selfbowman]

Y’all know me . Osage is king. But mt juniper does well at the salt flats. Also ipa and boo.

[willie]

I wish I knew how to perform an engineering-grade bend test.

Are you wishing to test specifically for hysterisis?

I think a hundred years ago there was an impact test that measured rebound heighths.

[mmattockx]

Most of the elms are excellent and I feel slightly better than hickory, but Chinese elm has a quality that would allow it to cut into boards for self-bows without worrying about grain run out, it is also fast growing tree that often grows straight as a pole for 10 or 12 feet. Nice creamy white wood, strong and I suspect low hysteresis for a white wood.

Is this the Chinese Elm you are speaking of?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_parvifolia

Sounds like I might even have a chance of finding some here, which would be a novelty.


Mark

[superdav95]

Interesting post badger!  Bamboo if done right and heat treated correctly.  Sweetgum too!   Already mentioned I think but hhb too.