Tamarack

[adb]

Hey, all

Has anyone tried Tamarack as a bow wood? As far as I know, it's the only evergreen which sheds it's needles every year in the fall. There's lots up here, where I live, and it grows very straight. I'm thinking it's like most pines... good arrow wood, but poor bow wood.

[John K]

Never tried it, but i know it very rot resistant, better than cedar !

[Marc St Louis]

I haven't tried it myself but I was showing some bows many years ago when a native from north of me came over and looked at some of my bows.  He thought an Osage bow I had was made out of Tamarack.  I suspect it may have been used by some natives in the past

[El Destructo]

I bet that if you can find one that doesnt have a bunch of Twist to it....it would be great....Tamarack is some dang tough wood....got it all over the central UP of Michigan

[DanaM]

Yup its all over up here in da UP and I know it dries very hard and burns hot. If I evermanage to get me some I will try it.
I'm thinking maybe a big branch and use the underside like on the junipers.

[adb]

Thanks, Guys
It's all over the place up here, and it sure grows straight. I'll have to give it a try. Any advice on when to cut it? Spring, fall, winter? Sapwood on or off?

[Kjikakakuj]

   I,ve read that it's very high in bending and compression properties. I'm going to try using it as belly lambs in the hopes that it may be suitable as a horn belly substitute. I want to make an all natural three piece take-down recurve. Will use heat treated red oak sap wood as limbs.

    I hope others can add to the thread. It's one that's been on my mind for a while.
        Have a good one.
                            ---Sean C.

[Ryano]

Is it the same thing as larch? We have tree's that shed there needles every year called larch.....

[El Destructo]

Yes Ryan......Tamarack is Tamarack Larch...... or American Larch.....Eastern Larch....same Tree

The wood is tough and durable, but also flexible in thin strips, and was used by the Algonquian people for making snowshoes and other products where toughness was required.



According to 'Aboriginal Plant Use in Canada's Northwest Boreal Forest', the inner bark has also been used as a poultice to treat cuts, infected wounds, frostbite, boils and hemorrhoids. The outer bark and roots are also said to have been used with another plant as a treatment for arthritis, cold and general aches and pains.

[The Burnt Hill Archer]

sounds like it would be a good candidate for an elb.

[El Destructo]

Tamarack has a tendency to have a spiral twist to it ....and the only way to really see it is to split it....and then sometimes you have wooden corkscrews!!!   

[Ryano]

Thanks for the info Mike. 

[Marc St Louis]

There are actually 2 species of Larch.  One is Western Larch which grows out west and then there is Tamarack which we have here in the East and is a member of the Larch family.  Western Larch is more dense and has much more compression and tensile strength than Tamarack.