Hornbeam Questioin

[Key]

A friend just gave me two real nice hornbeam staves. I have built bows from hickory and Osage but never out of hornbeam, I think some call it Ironwood.
Do I work it like Osage follow the grain or more like hickory? Any designs suggestions for hornbeam?
Thanks in advance for your the  input.

[Pat B]

Is it hornbeam(smooth bark) or Hophornbeam(scaly bark)?  Hophornbeam would be similar to hickory. I've never worked hornbeam.     Pat

[Key]

The bark is scaly. No knots

[Papa Matt]

If the bark is scaly, it is most likely hop hornbeam. I had a stave of that once, but it got too twisted on me so I burned it. If you have good ones, they can be as good as osage from what I hear. There are many woods called "ironwood". Scaly bark is Hop Hornbeam, and smooth bark as Pat said is just plain Hornbeam, but both may be called "ironwood" just because they are extremely hard and strong.

So since it looks like you've got Hop Hornbeam, work it like Hickory. I've been told to just take the bark off and the first ring you come to is the back, you don't have to touch it.

What state are you in?

~~Papa Matt

[Key]

Papa Matt,
I am in Iowa.

[Papa Matt]

Ok, so then you're just a couple states over from me. I'm in Indiana. I'm 99% sure you've got Hop Hornbeam if it's scaly bark. You're lucky, around where I live, it's mostly wooded area, but there aren't that many HHB trees. I've only foudn the one like I said, and it was too twisted to mess with. I should've known when I cut it, just by the bark. The bark went around the tree in a spiral pattern from top to bottom, and after I cut and split the stave it twisted the same way.
If yours doesn't have any knots, and the bark is straight, then you've got some wood that will make killer bows to be proud of.

~~Papa Matt

[Key]

I am going to take pictures of the two staves and post them here. Will do that tomorrow. I can't find where my wife put the dig camera, grrrr

[DanaM]

Pappy posyed a HHB bow last month, look back and take a gander at it.
HHB is white wood so just peel the bark and thats your back, as for the grain always follow the grain regardless of the wood.
Some can handle a few run offs but always best to follow the grain.

[JackCrafty]

Hmmmmm....hophornbeam has bark that won't peel.  You'll have to use sandpaper and/or a scraper.  There's a lot of little gullies and crevices......it will be a challenge....but once you've removed the bark, that's it.  The exposed white wood is the back of the bow.

[El Destructo]

I made one once....that I never stripped the Bark off of....and while in the Tillering Process....it all started to crack off in pieces....turned out really cool with the part of the Cambium that stayed on it......

[Ryano]

"If you have good ones, they can be as good as osage from what I hear"   

Na, its good bow wood but its not osage.    Be careful not to violate the back ring as the growth rings on hophorn beam are usually small and kind of bumpy. It doesn't handle growth ring violation well at all so chase a ring carfully. 

[Key]

Found the camera, pic of my two new staves

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[El Destructo]

                                                Thats looks like 4 Hornbeam Staves to me!!!!

[Key]

yeah, I should be able to get two bows out of each. No knots either

[El Destructo]

I'd go for it....as nice as that stuff looks....I can see 4 Bows in it.....but Pappy is the Pro with the Hornbeam....maybe he wil Chime in too.........