Hornbeam VS. Hop Hornbeam

[Papa Matt]

Brothers, of these two, which one is considered the best for making a fast bow? I have access to both, and have already cut some Hop Hornbeam...does the regular Hornbeam make a better bow, as far as speed?

~~Papa Matt

[sailordad]

once again on this topic i would have to say that speed comes from the proper dsign and mass for the wood/materials being used
havent made a bow out of either as of yet,but pappy made one from hhb that was awesome and you know his bows all look like they shoot well

[Papa Matt]

I just want to see if anyone has used both of them, and see what differences they noted in the two. In other words, I have some HHB already cut, is it worth it to cut some HB, or does it perform pretty much the same.

[GregB]

I'm hunting with a hhb bow right now and I think it's one of the best white woods for bow making out there. Hornbeam I've seen is usually more knarley then hhb, so it would be more difficult to get a long piece without having a lot of propellor. Don't know how it stacks up with hhb, but give it a try. A billet bow might be a solution spliced in the handle if you have trouble finding a straight full length piece.

[Kegan]

I've only got hornbeam, and though it's really gnarly, the wood is very hard and dense. It makes a really nice bow if you can get something out of it, and the shape is just amazing at times. You have to beat on the bark with a wooden mallet to get it cleanely off, but the work is worth it. Once they dry out I'll be making a bow from it as soon as possible.

[DanaM]

As sailordad said its not so much the wood as the design for the wood in question, personally I don't
think their would be much if any speed difference between the two given the same design. If you have
hornbeam that is good enough for a bow use it, if the HHB is better use that. I would love to try hornbeam
myself, even a less than perfect stave can make a good bow. Besides speed is over rated or we all would be
shooting compounds yet

[Pat B]

I've never worked HB but the HHB bow I donated to Pappy's Classic last year was a very good shooter.IMO.      Pat

[Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive]

i have used american hornbeam (not hop)  and found it makes a great bow. the saplings are usually easier to find that are not all knarly. i compare it very, very close to elm.  and i have heard some say the hhb and elm are very similiar  so i imagine that hornbeam and hhb ae very close as well.  i really enjoy hornbeam and have taken deer with it.- Ryan

hey if anyone one wants to do the comparison, i can probably trade a pretty close to cured sapling of hornbeam  for a piece of hop hornbeam.  i'd like to make a hhb  bow, so if anyone wants to try hornbeam PM me.  i can live with a relatively shorter piece, 58 inches are longer

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