Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Mad Max on June 22, 2025, 02:55:10 pm
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I have Blonde Ipe
Dark verses Blonde ??
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How blonde is blonde(maple blonde, or light walnut)?
All the ipe I've ever seen has been dark brown. Apparently, the tree has sapwood, yellow/ greenish, grey, though I've never seen any mixed in with heartwood boards. Ipe is used mainly as decking and flooring, due to its hardness, and durability. A sapwood board in the mix would stand out badly, when laid out and probably wouldn't have the same resistance to rot, so I guess that's why you don't normally see it in a pack of Ipe at the timber merchants
I reckon sapwood would still make a pretty good bow though, its still dense as all heck.
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https://imgur.com/a/6MdByEi
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Its light for ipe, but it doesn't look like sapwood to me. I reckon it will be good.
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I was not very lucky with blond Ipe. I had more than one bow chrysaling away. I later discussed the topic with a more experienced bowyer telling me that it varies a lot. Blonde ipe generally is not so great, only the heavier boards maybe still ok. so you can be lucky or not. I would not stress the bow too much maybe. I personally will use my more pale boards for fencing now.
density in general seems a good criteria for ipe, it goes along with quality (and also with color with the dark type).
I lately laminated a few warbows from different boards of dark ipe and noticed massive differences between the boards. the darker and heavier board produced a lot more drawweight at the same dimensions.
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It's defiantly heavy and killed a new bandsaw blade in about 8" of trying to cut lams.
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Bandsaw blades getting blunt. Yep, I remember doing that. A regular high carbon steel blade is no good for dense tropicals. You need a bi metal/high speed steel, or even a TCT saw blade if you have a large enough bandsaw.
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Never worked with Ipe much but I know from the Classic when the guys are cutting tip over lays from it that it will toast a blade very quick, I try and get them to use the saw I use to cut out my knife blades. :) That stuff is tough for sure. :)
Pappy