« previous next »
Pages: 1 [2] 3 4

Author Topic: Favorite bow wood?  (Read 12844 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Lombard

  • Guest
Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #15 on: December 30, 2010, 10:47:55 am »
The question comes up often enough. My answer is whatever piece of wood I have that is dry enough to make a bow out of at that moment is my favorite.
Logged

Offline adb

  • Member
  • Posts: 5,339
Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #16 on: December 30, 2010, 11:39:17 am »
Quote from: Lombard on December 30, 2010, 10:47:55 am
The question comes up often enough. My answer is whatever piece of wood I have that is dry enough to make a bow out of at that moment is my favorite.
ditto!
Logged

Offline Alpinbogen

  • Member
  • Posts: 193
Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #17 on: December 30, 2010, 11:44:57 am »
Good rugged osage.
Logged

Offline ErictheViking

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,504
Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #18 on: December 30, 2010, 12:00:35 pm »
Have to be vine maple, because its tough as nails and everywhere for free. next would be yew for its looks(nothing beats the heartwood/sapwood contrast IMHO). for laminates I found a good wood called Garapa, thats a nice yellow color and is sold as a cheap version of ipe for decking.
Logged
"He that but looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart"  C.S. Lewis

Offline n2huntn

  • Member
  • Posts: 468
  • jeff_smith13@hotmail.com ROLL TIDE !
Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #19 on: December 30, 2010, 12:07:16 pm »
Current favorites would be Ipe , hickory, elm, and hackberry. Really like maple when its available. Use all in board and stave form except ipe. I don't prefer one type over the other just what's on hand.
Jeff
Logged
Genesis 27: 3

Offline Frode

  • Member
  • Posts: 400
Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #20 on: December 30, 2010, 12:15:27 pm »
Well, I sure did like the one piece of osage I've tried, but...
Boards, hickory works me like a rented mule, but the results are worth it.  Elm, when I want to work faster.  Oak, especially fully quartersawn.  And maple.
But I'm just a pup at this game  :D.
Frode
Logged
If it doesn't rap the lintel, it might not be a longbow.

Offline Sidewinder

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,946
Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #21 on: December 30, 2010, 12:35:10 pm »
Ok I'll throw my hat in the ring....Osage. It is forgiving of tillering mistakes, as previously noted and God knows I need it. I have only worked with red oak, mulberry, hickory, osage and some unknown lightweight board that was'nt pine. The hickory I have used was in board form as well. I liked the mulberry alot, it suprised me but hands down the osage is my first choice. I would like to try yew eventually if I could ever get ny hands on some.   Danny
Logged
"You know a tree by the fruit it bears"   God

Offline JackCrafty

  • Global Moderator
  • Member
  • Posts: 5,628
  • Sorry Officer, I was just gathering "materials".
Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #22 on: December 30, 2010, 12:53:56 pm »
Juniper.  Also anything that heat/steam bends well and holds its shape. :)
Logged
Any critter tastes good with enough butter on it.

Patrick Blank
Midland, Texas
Youtube: JackCrafty, Allergic Hobbit, Patrick Blank

Where's Rock? Public Waterways, Road Cuts, Landscape Supply, Knap-Ins.
How to Cook It?  200° for 24hrs then 275° to 500° for 4hrs (depending on type), Cool for 12hr

Offline gstoneberg

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,889
Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #23 on: December 30, 2010, 12:56:01 pm »
Osage for me, the older the better.  Mulberry is also nice, but the bow has to be larger than I like.  Hope to make a laminated osage backed ipe bow soon.  I'd also like to try yew sometime.

George
Logged
St Paul, TX

Offline Steve Milbocker

  • Member
  • Posts: 447
Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #24 on: December 30, 2010, 01:44:54 pm »
I don't know enough to have a favorite yet. But after my last failure with the osage billets, I started roughing out a bow of walnut that I cut in Sept. Tim Baker was right, " A bow made from walnut that is half sapwood and half heartwood is not only beautiful, but strikingly beautiful. I hope I don't screw this one up :-[
Logged
I'm no where near as smart as my phone!

Offline Bevan R.

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,691
Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #25 on: December 30, 2010, 02:46:26 pm »
Have to say purpleheart lumber is my favorite 'go to' wood. Backed with a hickory strip. Also I can get it in Colorado for a fraction of what a osage or even hickory or elm stave would cost.
Logged
Bowmakers are a little bent, but knappers are just plain flaky.

Offline crooketarrow

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,790
Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #26 on: December 30, 2010, 04:07:41 pm »
       I build mostly osage bows. But my favoret is Hickory,I only build stave bows with no backing.
Logged
DEAD IS DEAD NO MATTER HOW FAST YOUR ARROW GETS THERE
20 YEARS OF DOING 20 YEARS OF LEARNING 20 YEARS OF TEACHING

Offline loefflerchuck

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,129
    • www.heartwoodbows.com
Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #27 on: December 30, 2010, 06:53:47 pm »
I use what grows where I am. Wherever that may be. Of those my favorite are the ones that handle tons of compression. Juniper and incense cedar backed with lots of sinew
Logged

Offline 1/2primitive

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,026
  • Bible believing Christian
Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #28 on: December 30, 2010, 08:16:50 pm »
It seems that all the studying done on bow design, while useful in many areas, has not changed the majority of folks' opinions with regards to osage.

I love good ol' hedge. Haven't had much to work lately, but I love the way it works.
Hickory is good, but I think it's a bit harder to work than osage.
       Sean
Logged
Dallas/Fort Worth Tx.

Offline Eric Garza

  • Member
  • Posts: 589
Re: Favorite bow wood?
« Reply #29 on: December 30, 2010, 08:54:12 pm »
I like pine.  Knotty white pine with lots of insect damage.  Yup.  Osage step aside...
Logged
Pages: 1 [2] 3 4
« previous next »