stave wood?

[hunterman]

yo

Just wonderin if poplar is a good bow wood. i got 2 staves of it from my cousin yesterday.

[Hillbilly]

No, not really. It's possible to make a poplar bow(usually really wide or long) but it's pretty marginal as bow wood and most of them break pretty quickly. Makes good arrows, though. Is this tulip poplar or one of the true poplars?

[hunterman]

its real poplar

[Justin Snyder]

It ranks right up there with cottonwood, willow and quaking aspen.  Makes great arrows like Hillbilly said though. Justin

[Hillbilly]

I'll put it this way: I saw a group of really good, experienced, well-known bowyers have a contest awhile back to see who could build a poplar bow that would stay together and shoot efficiently as a challenge.

[Hrothgar]

Hillbilly, where's the moral of the story... or they still trying to make an acceptable poplar bow? 

[koan]

Way to leave us hangin there Hillbilly.....Brian

[Hillbilly]

I think a couple of them got some good bows made, maybe-don't remember perzackly. Just the point that if  bowyers who have made hundreds of bows see making a poplar bow as a challenge worthy of a contest, it's probably not the wood of choice for beginning bow makers.

[hunterman]

doesnt look too good then.  maybe ill use one of them for my hornbow... wont put the wood under too much pressure.