How Does Mango Work?

[Ryan Jacob]

So I gotta prune one of my mango trees because it’s starting to hit the neighbors house. I’ll probably get three branches from the pruning job. Any idea of how the stuff works as bow wood?

[Pat B]

Generally fruit wood makes good bows. I've never tried mango but I'd try it if I were you.

[Limbit]

Doesn't work!  It is considered at best a light weight borderline bow wood. 

[Ryan Jacob]

Wow, really? Could I atleast use it as a core wood?

[mullet]

It also is in the poison oak family. The sap will burn you and no telling what the dried dust will do. We used to climb mango trees when I was yound and eat the fruit, peeling them with our teeth. That night your lips would be swollen and sore.

[Limbit]

I've never personally used it, but in the list of potential bow woods, it is grouped with balsa, pines and cedars. It has an SG of .45. My friend in India used it once as an experiment and he said it shattered straight away during initial tillering. It is pretty wood, so maybe as riser lams or in a handle it would be okay. I wouldn't use it as core wood either. Mulberry or guava would be better option in fruit wood. If you've got mango around, you've got them around too!

[Msturm]

I attempted a really wide limbed bow of 64 inches and made it to 30 lbs at 20 inches before it shattered. BLAM! 

[Ryan Jacob]

Alright, I gotta cut a guava, tamrind, and black palm soon anyways. Also, Im immune to mango sap I’ve used the dried stuff as glue before. I got a jackfruit to mess with to, exactly how does .3 sg wood support such a huge fruit. Also, mulberry is a definite no, the hairy caterpillars love them, and I’d rather step on my flake pile then mess with those

[Del the cat]

Mango work in car... after hard days work he come home in car too.
If car broke he walk... man strong, man do good work.
Del
(Sorry... Emily the cat made me do it  )

[Limbit]

Ha! Took me a second to figure out what you were saying there Del.  Ryan, I have the same issues in Taiwan with moth larva going at my mulberry stash.  I've learned to debark it straight away and store it separate from my other wood. At least they don't touch the heartwood.  Not sure about Jackfruit, but we also have that here and I've cut it only to decide it was too soft to bother with. It is very similar to breadfruit wood. The reason it doesn't break often with such big fruit is probably because the fruit tends to grow off the trunk and not limbs. Guava and black palm are a score though.

[Ryan Jacob]

No, the caterpillars love to live in mulberries, i have a severe allergy to the hairs.