Wood Choices

01-24-2007, 12:14 PM

I am going to buy a new longbow. I have looked at ash, oak, hickory, even cherry. I am not into snaky osage like most. Yew is ok.Bamboo is great, but don't like the looks.

Which one has the best performance? I know I like hickory. But sometimes I find deals on other woods. Thanks for any ideas.

BobCo19-65 · 01-24-2007, 12:56 PM

Have you ever seen stained bamboo?
I'd have to say for limbs juniper is about my favorite (along with snakeskin or sturgeon). Below is stained bamboo and my son's longbow with juniper:

01-24-2007, 12:59 PM

Thats nice bob. I thought juniper was fagile however? Maybe it was a nonbacked bow I read about in tradition mag.

Rudderbows has a bamboo backed hickory I am interested in.

BobCo19-65 · 01-24-2007, 01:09 PM

The are a lot of Juniper bows out there. Are you going to have glass on the bow?

Here is what OL Adcock has on his site about juniper:

Quote:

JUNIPER Comes from the western U.S. Red, cream, and purple. Very similar in appearance to red cedar but is stronger and not as brittle. Very pretty and a great performer layed-up in longbow laminations.

01-24-2007, 01:46 PM

No, I would rather have no glass.

BobCo19-65 · 01-24-2007, 01:59 PM

OK, then I'm not sure I'd recommend it. Most of the all wood bows that I have shot are Ossage, Hickory, Cherry, and bamboo. My son shoots a cherry/hickory backed bow.

01-24-2007, 02:03 PM

Cherry hickory might be interesting.

BobCo19-65 · 01-24-2007, 02:12 PM

Can't see the cherry very well, but here is a pic:

LBR · 01-24-2007, 02:22 PM

Yew is my favorite limb wood, especially in a longbow.Light, fast, very smooth. InChek-Mate's tests,they found nobenefits to using bamboo vs. yew. My 60@28 longbow gains 2.5# per inch out to at least my draw (30.5"). Didn't think to scale it any further. Yew usually isn't very fancy, but veneer can take care of that if you don't like the looks.

Hickory seems to work good in a laminated limb, but can run from very plain to pretty fancy. All the cherry I've seen was very plain. Don't recall seeing any ash limbs. Juniper looks almost identical to red cedar--I like the looks, but haven't owned a bow with juniper limbs.

I like a heavier riser wood--cocobolo, chechen, rosewood, etc.

Talk with the bowyer and see what he says--some design their limbs around a particular core, so one wood may work better in a given design.

Chad

01-24-2007, 05:08 PM

LBR, does a solid yew bow cast real well. I know its going to be hard to find a cast well as my laminated bow. But just curious.