Wood Choices
 

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.

RE: Wood Choices
 

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:

RE: Wood Choices
 

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.

RE: Wood Choices
 

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:

RE: Wood Choices
 

No, I would rather have no glass.

RE: Wood Choices
 

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.

RE: Wood Choices
 

Cherry hickory might be interesting.

RE: Wood Choices
 

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

RE: Wood Choices
 

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

RE: Wood Choices
 

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.

RE: Wood Choices
 

I misread--thought you said you prefer glass (duhh.....need my eyes checked).

I'm no help with selfbows--I've broken or crysaled every one I owned, except for my osage (not snakey) bow. Soft woods--black walnut, cherry, cedar--didin't hold up for me, even on the compression side. Hickory is tough, but generally not very fast.

Never had a yew selfbow, but I love it in a laminated bow.

Chad

RE: Wood Choices
 

I wonder if I should consider a hickory backed hickory. Or hickory bamboo backed?

RE: Wood Choices
 

Here are a few pics that I found:

Bamboo backed Red Oak:



Bamboo backed Bloodwood:


Bamboo backed Ossage (paduak/maple riser)


Babmboo backed yew:

RE: Wood Choices
 

Bob, I thought the bamboo showed up more.

RE: Wood Choices
 

Just an FYI--that red oak is stained--won't affect the performance, but don't expect natural red oak to look that dark.

Don't think backing hickory with hickory would help anything--but I'm not a bowyer, so take that for what it's worth.

Chad

RE: Wood Choices
 

Here's the thing, I made it out to several little trad. shoots last year. And some bowyers were there hockin thier goods. I was particularly interested in the self bows. But didn't know really which one was good or bad. There was all kinds of material from oak, to ash, to solid cherry. And others I can't remember. So before I go back and start wheelin and dealing I figured I would know a little more about woods.

But what I think I have found, as everything in life, it depends. Depends on design, length, arrow shot, and even the plain grain of wood used. Guess I will have to make a few mistakes to find what I want.

RE: Wood Choices
 

Yep--you nailed it. I couldn't tell you what wood works better in a given design, but I have talked to several selfbowyers and the ones that know their stuff can tell you.

You might invest in the "Traditional Bowyer's Bible" series (3 books). LOTS of info there. However, even in these you will find some opinion, and folks that disagree with those opinions.

Chad

RE: Wood Choices
 

bigcountry, why not just build your own selfbow at one of the bigger shoots. That's what we did last year. Gary Davis was at our primitive shoot with a bunch of osage staves and we built one for my son. Gary and a helper were there with all the equipment and advice we needed. It took about 12 hours for us to finish it up and it turned out surprisingly well. We even made a flemish string. I may build one for myself this year.

FWIW, Osage is the only material that Gary will gaurantee.

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Bob, I would love too. I really didn't see any build alongs at the baltimore trad. classic. Maybe JimPic can correct me if that was available. That wwould pretty incredible.

RE: Wood Choices
 

I shoot ceder arrows with square cut feath
ers.

RE: Wood Choices
 

I am just finishing up building my first bow I went with Hickory/Bamboo and it looks great and shoots very fast, I made a Reflex/deflex 68 inches long. I am now hooked on shooting only traditional bows and having a blast. When I finish up my last sanding with 220 and get her done I will post some pictures of my Bow, I am proud and happy to have made it with my own two hands ( which are very sore now) hahahaha. I am having 2 dozen wood arrows made by a friend of mine. what do ya'll think I should use for hunting tips my same thunder heads 100 gr? Bigdaddy

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Lets see it. I would love to build my own hickory or yew self bow. Maybe even ash. I am going to try to find a buildalong at the Baltimore traditional classic.

RE: Wood Choices
 

Bigcountry, I will try and get some pictures up soon. This guy here in montgomery has bow building classes, he is good, There were 10 guys at the class last sat and most of us had them shooting at the end of the day. I am proud of my bow I did not think I could ever build my own. I will get some shots of it soon ok my friend. Bigdaddy

RE: Wood Choices
 

Big,

Just a headsup, Gary Davis will be at the Traditional and Primitive Archery Expo in WV at the end of the month.

Don't know how far of a drive that would be for you.

http://www.bowyersjournal.com/uploads/expo_PDF.pdf

RE: Wood Choices
 

Who is Gary davis? I will try to find out more about him. Thanks for the heads up. About 3 hours for me. But sounds like its worth it.

RE: Wood Choices
 

Sorry, Gary comes to our club every year for our big Primitive Shoot. He is a well know self-bowyer. He brings a bunch of osage staves with himand all the equipment and knowledge needed to build a self bow. I think he charges around $100 for the stave. Use of the equipment and his knowledge is free.You even make a flemish twist string (my son did very well on that). Be warned though, depending of how much work the stave needs, it could take anywhere between 6 and 12 hours to build one.

If you go a good idea is to give Gary a call and let him know what you are looking for. He may pick out a stave for you.

My son and I built one last year for my son. It turned out very well.

This year is my turn if Gary can make it here.