Pretty hard to argue with top bowyers like Mike and Ric.

Most of the longbows I order anymore have black locust cores and yew lams. It just seems like they suit my long draw.

My most recent is a supershrew, and I think the whole thing is actionwood. Not as pretty as a laminated bow, but sure is smooth and quick.

Your life is made of time, not money.

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I like Cedar as a belly on a Hickory backed bow but it must be clear of knots and straight grained. Use only a thin Hickory backing to avoid crushing the Cedar. I always have one of these bows "Brewing" and spend the first 10-20 minutes in the shop every day just rasping that Cedar. Love the smell, always reminds me of the Christmas trees I used to cut and haul home as a youngster.

Black locust makes a great shooting bow, however it does seem to have a little more handshock than some other woods. Definately not as much as Osage though. I like to use BL as a center core with other woods on the back and belly.

May you be forever blessed with favorable winds and clear trails.

Personnally, I've never tried red cedar. I have heard horror stories about it though. I've been told it's prone to delamination as it gets older. Any truth to this? I did shoot a red cedar longbow that was extremely smooth. Dick