Since everyone is always looking for that &quot;better than sliced bread&quot; bow, what is your opinion on the best wood for limb cores. Maybe this will produce a winner<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle> Could it be bamboo, yew, black locust, maple, zebrawood???? Let's list our favorites. I have longbows with yew and black locust cores. This archer can't really tell a difference. Both shoot sweet!

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Longbow: Bamboo, Yew, Canarywood, Zebrawood, Red Elm, Black Walnut, Cedar, Cherry and Maple

Recurve: add Osage, Black Locust, Bocate to the above list.
These last woods can be used in longbows as well but I prefer to use them as veneers over one of the woods listed in the longbow list.

Almost any wood will work if it is ground into a thin veneer.

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

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Let me ask you guys this. I just started making laminated bows recently. Down at the club the other night I saw a guy who had a recurve. The back of the bow was Bamboo, the belly was what looked like Red Elm. What are the benefits of doing something like this? Was it just for looks?



Edited by - Coop on 12/17/2002 15:07:32

I agree Plywood, nothing like working on Cedar to give the shop a goooood smell and a light weight, beautiful, fine shooting bow.

I don't have a lot of experience but what I wanted to make light of is the fact we have two well know bowyers responding to this topic!!

Thanks Ric & Mike!!

That's right<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> I've talked to both and they're great, very knowledgeable, friendly and make nice looking bows<img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_blush.gif border=0 align=middle>. Great to have you on. Now I'll extract my nose, wipe off the brown and call them to order a new bow<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

PB,

Have you tried Juniper. I understand it has some of the desired qualites of red cedar without the brittleness. When you say core materials, are you talking about the center laminations?

Thanks!

Bill

Praise the Lord, He is worthy

You are 100% right about the Cedar belonging in the longbow group. It does make a good limb. I like to use it in conjunction with a little harder wood, since it is so soft and succeptable (sic) to edge dings. I will also keep the limb edges a little squarer to help protect it. Juniper is another good limbwood. I cut my own here in Montana. It does have a tendancy to brown up a little and loose some of its characteristic colors though, so I grind it just prior to glue up.

Speaking of good smelling woods, I recently made a bow for a lady and used Verawood. Like cedar and some other exotics it has a very distinct but pleasant smell. Another interesting thing about Verawood is that it is the only wood that I've ever seen that turns a unique but definate green color as it ages.

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