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Dogwood for a warbow?

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KShip85:
Thanks all, the tree I have is about 5 1/2 inches in diameter on the small end and looks clean for about the first seven feet.  What would be the top weight I could expect out of a clean stave at 32 inch draw.  Also it is flowering dogwood that I am dealing with.  I'd really love to end up with a bow over 130 lbs or so if possible.  I've also spotted a couple hophornbeams and an American hornbeam if these might yield a better bow at that weight.  I just recently tried to make a hackberry war bow and it took probably three inches of set pulling 80 lbs at 29 inches with a heat treated belly.  I think its just not good enough in compression for the steresses of a
warbow.  Thanks all for the help!

Kip 

Pat B:
Jaro, I have Cornus mas but it is in my landscape and not big enough for a bow anyway. C. sanguianea shoots make good arrows. I have some shoots that were sent to me from a friend in Germany.
 Kip, Try to make the belly not as deep as a typical war bow; slightly flater. I believe that was traditional as well for some of the less compression strong woods.
  The hop hormbeam works and acts like hickory so design a bow of that accordingly. The Am. hornbeam will make a flatbow but is not the best wood for bows.

Davepim:
The Cornus Mas that we have growing here around Trieste never grows very straight or wide, but is very dense and seems to be very compression resistant; I have a small diameter piece I am going to try when seasoned, but I'd dearly love a decent stave if and when I can find one. Different Cornus species may have different properties, however.

Dave

Jaro:
Kip with 5" and more of diameter you have more than anything we have, we consider a stave  with 2" exceptionall. Most of bows made of these looks like whittled broomstick, but we shoot standard arrow at 200-210 consistently with bows of mere 100#.

J.

Yeomanbowman:
Hello Jaro,
Is that M or yards?  Either way it's good but meters would be very impressive, about 230 yards.

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