Main Discussion Area > English Warbow
Hawthorn for warbows?
stuckinthemud:
OH :-[
randman:
I've not had any luck with any of the Hawthorne I've tried (flatbows - not warbows)....every one has gone boom (6 or 7 - lost count)... Not giving up yet as I still have a few staves but I'm always leery.... On the other hand I've had very good luck with English Laurel. I don't even know how it breaks as I haven't broken one laurel stave yet....go figure.
stuckinthemud:
Common/English laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is a fantastic bow-wood, but I found its difficult to shape with heat. Biggest problem is finding straight pieces, have found that secondary growth under canopy can yield long straight stems with few side shoots. It takes glue really well and lengths for billets are easy to come by. Bad news about the hawthorn, I have half a dozen nice staves seasoning I had hoped to use for long bows or war bows.
mikekeswick:
I've read good things about it but the bows I've made have not acted how I would have expected. I think it acts soft for the density and the wood has many vagaries that I'm not keen on.
stuckinthemud:
I think you've put your finger on it Mike, hawthorn carves like butter, quite possibly the best wood for carving, even better than apple, and that's saying something. It IS soft under a blade, and yet it is also incredibly dense, so, yes, I can see that 'soft for the density' may well be the answer.
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