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Hop Hornbeam

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Pinewood Archer:
Hello all, it has been far too long since I was here, in case anyone was wondering I'm still alive and kicking. Ended up moving to East Tennessee about 4 years ago from where I was in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains in New York and haven’t had much time to just live since but now I do.
Any ways, enough of the catching up, I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with Hornbeam and would know if it’s good for bow making. I want to make a longbow that would double as a walking staff and have threaded ferrules on each tip above where the string would sit for the purpose of attaching things like spear heads. Any help, advice, criticism, suggestions etc would be appreciated

Pat B:
Hop hornbeam is a good bow wood but I don't know how it would work with a rounded cross section. Hornbeam or muscle wood is different and not a good bow wood in my opinion.

JW_Halverson:
Glad to see you back!

jameswoodmot:

--- Quote from: Pat B on February 09, 2025, 01:30:29 am ---Hop hornbeam is a good bow wood but I don't know how it would work with a rounded cross section. Hornbeam or muscle wood is different and not a good bow wood in my opinion.

--- End quote ---

Is that Carpinus betulus or Carpinus caroliniana that isn’t good?

bassman211:
Pat B is that answer from year  personal experience with working with American horn beam, or blue beech? Finding a piece of wood that is long, and straight enough can be a problem. It takes belly heat treat as good as elm, and can be de crowned, and backed, and make a very good bow. Never belly frets after heat treat unlike hop horn beam. You can also recurve the tips with dry heat, and it is a dense wood with good spring.JME.

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