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Hornbeam?

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Pappy:
I have tried it a few time, and yes it will make a bow, pretty brittle, just go a little wider and longer, and yes just take the bark off and seal the back or it can check pretty bad. Hard to find a piece straight enough around here, lots of twist and humps, probably not the greatest bow wood but better than no bow wood.  ;) :)
 Pappy

ajooter:

--- Quote from: Pappy on April 01, 2025, 06:25:00 pm ---Looks like Blue beach to me, not HHB, some call it muscle wood or American horn beam. Pappy

--- End quote ---

Agreed

bassman211:
Best to de crown the back , and back it . It makes a very good bow. I use sinew, but raw hide would probably work also. I have made a couple dozen bows from it from 50 inches to 64 inches long. It is blue beech.

Jim Davis:
I have not used American hornbeam/blue beech yet, but have some curing. HAVE used HHB and liked it. Back was warty and ridged but I did not decrown it and it worked fine. Treat it like hickory.

bassman211:
Try that with blue beech , and shooting it through time the back will give way on the high ridges, but it takes heat as good as elm, and the belly never frets. HHB is a different animal, and is not the same species. Best to decrown blue beech, and back it. The back will let go before the belly frets if you make a self bow in my experience. If you back it it makes a fine bow that is durable, and will bend ,and keep it's shape better than HHB even with dry heat.

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