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Ipe

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Mad Max:
I have Blonde Ipe

Dark verses Blonde  ??

Hamish:
How blonde is blonde(maple blonde, or light walnut)?
All the ipe I've ever seen has been dark brown. Apparently, the tree has sapwood, yellow/ greenish, grey, though I've never seen any mixed in with heartwood boards. Ipe is used mainly as decking and flooring, due to its hardness, and durability. A sapwood board in the mix would stand out badly, when laid out and probably wouldn't have the same resistance to rot, so I guess that's why you don't normally see it in a pack of Ipe at the timber merchants

I reckon sapwood would still make a pretty good bow though, its still dense as all heck.

Mad Max:

Hamish:
Its light for ipe, but it doesn't look like sapwood to me. I reckon it will be good.

simk:
I was not very lucky with blond Ipe. I had more than one bow chrysaling away. I later discussed the topic with a more experienced bowyer telling me that it varies a lot. Blonde ipe generally is not so great, only the heavier boards maybe still ok. so you can be lucky or not. I would not stress the bow too much maybe. I personally will use my more pale boards for fencing now.   
density in general seems a good criteria for ipe, it goes along with quality (and also with color with the dark type).
I lately laminated a few warbows from different boards of dark ipe and noticed massive differences between the boards. the darker and heavier board produced a lot more drawweight at the same dimensions.

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