Woods superior to osage

[stuckinthemud]

Laurel.  If you can get it straight. Absolutely incredible bow wood.  I would love to try buxus sempervirens (box) as medieval writers claimed it was the very best bow wood, even over yew but it's so rare in large sizes and so very expensive...

[Hamish]

Always wanted to try box as well. I've never seen a piece long enough or straight enough  to make a self bow. I have seen pieces(online) where you could get billet length pieces though.
I'd really like to try laburnum but I've only ever seen one example, and that was on an open garden day, on a landed estate. Never seen a piece for sale commercially.