Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Mn9130 on September 18, 2012, 12:47:13 am
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Okay, so my brother was talking about Lignum Vitae today, the second hardest wood in the world.
Does anyone know if it is even possible to make a bow out of this? My theory is that with a wood that dense, you would be able to make a bow thinner and lighter than a normal bow. Is this correct, or would you be forced to make it so thin that it would simply snap?
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Tim baker mentions in tbb4 about this wood. He made a bow from the sapwood, which has a specific gravity of .85 I think the heartwood sits somewhere around 1.14. I'm not sure about the woods elastic properties. He compares in to Osage and recommends an Osage design. 67" long 1 3/4 wide, a bit over built IMO, but you should get I nice looking flatbow from it.
-Pinecone
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Also the bow wouldn't be lighter than other bows even if it was thinner. This is part of why the mass formula is so great.
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It is used as bow wood down in South America: Argentina and Paraguay mostly and works like a charm, many times used instead of osage as it is hard to det down here. A common combo is Guayacan (lignum vitae) backed with Guatambú (Balfourodendron riedelianum). Excellent bow maker! Similar characteristics to those of ipe although the wood colour and grain are much more contrasted. It can also be left unbacked but its hard to follow a ring and good boards are even harder to get.
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ive been wondering about weather you can make a nice bow from a hickory backed madrona would work out well since ive heard its very hard to cut and so it must be pretty decent at compression. Also, could rhododendron wood be used as a back like that?