Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: outdoorX05 on October 29, 2012, 02:54:31 pm
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I'm from south eastern Ohio and we have a tree here that everyone I knows calls iron wood. Would anyone know the correct name and how good of a bow would it make?
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Hornbeam? There's a lot of woods called iron wood.
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Pics please! Josh
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Its either gonna be eastern hophornbeam or American hornbeam......or it could be that wood pearl drums calls Mongolian tulipwood ...lol ;D
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Why dont you shut up chickenhawk!
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That one never gets old Pearly ;D I'm taking your MTW bow out tonight as long as the wind doesn't blow me out of the tree.
If its Hophornbeam, it makes excellent bows. Try to cut one that doesn't twist.
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Does it have smooth bark or flakey bark?
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With this common name there are generally two native species that fit the bill, Oystra virginiana and Carpinus carolinia, both in the birch family and both having very similar fruits. There is loads of Carpinus in the lower elevations where I live but you have to go up towards the mountains to find Oystra. Carpinus (also called blue beech or musclewood) has smooth bark with muscle -like undulations. One peculiar thing I have heard and found to be true is that the wood rots very fast after it falls to the ground - you'll never find an old piece laying around. I've also heard that it's a marginal bow wood.
Oystra, on the other hand has short little strips of bark that refuse to lie flat against the trunk - they point outward at the ends. This is the species that is apparently the new rage in bowmaking. The wood is very hard, very tough. Wish I could get some, but I've got to find a friendly landowner first.
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the stuff that grows around here is extremeyl hard, it tends to look as if it has ridges and lines under the bark much the same as the muscles under someones forearm. the biggest trees i have found are never bigger that a lb coffee can and that is pushing it, and it never reaches more than 15 feet i would say.
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I'm also from southeastern Ohio and what i grew up calling ironwood is American hornbeam. Ive also heard it called musclewood or blue beach. Ive never tried it but have seen some bows on this site made from it.
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Sounds like you have carpinus carolinia. Around here I've never seen it much above 20'.
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/musclewood.html
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http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/caca18.htm
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GEEEEZZZEE!!!!!!!! that's friggin hornbeam???????? that stuff is everywhere around me!!!!!!! are you kidding me?? man o man I gotta lean more of this stuff!! thanks guys!! JeffW
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i just cut two sections off one tree that gave me 8 perfectly straight staves! some have a minor reflex, and none have any deflex. i'm looking forward to making chips, but getting the bark off these things is a nightmare!!!! the bark is stringy, and because of the contours of the wood, it almost haas to all be scraped off.
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Easy there jeffhalfrack............It's blue beach(American Hornbeam) ,not HOP Hornbeam . Two different woods. Still very interrested to see if it makes a decent bow though. They used to use it for wagon axels from what I hear.
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http://plants.usda.gov/java/ It's USDA plant database. You can look at plants based on your state so you can actually make sure of what you have. It even is as detailed as by county. Thought that might help everyone.
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well i greatly appreciate all the help guys. looks like im going to have to whack one off and let it start drying. if there is anyone around who is a fair hand at making a bow and would want to try some of this tree i might be able to get you a stave. but im not sure how long it will be or anything.
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The only problem with the USDA site is, it doesnt list invasive or common ornamentals, which often go wild.
Baring that...
It is a good place to start.