Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Badger on November 11, 2007, 05:37:13 pm
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Does anyone know much about this wood, I have 2 10" logs very straight, It is supposed to be a relative of yew but the wood is all white wood. Steve
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Steve,Buddhist Pine,Podocarpus macrophyllus.It's native of Japan and China.They have some big ones in the county seat's downtown area where I live.I heard they make good bows and I've missed out twice when they cut some of the bigger trees down.They are very slow growing ,so trunks as big as you have are probally quite old.
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Steve, there was a thread on here or possibly on PP that was on this wood. It apparently isn't related to Yew but just shows convergent evolutionary traits that make it look very similar. I believe it made a good bow.
Pat
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I made a couple of bows from branches from it a few years ago, same trees I am now getting the trunks on. It did seem to have a good feel to the wood but the branches just weren't quite big enough for a true test. I do distincly remember that feeling I get when I start tillering a yew bow. From what I have read there are many seperate species of this tree but it does say it is yew related. Several mentions of yellow wood, but this wood is pretty white, maybe creamy color. Steve
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Steve, there was a thread on here or possibly on PP that was on this wood. It apparently isn't related to Yew but just shows convergent evolutionary traits that make it look very similar. I believe it made a good bow.
Pat
Convergent evolution, eh? You must have been a student of mine.
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Steve, I had the same experience as you. and I never got a chance at the trunk wood as it got hauled away before I could get to it..
Maybe Saturday?
Rich
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Rich, the trunks are a little bigger than I thought, looks like they are about 15" and 13', I will try and get you some choice staves from it. Going to have to split them up on sight as I cant budge them off the ground. Steve
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The body isn't worth abusing just to get bow wood.. although sometimes that decision does get a bit clouded ::)
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Badger,
That stuff is some good bowwood if it has good density, its really similar to yew from what I heard about yew (no pun intended :)) I have found both high density and low density pieces and it seems to vary mostly from the place it grew. So like yew if it was cut in high elevation or in a dark place it can be extremely dense! :o The bows I made were short recurved bows to medium length D bows with round bellies. This wood didnt take any set except for one occasion when I was in a hurry and didnt take time to dry the wood. If I could only get a long piece of it I would try to make a warbow out of it..... Have fun with your logs Steve! :) and dont forget to post some pics...please ;D
Alex
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I started splitting the logs up today, splits like elm, seems I can drive two wedges in almost all the way before it starts to split at all. Took me two hours to get the bog log split then i was too pooped for the second log. The bark looks just like yew. But the wood seems much harder. Sopping wet so hard to tell about density at this point. Going baclk later and try and finish up. These guys who harvest and sell staves earn every bit of the money they charge for a good stave. Steve
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Steve, there was a thread on here or possibly on PP that was on this wood. It apparently isn't related to Yew but just shows convergent evolutionary traits that make it look very similar. I believe it made a good bow.
Pat
Convergent evolution, eh? You must have been a student of mine.
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Definitely not a student but I do like to read a little bit. I hope I used the term correctly.
As I understand it two(or more) entirely unrelated organisms evolve in a similar fashion and end up looking the same and occupying the same environmental niche. Some notable animal examples are the Thylacine(Marsupial Wolf) and the Fossa, a type of civet related animal that looks like a miniature cougar.
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Pat, I dried a piece in the oven and checked the sg, looks to be about .75 so similar to hickory, really a beautiful wood, every growth ring is a different color, I roughed out a bow sopping wet just so I could get one tested out soon. Hopefully dry in a few weeks. If you look on the internet it does list porda carpus a a yew relative as opposed to convergent evolution. It does have a lot of similarities the wood color not being one of them. This is my first big haul of raw staves so I am excited and hopeful for it. Steve
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Steve, I didn't search too much but I don't find anything indicating it is closely related to Yew. It is a southern hemisphere tree that evolved independently from Yew, which is a northern hemisphere tree. I doubt it is more closely related to Yew than Red Cedar is.
Pat
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Yew belongs to a group known as pinaphyta's. This includes the pordacarpai family. The berries are the same almost identical as well as the bark and leaves. I am not much on the plant science but all the sources I can find clearly state it is a yew relative. If it proves out to be good wood I will send you an elb sized stave to try out. Steve
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Steve, Of course in the broadest sense it is related but so is every other conifer out there. You could just as easily say white pine is related to Yew.
I don't doubt that it will be good as the historical uses of the wood make it look very promising. However I generally wouldn't just assume a wood will be good because of familial relation though. Alder and HHB are related, as are Manitoba Maple and Rock Maple.
Thanks for the stave offer but remember I am in Ontario.
Pat
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Pat, I would never asume related species have similar qualities, osage is in the fig family, thousands of trees share this family and only a handful make good bows. I am always hopeful till I find out otherwise LOL> Steve
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I took some accurate sg measurements on the dried samples today and it looks like it has an sg of about .60 a little on the light side but will hopefully work out for some medium lightweight elbs I want to do around 50# to 60#. Such a pretty wood i really am hpeful it works out, not too hard to find in my area either. Steve
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Steve
I have made 100# bows out of wood with an sg of .70. Depends more on how elastic the wood is and its compression strength rather than the sg.