Lignum Vitae riser?

[Mike Orton]

Has anyone ever made a bow riser out of a wood called Lignum Vitae?

 http://www.woodfinder.com/woods/lignumvitae.php

Looks like an interesting material for a riser, wondering if anyone has experience with this material as riser wood?

I know how hard, heavy and dense it is, what about the beauty of the wood grain?

[knife river]

The only wood used on submarines!  Not sure that I'd try it on a bow.  Really prone to checking, in my experience.  I've got carving mallets made of it that have to stay heavily waxed.  Also, not sure that I've seen a piece big enough for a riser...  Figure is so-so to blah.

[doeboy]

i think Black Widow makes bows out of this material. i opened the link and oneof the common names was ironwood,wich is what widow uses.i could be wrong.

Doeboy

[Talondale]

From another thread.

 

Originally posted by Buemaker:
Roughcountry. I have yet to use Lignum Vitae in a bow, but mentioned it because it would make a very strong handle in a take down recurve, if one could find a large enough piece. I believe it would be very difficult to glue.It was used as a bearing in boat propeller shafts because its toughness and it was self lubricating.  Bue--.

[Mdbowman]

Mike,
I got a large piece last year from Fedora to use as knife handle material. Very dense and heavy looks real nice.

[philippelobo]

I've one in ILF, not finish today, because this wood called Pao Ferro, pal dos Santos,  etc, is very toxic, and I got bigs problems working on it ( I look like Elephant Man for 3 full weeks) . Hera made a very nice one ( 3 piece build along ) its a Palissander


     

[Killdeer]

When I talked to Jim Neaves, I asked him about it. As I suspected, the oiliness of the wood makes it about impossible to glue up. The bearings for ships' screws (propeller shafts) were made of pieces of this wood, bolted together. Yup, self-lubricating! Sure would have liked a Centaur made with it.  :(  

The scales of my favorite deer knife are made of this wood, very heavy, and I like the look of it. Interesting aroma as well.

Killdeer  

[Mike Orton]

I was hoping to have a 16" ACS-CX riser built of it....Haven't yet heard back from Larry Hannify on the subject but I'm hoping he'll be open to such a trivial whim....man aren't customers a pain in the butt?  

[Mike Orton]

Doeboy,

I don't think that Blackwidow's Ironwood is the same species as the Lignum Vitae that I'm talking about.  There are several trees that are referred to as "Ironwood", all generally having similar properties of density and hardness.  But I think Lignum Vitae is at the pinnacle of density....just below Tungsten  

[philippelobo]

The Black Widow Iron Wood is Ipe ( green ebony)
Not sure about the name in English

[philippelobo]

But I'm sure that there is no prob to gluing this wood

[Killdeer]

Lignum vitae is properly called  Guaiacum officinale or  Guaiacum sanctum ,    depending on the species being used.

Ipe is of the Tabebuia family, and is not related to Lignum vitae.

Latin names are a Godsend when it comes to getting to the heart of the matter. Any number of trees may be called by a common or regional name, but the Latin name will be specific to a particular tree.

Killdeer~Latin is dead! Long live Latin!   :D

[2fletch]

I have a piece of Lignum Vitae which I brought back from a trip a couple of years ago. It's used in carvings and has a nice dark rich look. It's also much denser then the two woods we call "ironwood", and nicer to look at as well.

Killdeer, I intend to use this wood for several knife handles. It's good to know someone else has used it and recommends it for that end use. I'm looking forward to making one of those knives soon. Willl you have that knife at ATAR? I'd like to see it.

[oldtimerbow]

I believe that Steve at Northern Mist has used it on a few longbow risers.

[Buemaker]

Lignum Vitae (Tree of life) was first imported to Europe as a medicine and was thought to have protective properties against veneral desases.
The costly drops were also beleived to give you a long life. The resin Guaiac is still extracted with alcohol from sap, sawdust and shavings and is used medically in areas as  sweat and urine expelling (not sure if the last word is right)
Guajak drops (alcohol solution) is used to detect blood (becomes blue colored) and copper and arsin.
But I would rather find a piece big enough for a bow handle.  Bue--.

[Rick McGowan]

Its often been used as mallet heads, since it is very heavy and resistant to spliting. True lignum vitae is now an endangered species and can't legally be harvested, but as it often
happens with wood, other species are still sold under that name and no doubt there are still leftover stocks available.

[Mike Orton]

As usual, you guys are a wealth of good information.  Thanks to all.....

[Killdeer]

 

This is Eveready. Actually, the scales have a greener cast to them which I failed to capture in these pictures. The grain shows up fairly well, though the depth is missing. I like the "tweedy" look on the top shot.

Killdeer  

[Killdeer]

Don, Eveready is  always with me!
Killdeer  

[Razorbak]

I want to say that the 21st century bow co.(Buddy and Jim) made a few bows out of this wood..wish I still had the old brochures to verify it