importance of core lam material in all wood bows

[Roy from Pa]

Cause it just isn't.

[Zradix]

ok...lol

I thought it might be faster as it's about the same weight and a little stiffer.


Eric...I've never heard anyone talk about soft maple being used in a bow..other than maybe a handle or veneers. It's always been hard maple.

[Echatham]

Thats what i was thinkin.  Soft is so light and hard is so heavy.  Totally unrelated woods in my book.

[Bowjunkie]

"With regard to bamboo cores, which would you think might be better: laminated boo, eg. flooring, or natural boo planed both sides?"

Honestly, I don't think it matters a whole lot, but for a core in a tri-lam, I would go with natural bamboo. Either would work, but natural would be lighter. I've never used the flooring, but it has glue holding it together which increases weight. I've also heard folks talk of laminated bamboo flooring causing limbs to take more set than wooden bows, all else equal.

A good all bamboo bow could be made with: natural bamboo back with nodes intact, flattened natural bamboo core, and a vertically laminated bamboo flooring belly. In fact, I must might have to try that :^)

[Bowjunkie]

As far as walnut, elm, or whatever used for the core of a tri-lam... I don't think it makes a whole lot of difference when choosing between those in the midrange... say with a specific gravity of .50 to .70. This would include woods such as yew, walnut, elm, ash, mulberry, cherry, hackberry, hickory, oak, hhb, black locust, hard/rock/sugar maple, etc. Are some slightly better than others? Yeah, undoubtedly. I know I have my preferences. But not by a lot. Keep in mind, there can be differences within a single species that can mean almost as much.

Basically, it's not a whole lot different than the differences between these same woods in a glass/wood laminated bow. Instead of the glass doing most of the work... the bamboo and belly lamination does it. The core material matters... but matters less than the back and belly.

I like osage and those at the upper end of 'the others' for the core simply because I often like my bows petite, stressed, and heavy in draw weight... and osage delivers... though I have and will continue to use others.

So many bows... so little time.

Wish I was retired like Ol' Roy.

He'd be completely SICK of me by now  

[Bowjunkie]

Eric, always go with sugar/hard/rock maple if you have a choice.

[Roy from Pa]

I think elm is better than walnut because of it's elasticity character.. It's stronger, lighter, and has more flexibility than walnut... Walnut is like dead wood floating in a pond compared to elm. Only thing it has going for it is the contrast of colors between boo and Osage. But when I use walnut for a core lam, I soak it in mineral spirits and a rubber compound to make it more flexible. That's my story and I'm sticking to it....

Pine is a good core lam, Eric and John..     LOL

[Bowjunkie]

I too would give elm an edge over walnut.

[Pat B]

James Parker, when making his bamboo backed and belly Bamboo Dragon uses multi lams(5 I think) laid horizontal across the limb. In that case you could use elm for the 3 inner lams and walnut on both sides for the color contrast. I believe this is a method used in some Japanese bows and I think maple was use for them.

[Roy from Pa]

Interesting, Pat...