Bow woods

[Gdpolk]

Show me some of the prettiest woods in bows that you’ve seen. I’m not looking for the best craftsmanship or most ornate bows, but rather wood combinations and types of woods that are just very attractive as a material.

A new custom is on the way soon and it will likely be the first and only bow that I ever have custom built from scratch for me. I’ve bought and sold tons used as I’ve tried out everything to see what works for me. Now I’m about to add a take down option for myself from Bob Sarells to match my Sierra in handling. The only question is one of aesthetics.

[shamus275]

My custom will arrive this week. Its Bocote in the riser and Bocote veneers on the belly and back.

[Gdpolk]

Your bow looks great.  Bacote is gorgeous.  My bow will be a thinner, smaller longbow riser so I don't have a lot of room for decorative flared accents or what not and just want to put some stellar wood on it.  I may also make myself a knife or two to match it.  I'm going to send Bob some whitetail antler from one of my bow kills to use for the limb tips (fast flight padding) and as a riser overlay material to add a little sentimental flair to it.

Right now some of the woods that are high on my list are:

• grey dymondwood: It is a bit boring aesthetically, but it is also dense and incredibly stable and I hunt primarily in oaks/hickories so the colors and texturing of it's laminations would very closely match my cover and be almost like a camouflage for the areas that I primarily hunt.
• Bacote: If I can find a darker piece with medium browns and black that would be preferred to the blonde/grey varieties.  It's just a classic bow wood and looks great.
• Snakewood: I love the warmer tones and as a knifemaker I can always find good snakewood to do matching hunting knives for myself.  Also it's a bit unusual and just one that I've always had an affinity for.
• Cocobolo: Man I love this stuff.  All of my game calls are hand made in cocobolo and antler.  It's another classic and I tend to like the darker reddish tones.
• Mango and/or Myrtle can be beautiful with WIDE variations in grain, figure, and color.  Sometimes those woods look like a kaleidoscope of natures beauty.  The right pieces of it can be truly incredible.
• Arizona Desert Ironwood: more gorgeous wood.  I'm not sure I've ever found a piece of high contrast or burled Ironwood that I didn't like and it is tough as NAILS which is a great thing for a bow that will be used a lot and hunted year round.
• Rosewood burl that I have on hand from the same slab that I made the knives below from.

[Longtoke]

its hard to choose, there are so many good wood combos out there

this bow has a stabilized spalted birch riser, spalted myrtle limbs, and Macassar ebony I beam

[ShrtRnd]

The picture of this Robertson Prairie in Cocobolo w/Red Elm limb veneers does not do this bow justice. It really pops in person.

[STICKBENDER98]

Here’s one I picked up on the classifieds this spring, Northern Mist Superior with bacote lams and riser.

Jason

[mec lineman]

grey dymond wood and cocobolo combo is nice

[10essee]

Can’t get my pictures to load but I just received my new Centaur with Juniper limbs and Cocobola riser that I had Jim pick as much heartwood for the limbs as he could get. He knocked it out of the park. Dark red handle with blood colored limbs with some cream stripes from the Juniper.

[Possum Head]

Cocobola risers are a hit particularly when mixed with contrasting lighter woods like the awesome spalted wood above. Light colored burls or Mango are killer too!

[limbshaker]

This Toelke Super D is far from the best SHOOTING bow I have ever owned, but it's by far the most perfect wood combo I have ever seen. I can't even sell it because every time i see it I wanna pick it up and oogle over it 

I like simple and natural looking. The depth in the figure on the veneers is unreal in person. This one fits the bill nicely for me.

Macassar Ebony riser with curly Pyinma limb veneers.

[limbshaker]

I used to own this one. It was an awesome bow, just a little too light. RER XR recurve built by Kevin.

Riser is Chechen with an accent of mystery wood. I was told it was old Osage but I dunno. Limbs and riser overlays are Camphor Burl

[Gdpolk]

Thanks to all who posted, PMed me, emailed me, or shot me a text. I’m pretty sure that I’ll be going with a cocobolo riser, juniper limbs, a beavertail grip, and some whitetail antler limb tip overlays from this guy taken last year on one of my  bow hunts. I’ve been meaning to turn him into a knife handle or two, now he will become a bow and if there are some premium parts left over with the right shape and size then he may still become a knife handle too.

I’ve been asking Bob to build a 2-pc Sierra for years and have gone through countless take downs to find a bow that I consistently shoot as well as my Sierra longbow to no avail. I got a message from him last Saturday that he is now doing 2-piece Sierras so it’s time to turn my one and only keeper into a backup for a 2-piece version of it with otherwise identical specifications for length, grip, weight, etc. Ive never really cared a lot what woods my bow was made of but I figure since it’s a ground up build I may as well play the looks game and make it pretty to boot.

Update for those who may go digging into old threads.  This is what Bob and I settled on... Cocobolo riser with some minimal osage orange accents to build up the grip, a black G10 I-beam for strength, and carbon fiber socket, bamboo limb cores, mountain juniper veneers on the backs and bellies, whitetail limb tips padding, black beavertail wrap on the grip and beavertail on the arrow shelf.

[Gdpolk]

These were the inspiration for the wood combo:

[10essee]

Great choice.

[kenneth butler]

The individual piece of wood means more than the kind to me. Highly figured Walnut is tough to beat. For that reason I never could order a custom made bow. I rather pick one from their stock. >>>----> Ken