Core woods

[Dan bree]

What core woods do you think are better. Yew or. Maso bamboo .   Smoothness   Hardess hitting   Etc    Thinking. Of  getting a 64 inch. 60@28 longbow.

[Prometheus]

This is just a guess, having read a fair amount of tradgang posts over the years (even if I haven't posted very much myself), but I'd say you're going to get a lot of opinions here with about 50/50 yew/'boo (mass or otherwise), with many saying both woods make a great core, and it will ultimately be suggested to you that it's a personal decision, and that you should try each, preferably side by side, and see which one you like more. People may also suggest that the answer would differ depending on the type of longbow you're talking about (ELB, AFB, Hill, RD, glassed or not, etc.)

Assuming you haven't already, you might also want to check around the forum for topics addressing the same sort of question/s you're asking here. You might also find some other valuable information, such as comparisons to other types of core woods that might be of interest to you (assuming you haven't already considered and dismissed these other options), etc.

Good luck with the research and the new bow. I happen to think 64" is a great length for an RD longbow (which is what I'd guess you were talking about because of the bow and draw lengths). Tradgang is a fantastic resource and you should find some excellent and intriguing information here to help you make your decision.

Oh, I suppose I might as well give my opinion here: Having shot several 'boo bows (action and cane), I'd say they're solid. I can't compare them to yew bows, however, as I don't think I've ever shot yew. I think the idea of a yew longbow is pretty nice, though - yew often being considered the quintessential longbow wood. If I was to buy a new longbow right now, all else being equal, I'd probably go yew because of it's history and reputation and largely because I already have 'boo bows and yew seems like it'd be fun to try.

All this being said, they're both great, it's a personal decision, I'd recommend you try them both, preferably side-by-side, and decide for yourself     .

Once again, good luck!

[Bear Heart]

My 66" has black walnut cores for both sets of limbs. I really like it.

[Dan bree]

The bow I'm thinking of will be a hill style 3/4 backset   64inch 60@28.  Thanks

[damascusdave]

Seems to me the Howard Hill Archery Half Breed answers the question either way (or is it both ways)...I have bows with bamboo, yew and maple cores and one in process with red elm...bow design is more important than core material in my opinion...use whatever the bowyer prefers to work with

DDave

[M60gunner]

I would go with the half breed also. I have yew core wood on my Hill style Pete George long bow. I picked that core wood after I flipped a coin so to speak.

[mike g]

I recently Talked to Craig at HHA....
   He said hands down, Boo is the best performer.
I would think he knows what he is talking about, I hear he has made a few Bows....

[58WINTERS]

I've owned several of each of the two you mentioned. Much prefer the boo for shootng chacteristics. Yew is probably prettier but a cocobola riser with and tip and riser overlays on clear boo is also very nice.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

If you took two identical draw weight bows one using Moso bamboo and the other with Yew wood cores and painted them black.... you would never be able to tell the difference.... Both are great core woods.

In lighter draw weight bows, i believe the Yew wood may perform better in some limb designs due to the Yew wood being less in mass weight.

[lbshooter]

Having owned several of each type over the years. generally I would say bamboo has the best smoothness and cast..I have Hill bamboo/glassed bows that range from 2-5 lams, plus mixes of yew and bamboo. with mixes of yew, or other woods like juniper,it is much harder to feel a noticable difference over straight bamboo.One of my favorite shooters is a Juniper/Bamboo Cheetah. I would also say that the Wesleys I have owned with 5 lams of bamboo have all been very smoooth and have excellent cast. They are noticably nicer shooting my 2/3 lam Tembos and Redmans.IMHO

[Sixby]

Have Kirk build ya one with old growth vertical grain Douglas Fir and you will be happy happy.

That said I agree on the tossup with yew and boo. I use both equally and according to the color I want more than any perceived difference in performance. I believe the stiffness of the boo makes up for the lighter weight of the yew and they balance out. Really good Claro walnut is just as good but it needs to be solid, vertical grained and clear.

God bless, Steve

[DaveT1963]

My preferred bowyer recommends bamboo.... I tend to agree with him.