WOOD SELECTION FOR BOW AND ARROWS

[TX.2.AK]

I live in south Central Alaska and have dreams of making a bow and some arrows from native wood (preferably from my area).  The woods readily available to me are birch, aspen, and white spruce.  Are any of these good choices for either a bow or arrows?  I know there are good arrow options in Southeast - like Sitka spruce; but we don't have it within driving range.

[alex b]

Out of the woods listed, Birch would be the best for both bows and arrows.

alex

[inksoup]

here i have give you a elasticity values from my database. the elasticity value equal and over 1.40 woods is good for bow making.
at the moment i am trying with white spruce.
but in alaska there should be some maples. it is good wood for bow making.

for birch:
id|tree|elasticity
11|Birch Paper|1.59
12|Birch Sweet|2.17
13|Birch Yellow|2.01

for spruce:
id|tree|elasticity
108|Spruce Black|1.61
109|Spruce Engelmann|1.3
110|Spruce Red|1.61
111|Spruce Sitka|1.57
112|Spruce White|1.43

for aspen:
7|Aspen Bigtooth|1.43
8|Aspen Quaking|1.18

for maple:
id|tree|elasticity
36|Maple Bigleaf|1.45
37|Maple Black|1.62
38|Maple Red|1.64
39|Maple Silver|1.14
40|Maple Sugar|1.83

[frank bullitt]

Sika spruce! Jay Massey was an alaskan resident, and it was his favorie wood, as he wrote.

Cane became his favorite shaft, though!

Make a Birch bow and some Spruce shafts    

Howard Hughes, used spruce for his "Spruce Goose"
plane, because of it's strength.

[Chromebuck]

TX.2.AK,

I live in South Central and am currently drying two birch staves. However, my barber is also a bowyer and is very fond of alder which is readily availble in our area.

~CB

[fujimo]

any other info on alder for bows and or shafts, we certianally have lots here.
regards
wayne