Into the Jungle for fruity staves...

[Msturm]

Took a walk about in the jungle today. Came out with one excellent guava stave and some experimental Java Plum wood.

I am excited about the prospects of this Java plum wood as I cannot find a bow online made out of it. but I know that it is a fruit tree, and has a density (sg) of .70. I know that in the Philippines they build boats and mine shaft supports with it. It is also used in guitar and instrument making.

We shall see how it dries.

Here is the haul!

Guava end grain. Looks like the left side will be the back of the bow for this little gem!  

Flipped around from the last picture.  A look at the wiggle in it and the cool bark on Guava.  

With guava I like to take the bark off right away. It prevents bugs. Others toast the S#!T out of it with the bark on to prevent bugs and let the bark pop off during the bending process. Either way works.

[Msturm]

Here are a few of the Java Plum staves. I hope I can make a bow out of these. One I am pretty confident on. The other might make a cool character bow. the little one is only 50 inches and has some wild knots so that will be my experiment stick.

Plum bark dyes everything F%^&ing PURPLE! EVERYTHING. my entire Lanai floor is purple, my draw knife is purple, my pocket knife blade is purple and my hands are purple. My pants are purple where I had the staves bucked up against my leg for peeling. (FYI)

Bark on Java Plum:
 

Stripped Java Plum There is a fair amount of cambium on there because I didn't want to get carried away. It will come right off after a day or two of drying in my 150 degree car:
 

The ends of the java Plum all labeled up so I don't get them mixed up with my guava staves.
 

[Roy from Pa]

Sweet, looking forward to seeing how the plum works out.

[Mad Max]

Originally posted by Roy from Pa:
Sweet, looking forward to seeing how the plum works out.

x2
I want to see this

[inksoup]

here we called the same tree (guava) as aucalyptus... are they same tree?
well, aucalyptus grains are very curly. if you do not back it properly it will not work. i tried.

best.

[Msturm]

Eucalyptus grow here as well and Eucalyptus has similar looking bark, but very very different foliage and no fruit. This is definitely guava.  The scientific name is Psidium guajava. In my limited experience it is a very good bow wood.