Let me ash you a question

[Bvas]

The emerald ash borers have moved thru our area the past couple years wiping out our ash trees.

How long are these trees still viable as bow wood if they remain standing?

Also, is there a certain ash species that is better? Risers? Core wood?

[Roy from Pa]

Long as they are free of holes, they are good.

Lams...

Cores...

Dry ash is the best:)

[Forwardhandle]

I have a white ash stave that's been in my rafters a few years I was told by trusted self bowyers that white ash was about the best of the spicies but I have never used ash for any thing yet.

[Pat B]

I wouldn't use any dead standing whitewood for self or even backed bows. Fungi is pretty good at it's job of deteriorating dead wood.
 It may be OK under glass or in a riser or maybe knife handle scales.

[Mad Max]

Not worth the time

[onemississipp]

Black ash is the worst of the ash...
Here are the specific gravity of the ashes, the higher the better..

ASH: green .56; Oregon .56; blue .58; white .59; European .61. White is our heaviest ash. Almost all sapwood. Oregon looks and behaves almost identically to White.

There is also a list on my outdated site

https://sites.google.com/site/onemississipp/bowwoods



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[fujimo]

nice site- lots of great info there