dymalux vs dymondwood vs actionwood

[LongStick64]

Are they all the same, what is special of each, educate me please ?

[xtrema312]

dymondwood is heavier and harder than actionwood from my experience with a couple bows I have had with those two materials.

[Robertfishes]

All are made using thin cut hardwoods. I would put Dymalux and Dymondwood in the same catagory since they are made using phenolic? resins under high pressure..Actionwood is lighter in weight since it does not have the impregnated plastic resins. I have used Dymondwood 4 times and actionwood twice in risers, The dymondwood is really hard and heavy, the actionwood sands nicely but is light in weight..I have a 16" x 35" piece of "Kodiak Solid" dymalux but havn't cut into it yet, it should be similar to the dymondwood..hard and heavy..
from Rutlands website..
Sometimes refererred to by the generic name of COMPREG, DymondWood® is a highly engineered wood/plastic composite, that has the physical and mechanical properties of high density hardwood, acrylic, polycarbonate plastics and brass. Here, brightly dyed northern hardwood veneers are combined with engineering grade resins, heat and pressure to create a product that has the best characteristics of each. DymondWood® is distinguished by its unique strength, durability, dimensional stability, and weather and moisture resistance as compared to regular wood.

Applications
Successful DymondWood® applications include, but are not limited to the following: Archery Stock, Pistol Grips, Crafts,

Technical Specifications
Species: Birch

Length and Width 31.5"(l) x 16.5"(w) or 51"(l) x 16.5"(w)

Note: All ply's are oriented with grain in the same direction; Length is measured in the grain direction and width is measured across the grain

Thickness(nominal): 1/16" - 2"

Plys per inch(after densification): Approximately 29 plys per inch

Specific Gravity: 1.18 - 1.30

[Robertfishes]

Stratabond or Actionwood from Rutlands web site.
Stratabond® Laminated Hardwoods manufactured by Rutland Plywood Corporation are designed for top performance while offering flexibility in design. At the heart of Stratabond® laminated hardwoods is a proprietary lamination process that creates an unusually powerful bond; a bond that makes for endurance and beauty in finished products. Firearm manufacturers worldwide have come to recognize the Stratabond® name for quality, consistency and durability. Indeed, it is this technology that has made of Stratabond® the number one brand of laminated gun stock material in the world. With seventeen colors and seven standard color combinations available, Stratabond® offers unlimited design possibilities. Stratabond® laminates offer manufacturers the ability to differentiate their products on the market while providing the highest possible quality to their customers.

Applications
Successful Stratabond® applications include, but are not limited to the following:Gunstocks, Archery Stock, Bow Risers, Pistol

[Jason Kendall]

I have used them all and Dymulux in my opinion is no where near the quality of Dymondwood, It's a heck of a lot cheaper though! I have seen it in bows and it does look pretty. My other bowyer friends and I call it Camel Dung Dymondwood since (according to Curtis the supplier) its made in Pakistan with Iranian lumber.. It's very toxic too, just sanding it in my drum sander made my lips and nostils burn bad. It may not bother others though as I am allergic to a lot of exotics. Like others said, Dymondwood is heavier than Actionwood and the colors are a little more vibrant. Stratabond (Actionwood) and Dymondwood are made in the USA in VT I believe.

[Robertfishes]

Jason, will I be OK using the Dymalux in Bingham style one piece recurve bows arround 50lbs @ 28"? I only build bows for myself and Helen and we both draw under 27" ..

[Cootling]

I have a Dymalux Morrison ILF riser.  I'll bet Dymondwood is more dense (speculative because I can't find specific gravity figures for Dymalux).  I also think I prefer the finer-grained look of Dymondwood (relatively to the Dymalux in my riser).  Still my riser is very nice-looking and shoots well, so no complaints.

[Jason Kendall]

I dont think there is strength issue at all with the Dymalux Robertfishes. I have seen quite a few bows made with it.

[Lost Creek Bows]

I have two full sheets of Charcoal Black Dymalux, that I refuse to use. This stuff will stink you out of your shop when cut or ground. Its not even in the same league as Dymondwood. Its up for-sale, cheap if someones interested. Thanks Chad

[PV]

Used Dymalux on one bow. Won't use it on another.... Plenty strong but highly toxic to work with. Got some green if anyone wants it.

[Robertfishes]

The Dymalux comes in some cool looking colors.. at least from what I saw on their web site. I bought the Kodiak Solid hoping it would make a nice dark brown riser.  So I will leave the doors open and exaust fans on when cutting and sanding..

[zipper bowss]

Yea,the black has a terrible smell when you cut it,if you get a big wiff of it your eyes will water and burn.MAKE SURE YOU CUT IT IN A WELL VENTELATED AREA!Zebrawood makes my eyes water and nose run,so does Cocobollo.Mekassar Ebony makes my tongue feel like it needs a shave.  :D  I will keep useing them also.It sands and fills very nice, so far I have not seen any of the cracking issues you can encounter with Dymondwood.I'm sure there are those that will testify that they have never had cracking issues with Dymondwood.So far other than the terrible smell of the black stuff,I have not seen any issues.The brown does not seem to be near as bad when it comes to smell.

Chad I am interested.You can give me a call tomarrow if you would like.
Bill

[COMBER]

I don't work with it but I like the look of Dymalux a lot better than Dymondwood.

[Lost Creek Bows]

I have built about 200 dymondwood bows without any problems, period, from the riser area. I now use Spectra Ply ,which also comes from the same company, as my standard riser, with exotic handlewood as a upgrade. I have never had a problem with Dymondwood period. The smell and the brittleness of the dymalux is just not what I believe that I consider using in my shop, opinions vary, though. The Dymalux would make a great three piece bow though, as it does drill and tap way better than dymondwood. Chad                       p.s.Bill, I'll call you tomorrow.

[legends1]

Im still very happy with the Stratabond,i like the way it looks and its very nice to work with. I had a Dymondwood riser crack and i had heard about that being a problem with some bowyers. Sounds like alot of you have no problems. In my opinion i just like the Stratabond better.

[LongStick64]

Sounds like Dymalux, outside of the smell, probably makes a nice riser, maybe a little bit stronger than dymondwood and maybe a little better looking end result.
Either way I can't wait to get my Zipper Hunter recurve from Bill, I expect to be a real solid Hunting bow, with simple looks that looks simply cool. But most of all performs even better.

[Margly]

A very tutorial thread  

Thanks

[michigan bill]

So...is the following correct?

Dymondwood is laminated birch.
Actionwood is laminated maple.


Being laminates, both woods make for very strong handles.

Actionwood is lighter in weight and makes for better limb cores than Dymondwood.

Actionwood is used successfully for handles but Dymondwood is a heavier wood and would make for a higher mass handle than Actionwood.

Bill

[LimBender]

My new to me longbow has both a Dymondwood riser and Actionwood limb cores with carbon backing in all shades of grey and black.  It's pretty (in its own way) and fast, but seems on the heavy side.

Thanks for the info!

[Robertfishes]

Mich Bill, Actionwood used to be made from Maple but now Birch is also used, I see where lots of Bowyers list Maple Actionwood as an option so maybe its still available. Black Widow made the switch to birch actionwood arround 1998 or 1999? I had a 1997 MA II that had "Birch""Prototype" written on the limb, it was a sweet shooting bow with their older style narrow limb tips.