Cores, cores, cores

[olddogrib]

Orion,
The weight comparison relating to maple and 'boo came from an e-mail discussion with Kirk of Big Foot Bows.  I'm sure some of my observations are accurate only as they relate to a given bowyer's design and use of a particular material.  They may not hold true "across the board" and it is not my intent for them to be taken as such. I've talked to bowyers who clearly prefer each of these materials above the other two, and it's likely that it performs the best in their designs.  Like in most things in life, "one size doesn't fit all".

[Jim Wright]

Bamboo is not a wood actually, it is in the grass family and I believe physically lighter than maple.

[Kris]

 

'Boo is 'wood' and actually the heaviest of the three, but offers a good all-around compromise of the others positive attributes.

Not sure what you mean by this, but bamboo is actually a grass.  Not sure bamboo is heavier than maple; what is your source of information?  I'm curious...I'll look it up too.

Boo between glass or carbon or a combination of all three is my preference by far.  I have maple cored bows and like them very much though.

Good Luck -

Kris

[Kris]

Here is what I found on the net.

Wood - seasoned & dry   kg/cu.m

Afromosia   705
Apple   660 - 830
Ash, black   540
Ash, white   670
Aspen   420
Balsa   170
  Bamboo   300 - 400  
Birch (British)   670
Cedar, red   380
Cypress   510
Douglas Fir   530
Ebony   960 - 1120
Elm ( English )   600
Elm ( Wych )   690
Elm ( Rock )   815
Iroko   655
Larch   590
Lignum Vitae   1280 - 1370
Mahogany ( Honduras )   545
Mahogany ( African )   495 - 850
  Maple   755

[Bob Morrison]

Been at this awhile now and in our design quietest and smoothest draw is foam cores and fiberglass and performs very well. Carbon is added mostly for stability and does gain a little speed but most for stability.. Our Max1or2 limbs Needs carbon to make the limb stable and with the right carbons does it very well. Wood or grass core are subject to moisture and will take it on no matter how well you seal them, Foam does not. We have had far less delams since we started using foam than we did with Bamboo in hot humid locations. Maple speed was about the same as the foam and 3fps faster than Bamboo. Maple was no where close in smooth feel to the foam or Bamboo, in our bows anyway.The only negative I can see after using foam using and shooting it in our bow for over 7 years, is it looks terrible under clear glass...But,,,,,,25 years at this and I'm still learning and waiting on the next best material to come out.

Bob

[Over&Under]

Originally posted by KentuckyTJ:
Foam for sure, carbon if you want to spend the extra, but for $30 foam upgrade its a no brainer for me. Foam is my favorite core material bar none. I have owned the same Morrison limbs at the same poundage one with maple and one with foam. The foam cores put the maple cores to shame on all accounts.

Ditto!

[Sixby]

I kind of have a hard time when several cores have exactly the same draw force curve understanding how one can tell the difference in the feel . I do have to up my stack a bit using some cores , foam for instance. I'm not convinced after building quite a few with foam that there is any real difference when they all have the same draw force curve per design, Perhaps if someone could show me two bows , one with foam , one with maple or boo of the exact same design and poundage that shows the foam with a better draw force curve then I could be convinced.
The truth is my fastest bows have been with maple., But I definitely concede that could be an anomolie which happens with individual bows sometimes being an exceptional performer.
I like boo, I like maple , I like yew and I like foam and walnut . All in no special order.

I could not at this time build a bow recommending any one of them over the other. In fact I just built what feels like to me the smoothest bow I have ever pulled with claro walnut cores. Hmmmmmmmmm.

Opinions may vary and the world goes around.

God bless you all, Steve

[Orion]

Steve:  If the draw force curves are identical, I would guess they would feel pretty much the same on the draw.  However,  wouldn't the physically lightest material eek out a few more fps just because there's less limb mass to move going forward?

[WildmanSC]

Originally posted by Bowbldr:
Been at this awhile now and in our design quietest and smoothest draw is foam cores and fiberglass and performs very well. Carbon is added mostly for stability and does gain a little speed but most for stability.. Our Max1or2 limbs Needs carbon to make the limb stable and with the right carbons does it very well. Wood or grass core are subject to moisture and will take it on no matter how well you seal them, Foam does not. We have had far less delams since we started using foam than we did with Bamboo in hot humid locations. Maple speed was about the same as the foam and 3fps faster than Bamboo. Maple was no where close in smooth feel to the foam or Bamboo, in our bows anyway.The only negative I can see after using foam using and shooting it in our bow for over 7 years, is it looks terrible under clear glass...But,,,,,,25 years at this and I'm still learning and waiting on the next best material to come out.

Bob

Bob,

My Max 1 carbon/foam limbs on my new Cheyenne B  Leadwood riser are the best limbs/riser combo I've owned.  It has the best combination of speed, quietness, deadness in hand and consistancy of accuracy of the 200+ bows I've owned over the past 13+ years.  Please don't tell me if you discover the Max 2 limbs to be a significant improvement over the Max 1 limbs!        

Bill

[Kris]

Bod Morrison's foam cored 1 piece longbows are the smoothest and most pleasant bows I have ever shot.  They leave nothing to be desired.

Having said that, I personally have avoided a foam cored bow for myself.  Partly because I too have gotten caught up in this "best" syndrome...best core material, best arrow shafts, best broadhead, etc. ad nausea  

This is NOT what attracted me to trad archery in the first place some 30 years ago, it was exactly the opposite reason.  It was simplification and romance, it was POC & feathers, wood bows & wool, simple 2 blade BH's.  Many times recently, I have forced myself to step back and reevaluate my motives.

Nothing wrong with wanting the latest and greatest...I believe it is truly human nature.  Somehow though, with that motivation, I can't help but feel forever wanting and unfulfilled.

I own high tech trad bows (now there's an oxymoron) and make self bows, so I run the gamut.  

Just some unsolicited thoughts.

Kris

[myshootinstinks]

This is NOT what attracted me to trad archery in the first place some 30 years ago, it was exactly the opposite reason.  It was simplification and romance, it was POC & feathers, wood bows & wool, simple 2 blade BH's.  Many times recently, I have forced myself to step back and reevaluate my motives.
[/QB]

Well said  

[Hoyt]

I personally like my Bigfoot triple carbon (no funny sound with the carbon) and foam cores better than any bow I've shot. It's the smoothest drawing, fastest and quietest (even without veneers..just carbon and foam) shooting bow I've shot. If one was being made back in the 50's when I fist started shooting recurves..that's the one I would have wanted then...most likely Crazy Horse the Indian would have wanted one too if he had the option.

[WildmanSC]

The only carbon bows I've shot that made an out of the ordinary sound were ACS longbows.  Their sound was something similar to that made by an acorn dropping into water.  

I've had some bows I've loved that were made of actionboo, yew, red elm and walnut cores that were great shooting bows.  But none of them come close to my Morrison Cheyenne with the Leadwood B riser and Max 1 carbon/foam D limbs.  It is definitely the best bow I've ever owned/shot!

Bill