Bongossi...

[uwe]

Hi,
I have a board of this heavy wood for a long time. Has anybody experience with this heavy South America wood?  Its too heavy to swim and very hard. Is it useful for backing or belly? I think it would be a better bellywood. What about an Bamboo/ Bongossi combo?
Regards Uwe

[Pat B]

Uwe, I have never heard of bongossi. Is there another common name or do you have the botanical name.

[El Destructo]

Lophira Procera is it's Botanical Name....and it is'nt from South America....it's from South Africa....the Ivory Coast to be more specific....


They supply a deeply red-brown, very heavy, strongly shrinking, hard and weather-firm carcassing timber for land, water and construction of vehicles, stairway steps and tool grasps. The wood can be worked on with difficulty (to nail without pre-drilling is not possible) and it smells unpleasantly. The resistance against insects and mushrooms is very high.

Characteristics:

Specific gravity: 1,10 - 1,20
Tensile strength 150 - 215 N/mm
Pressure strength 87 - 108 N/mm
Bending strength 165 - 240 N/mm
Hardness after Brinell 55

[Shadow Walker]

I have never heard of this wood either. Try an internet search on species of woods. Sometimes they will tell you what the preferred uses are for that species and then you can judge from there if it would be a good bow wood or not.
For example... i did a search on ironwood and it said it was commonly used for tool handles such as shovels or axes. So judging from that, it was easy enough to determine that it has great strenght and resilience and would probably make a good bow wood.
Good luck! and be sure to let us know what you find out!

[Shadow Walker]

O.K, I guess El Destructo has heard of it! Good Show, with that kind of detailed information who needs to do an internet search!

[El Destructo]

and if you don't want to mess with Newton's....then switch it to Inch Pounds.......

1 nm = 8.850 inch/lbs

Cause I hate the Metric System........

[uwe]

Just at this moment I found on German archery webside fletchers corner a discussion about it. It seems to be a "bellywood". I`ll watch this theme and will inform you about it
Thinks for posting!
Uwe

[robby]

From El Destructo's description, it makes me wonder if it is related to a south american wood called degame (sp?), that was used in bows, I think mostly as a laminate, and footing arrows years ago. Haven't heard anything about that wood in a long time. Sorry to veer off, it just got me thinking.

[Pat B]

Robby, Degame' (aka Lemonwood) was also used for self bows back in the 30's and 40's. I have 2 commercial self bows and one home made self bow from that era that were made from Degame'. It grows primarily in Cuba(but also some in Central America) and because of the Cuban embargo, we have a hard time finding it in the US. Uwe, however can possibly find Degame' in Germany.
   As the name suggests, Lemonwood is yellow in color and not reddish brown like El Destructo said the Bongossi is.

[robby]

Thanks Pat, its all coming back to me now, my mental archives aren't as accessible as they use to be, hah!! Geez, I even have a couple of old lemonwood bows, made back in the fifties, I think, can't remember what outfit that made them, beautiful bows, terrible hand shock.
Maybe the wood I'm thinking of was Greenheart, they used it in some underwater bridge work as well as bows and footings.
Robby

[uwe]

By the way, I own an ELB made by Richard Head Lemonwood/ Hickorybacking. I`ve heard that the Lemonwood, which is available now often isn`t Lemonw. Sorry, don`t know what its now.
On german Fletchers corner they say, but didn`t try Meranti or Bamboo for backing.
There is  pic of a broken limb and lots to read...