Phillip, most of the Japanese maple I've seen seems to be really hard and dense, similar to vine maple. Never made a bow from it, but I've cut and pruned a lot of them. I've seen bows made from all kinds of maple, though. Just make the softer maples a little longer/wider, I'd guess. And if someone keeps bothering you with wierd PMs on here, let the mods/admins know and we'll get it sorted out.