Author Topic: Broken bow: You make the call!  (Read 7949 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline George Tsoukalas

  • Member
  • Posts: 9,425
    • Traditional and Primitive Archers
Re: Broken bow: You make the call!
« Reply #15 on: August 09, 2010, 04:48:22 pm »
I've never done a wooden or a backed bow but if I were to don one I would make sure the backing material is straight grained. Jawge
Set Happens!
If you ain't breakin' you ain't makin!

Offline Almostpighunter

  • Member
  • Posts: 421
Re: Broken bow: You make the call!
« Reply #16 on: August 09, 2010, 07:10:55 pm »
@Pat: Thanks for clearing that up.  ;D . Also, I reassure you with absolute certainty that the wood was Purpleheart and not Cedar.

@George: I completely agree, but the bamboo was the backing material not the purpleheart.

Offline George Tsoukalas

  • Member
  • Posts: 9,425
    • Traditional and Primitive Archers
Re: Broken bow: You make the call!
« Reply #17 on: August 09, 2010, 08:26:35 pm »
Oh, sorry but that belly wood is pretty bad too. :) Jawge
Set Happens!
If you ain't breakin' you ain't makin!

Offline ken75

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,886
  • crepe myrtle is my "yella wood"
Re: Broken bow: You make the call!
« Reply #18 on: August 09, 2010, 11:48:07 pm »
that wood looks identical to some mahogany that i have. and like del i got here too late

Offline Almostpighunter

  • Member
  • Posts: 421
Re: Broken bow: You make the call!
« Reply #19 on: August 10, 2010, 12:06:16 am »
@Ken75: Mahogany is right on! The way it was explained to me (and I am only repeating what I was told, I'm no expert) was that you start with Mahogany, and then season (somehow) the wood for twenty five years and you get Purpleheart wood. I never bothered to check to see if this info was correct, but if what I heard is true, then it would make sense that the grain pattern would look like your Mahogany.

Offline ken75

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,886
  • crepe myrtle is my "yella wood"
Re: Broken bow: You make the call!
« Reply #20 on: August 10, 2010, 08:44:28 am »
i have access to a six foot high and four foot wide stack of south american mahogany so of course i tried it for bows several times .it has always seemed extremely brittle i use it for overlays but stopped trying to put in bow limbs . just not as good as other woods i have . sorry bout your bow it looked nice

Offline Inuumarue

  • Member
  • Posts: 31
Re: Broken bow: You make the call!
« Reply #21 on: August 10, 2010, 10:27:23 am »
Mahogany and Purpleheart are two very different woods.

Offline Almostpighunter

  • Member
  • Posts: 421
Re: Broken bow: You make the call! *New Info
« Reply #22 on: August 10, 2010, 06:39:27 pm »
Okay, all this apparent controversy over Purpleheart has prompted me to get off my lazy a$$ and look the friggin info up. Here's what I found and is confirmed by several different sites.

""Purpleheart" is the trade name for about 20 different species of wood in the genus Peltogyne. Exotic Wood Group's Purpleheart belongs to the species paniculata. Purpleheart wood (regardless of the species) is very hard and dense, with an average specific gravity of about 0.86, and requires sharp tools for cutting.

Native to the tropical rainforests of Central and South America, Peltogyne paniculata trees grow to heights of about 100 to 150 feet, with trunk diameters reaching thicknesses of up to 5 feet..."

"Allergic reactions to Purpleheart dust can include skin irritation and/or nausea. Of course, as when working with any wood, adequate ventilation, as well as skin, eye, and breathing protection, are paramount. Although the heartwood is a dullish brown when freshly cut, it changes fairly rapidly to a vivid purple. Over time, with exposure to ultraviolet light, Purpleheart will inevitably darken to a brownish color. This process can be slowed, although not completely stopped. Ah, such is life. To prolong the length of time that the wood remains a lustrous purple, it's recommended to periodically apply a UV-resistant finish to the completed piece."

So there is the true origin of Purpleheart. I was misinformed about the Mahogany thing. I guess the only real way to tell if what I bought was "true" Purpleheart is the fact that the purple wood turned brown when I freshly cut/rasped it and then changed back to purple as the "true" species is want to do.


Offline NTD

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,771
Re: Broken bow: You make the call!
« Reply #23 on: August 10, 2010, 11:34:54 pm »
The purpleheart I work with doesn't turn brown when worked, rasped, sawn etc...
Nate Danforth

Offline Almostpighunter

  • Member
  • Posts: 421
Re: Broken bow: You make the call!
« Reply #24 on: August 11, 2010, 01:55:21 am »
AAAAAAGHH!!!! I give up!