Main Discussion Area > Primitive Skills

Ironwood?

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nugget:
After a little more investigation I think I was wrong. It is hornbean not hophornbean. It may still fool me . Either way it is getting cut down and made into a bow.

Hillbilly:
Hornbeam usually has really smooth gray bark and the trees are usually fluted and muscley-looking near the base. It should make a good bow too if you can find one straight and untwisted enough for a stave.

nugget:
This is straight and the bark is smooth with ridges that run around the girth of the tree real fine close together.The leaves the best i can tell are correct for hornbean . will take another gander today.

Pappy:
Hillbilly ,what you are describing sounds like what we call Blue Beach has slick bark like a beach but ripples in it that looks like muscles, around here we call it mussel wood.The picture looks like hornbeam.Ryan called it American hornbean,I don't know for sure.I haven't seen a piece of
muscle wood or Blue Beach straight enough to make a bow unless you cut billets and splice it. :)
   Pappy

Hillbilly:
Pappy- blue beech, musclewood, ironwood, and American hornbeam are all common names for the same tree, Carpinus caroliniana. I've never found one straight enough for a stave yet, either.

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