Found massaranduba + cutting tips

[turmoiler]

Hi friends,

I've been lucky and I've found some massarabunda at my town's brico depot. I've brought two  flawless boards with almost perfect grain and size of 4 x 7 x 210 cm. I just have a question (or demand an opinion) ¿How do you will cut this boards to obtain maximum number of staves for backed bows and lams for backed bows with several lams?
I've never worked with this wood before but I know that is hard and heavy and that I will need smaller staves than other woods to obtain the same weight.

Some pics:







Thanks in advance!!!

[dragonman]

Never tried this wood, but I think it hard like ipe, so if you're gonna back it, you only need around 1 1/4" of width and 3/8" at the fades will give around 60# for a 66" bow, if its not as hard as ipe you'll have to make adjustments. Looks like you found some real nice planks... bamboo would make a good back...

[okie64]

It is very similar to ipe. It doesnt need to be very wide or thick to get some serious poundage. I made a couple of D-bows with hickory backs on them a while back. I made one of them 65" long and 1" wide out to midlimb and then tapered to 5/16" tips and it ended up around 50#. The other one is 68" long and 1-1/4" wide to midlimb and then tapers to 3/8" tips and its around 70#. It is very pretty wood when its finished. Hope that helps you out and heres a pic of those bows.

[avcase]

Massaranduba is less brittle than ipe. I've built several bows with a backing strip of massaranduba, maple core, and ipe belly and it has worked out very well. I am sure you can make a very robust & skinny self bow with it.

Alan

[Lee Slikkers]

It is very similar to ipe. It doesnt need to be very wide or thick to get some serious poundage. I made a couple of D-bows with hickory backs on them a while back. I made one of them 65" long and 1" wide out to midlimb and then tapered to 5/16" tips and it ended up around 50#. The other one is 68" long and 1-1/4" wide to midlimb and then tapers to 3/8" tips and its around 70#. It is very pretty wood when its finished. Hope that helps you out and heres a pic of those bows.

Hey Okie64, those looks great!  I have a stick of ipe, would love to see/hear more about those builds if you have the info (hickory thickness/taper, etc)  Many thanks!!

[okie64]

Lee, those bows have 1/8" hickory backing on them. The 50# is 5/8" thick in the center and tapers to 3/8" thick at the tips. The 70# is 11/16" thick in the center and tapers to 1/2" thick tips.

Massaranduba is less brittle than ipe. I've built several bows with a backing strip of massaranduba, maple core, and ipe belly and it has worked out very well. I am sure you can make a very robust & skinny self bow with it.

Alan

I had no idea it could be used as a backing. Good to know.

[johnston]

Fellers where would I be able to buy some of this masey--- , uh, massarambo--- er, wait a minute...Massaranduba wood stuff?

Lane

[okie64]

I lucked out and got mine off of an old deck on a house I was remodeling. I didnt really know what kind of wood it was at the time but the lady told me it was brazilian hardwood.  I think you can get it at lumberyards that sell deck-building materials. Beefwood is a more common name for it.

[johnston]

Thank you for the tip.

Lane