rosebay rhododendron? anyone?

[blackhawk]

Hey guys,

While camping in sweet ole Appalachia last weekend I cut what I thought was 5 mountain laurel staves. I assumed laurel was laurel was laurel here out east. After coming home and looking in my field guide I realized what I cut wasn't mountain laurel but rosebay rhododendron. Oops,I made a I.d. mistake. No biggy tho cus I found out its medium density and pretty hard and has the same properties as mountain laurel after some research. How come I never see a laurel or rhodo bow? Even tho laurel is listed as a bow wood. I know its gnarly stuff and hard to find a good candidate,but I did find a few.




Here's a gem. Straight front profile(almost) and a slight deflex reflex side profile. 




Here's a snake. String will bisect handle and not hardly any twist either.



I figured id ask y'all,but not expecting too much detailed info because I can't find much about it for bows. I know I can pull a bow out of em tho.

Thanks....Chris

[beetlebailey1977]

Good luck with them....I look forward to seeing the results.   

[Pat B]

I've cut staves over the years but never made a bow from laurel or rhodo. My woods are full of both.  I did give a well seasoned rhodo to James Parker(Robustus) last year but don't know if he made anything from it or not.
  Give it a try and let us know how it works!

[blackhawk]

Thanks Beetle....im looking forward to results as well. But,now its a waiting game. I love watching wood dry

Pat. One of the staves is going to my buddy Bill(hickorybill) and between him n I ill let y'all know the outcome regardless of who gets a bow made out of it first. Seems to be snappy whippy stuff. You know what its like trying to crawl your way thru a laurel thicket. Next time ill count how many times I cuss when I go thru one

[Hillbilly]

I've always threatened to try it, but never have. From making walking sticks and such I've noticed that it's a hard, dense wood. Keep us posted as to how it works. And for some reason here in the Southern Appalachians, rosebay rhododendron is commonly called "laurel," and mountain laurel is called "ivy."

[Pat B]

...and those thickets are called "Ivy Hells"! 

[blackhawk]

That they are Pat. Several years ago I foolishly tried to bull,cut,and bushwhack my way thru one once and I think my limbs got all twisted up more than the twisted trees themselves. And it was pouring down rain and up at 4200 feet to boot. Boy that was dumb.    I've bushwhacked and orienteered off trail from the atlantic to the pacific and never have I been in such a tangled mess,and it can be so easy to lose your sense of direction. It should be good wood,because isn't it an old wives tale that all gnarly trees make good bow wood. 

[Pat B]

Way back when...when the NC/Tenn state lined were surveyed there were places that the surveyors laid wooden planks over the tops of the "Ivy Hells" to walk over instead of trying to cut through them. 
  I think Rhodo or Laurel should make good bows. The only drawback is the "character" mosy of it has.

[Hillbilly]

It's a lot of fun to head through one of those with a .30-30 on your back and two Plott hounds on a double leash.

[blackhawk]

Here's an update on the rosebay rhododendron. Once I got home last summer I reduced the deflex-reflex stave to near bow dimensions. And last weekend I took it down off the rack and started working her. My first thoughts was,"boy this wood is soft and rasps like yew does,this might not be so good and it'll prob take lots of set and possibly fret on the belly". It has a faint playdo smell to it when rasping and sanding. It didn't like the spokeshave or straight edged scrapers,but the gooseneck worked well enough.

Well guess what,last night I got the stave out to 45lbs@26",and its looking gooooood. My initial thoughts was way wrong. This stuff is elastic for its density,and it only took a lil over an inch of set .....I think it had to due with how well I handled and tillered this wood. I am going to shoot it in today after work and see what happens. Im excited and can't wait to shoot this thing!!!

Even though I was tempted to heat treat the belly and match the limbs and take the kinks out,I left it alone and left it all  natural to see what the wood would do.

So far id rate it as a bow wood,although its not at the top of the list. The key with this wood is in how its handled and tillered. Id compare it to black walnut for density and elasticity. Its very similiar.

I do have full draw and unbraced pics,but ill wait to post them when its called a bow and finished up. And ill prob put it in a seperate thread.