hey guys, i love longbows, american and english, all the woods ive been using have been best as flat bows, so im thinking i will make a hunting weight elb, i will aim for 70-80# so i can have some wiggle room in case i come in under weight.
Im thinking white oak backed hard maple with a b. walnut core
or maybe hickory backed ash with cherry core,
I have ~5 or 6 1/4 in walnut and cherry laminations im thinking for cores, ive heard great about both w. oak (definately not red, it seems horrible anywhere on a bow) and ive always used hickory, but i think the oak is lighter, so it may be better for a longer bow?
I also want a cheaper belly lam, ive seen bows sold with hickory bellies, but in my experience it really likes a flat rectangle profile, i know ash used to be a material used for ELB's, but i think it likes being flat as well, so i'm thinking hard maple (the soft stuff is horrible) ive seen it in an elb, and im thinking at a long length it may work pretty well.
So... any suggestions?