Russian Olive

[Titan_Bow]

 I am fairly new to Colorado, and I notice there is a lot of Russian Olive growing here.   My neighbor is a woodworker by trade, and uses it alot in turnings and such, it is really pretty wood.  I was wondering if it was possible to make a bow from it?  Does anyone know anything about the properties of this wood?

Thanks,
Titan_Bow

[mullet]

 I remember seeing it in an old back issue of PA.There was a list of trees and their properties.I think Tim Baker mentioned it in one of the Bowyers Bibles.

[Justin Snyder]

I haven't tried it yet because I heard it was really brittle.  Justin

[Titan_Bow]

Ah Yes, I remember that issue, Mullet.  I'll have to see if I can dig it up

[Auggie]

 Lots of R-olive around here,would they make arrows? Maybe similar to willow shoots?

[Stickhead]

Is that the same thing as Autumn Olive -- a bushy tree with delicious red berries?

[Hillbilly]

Is that the same thing as Autumn Olive -- a bushy tree with delicious red berries?

They are closely related, but different species. Russian olive is Elaeagnus angustifolia, and autumn olive is E. umbellata. Russian olive tends to grow bigger, sometimes tree form, while autumn olive is more of a big shrub. Both are extremely invasive exotics, so kill them all and use  them for something.    I've never tried it as bow wood, but I've made arrows and atlatl darts from autumn olive, works pretty well and unfortunately, there's a never-ending supply.

[Stickhead]

Wow.  Mighty ejucated for a hillbilly.

I'll been meaning to try Autumn Olive out as bow wood.  It grows like crazy around here.

[Justin Snyder]

Is that the same thing as Autumn Olive -- a bushy tree with delicious red berries?

They are closely related, but different species. Russian olive is Elaeagnus angustifolia, and autumn olive is E. umbellata. Russian olive tends to grow bigger, sometimes tree form, while autumn olive is more of a big shrub. Both are extremely invasive exotics, so kill them all and use  them for something.    I've never tried it as bow wood, but I've made arrows and atlatl darts from autumn olive, works pretty well and unfortunately, there's a never-ending supply.

Around here a lot of the Russian olive are shrub like.  The olives are always green or yellow here, they never do get the red tint that is possible.  Justin

[D. Tiller]

Hey if its week in tension why not back it with hickory or something else. Cheap supply of bow wood may be right in your back yard!