Shrub ID

[Josh B]

Russian Olive and Autumn Olive are definitely not the same.  Now that I think about it the thorns were only on the bigger branches and trunk, right below and a little to the side of where the twigs and small branches protruded.  The wood turned a pale yellow as it dried and tested at .83 sg when dried.  Really hard and dense stuff.  If you got a straight clean piece you might have better luck.  My piece had a knot and thorn cluster about every four inches.  Google said it is common to have thorns so that leads me to believe that not all autumn Olive has thorns.  Either way, keep us posted on it Clint.  Josh

[osagejack]

that is looks like the autumn olive we have here in tn, it really takes over has red berrys on it in fall deer love it and it makes great jelly,

[osage outlaw]

Id like to say its honeysuckle... but I know it isn't. the leaves are totally wrong.
Honeysuckle is a great bow wood IMO.
It is quite dense.
If this wood is dense, it will probably make a good bow.

Have you had success making a bow from honeysuckle?

[hedgeapple]

Clint, I was wondering the same thing about honeysuckle.  I have it all over the farm.  But it seems pretty brittle to me???

[Thesquirrelslinger]

Id like to say its honeysuckle... but I know it isn't. the leaves are totally wrong.
Honeysuckle is a great bow wood IMO.
It is quite dense.
If this wood is dense, it will probably make a good bow.

Have you had success making a bow from honeysuckle?

a crossbow prod. It shot well, and I still have it. I tried to back it with bamboo. the glue cracked and damaged the back.
I basically split a 2 inch wide piece 30 inches long out of a piece of it, then tied strings onto the ends.  When I bamboo backed it, I did not clean or degrease either piece.
I might make a new one...
But not sure.
By the way, it drew somewhere around #50 @ 12 inches.

[TRACY]

Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)? I've got arrows in my quiver from some larger dia. Shoots and limbs and they fly great. The bigger stuff has a large pith in the center and seems a little on the soft side for bow, but I could be wrong. Someone here built a bow out of tree of heaven which I wouldn't have dreamed of using for a bow 

Tracy

[Gus]

Watch that Oleander it is Toxic... 

-gus

[osage outlaw]

I left the handle area full thickness and thinned both limbs to about half diameter.  sealed the back with shallac and another coat on the ends.  I have a feeling it is going to warp on me.  I might clamp it to a post.  The wood was wetter than I have ever seen before. 

[bubby]

I know gus, I got to cut this stuff all the time

[bubby]

Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)? I've got arrows in my quiver from some larger dia. Shoots and limbs and they fly great. The bigger stuff has a large pith in the center and seems a little on the soft side for bow, but I could be wrong. Someone here built a bow out of tree of heaven which I wouldn't have dreamed of using for a bow 


 yeah I built a tree o heaven bow, I like it a hole lot better than red oak

[vinemaplebows]

If I seen that here in wa. I would say willow in a second.