Author Topic: How good is (moso) bamboo as a backing? How good is hard maple (1/4 sawn)?  (Read 4417 times)

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Offline toomanyknots

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Umm......it doesn't look like any white oak i've seen.

Thats how most of the white oak around here looks, like a greyish brown. I think I actually bought this at my local woodcrafters.
"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline Thesquirrelslinger

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TMK, thats red oak or pin oak. Not white oak.
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"

Offline toomanyknots

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TMK, thats red oak or pin oak. Not white oak.

It's definitely white oak. You can tell by the end grain more than anything, red oak is more porous. Here is some info on red oak verses white oak:

http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/distinguishing-red-oak-from-white-oak/

I find it funny that one of the tips to tell the difference is "white oak is typically more expensive",  ;D.
« Last Edit: June 29, 2013, 06:21:17 pm by toomanyknots »
"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline bubby

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that's not red oak, I've had some of the darker stuff and it worked fine, I wonder if yours was standing dead when cut, i'll see if I have any left if I do i'll take a pic
failure is an option, everyone fails, it's how you handle it that matters.
The few the proud the 27🏹

Offline Thesquirrelslinger

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it looks awfully like red oak I have. But I definitely believe you over my own ID...
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"

Offline toomanyknots

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that's not red oak, I've had some of the darker stuff and it worked fine, I wonder if yours was standing dead when cut, i'll see if I have any left if I do i'll take a pic

I don't know if it is that bad, but bend tests weren't great. I will tell you though I did buy some hickory which had to of had something like that going on, something was real wrong with those pieces of hickory I got. The backings I ripped from it just crumbed apart, I didn't even think to bend test it before gluing up like 4 bows as I figured it was straight grain 1/4 sawn hickory, and that would of been good enough by itself! lol When bending the backings even lightly, it sounded like you were stomping on a box of those poppers they sell around 4th of july. I broke 3 bows, 1 hick ph hick trilam, 1 HBI, and 1 hick backed hard maple. The fourth one I said no way and pried the backing off to save the (hickory) belly.

it looks awfully like red oak I have. But I definitely believe you over my own ID...


Heck, only reason I know is from folks on here and sites like the one I linked, I definitely ain't no expert.  ;D In fact, I ain't no expert on anything really,  ;).
"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair