July 2014
I've got some cornus mas staves and try to find the best design for that heavy dense wood. Here is a try at a plains style, short (48“ ntn) and flat with a little flipped tips. It came out as a very snappy little bow, the full draw pic is not the limit, I shoot the bow now with a 24“ draw with 51lbs. Perhaps it could be drawn even further. Shooting this bow is a pleasure, no shock but smooth draw.
Tiller is a slight elipsoid with stiff tips.
This wood is incredible nice to work on, you don't get any fuzzy tool marks like on hazel. When sharp tools are used, the sanding job is done in minutes and it could be polished like horn or ivory.
Next good thing is it is very elastic and tends not to get set. In this case, I lost ½“ while tillering. Still holds a nice reflex of 1“.
Nothing is added to the bow, it is the natural color with some cambium on the back. Only a branding marks the arrow pass.
enjoy
