mountain ash

[cutty]

Anyone built a bow out of MT. ash?  Just cut a tree, got a piece 3" x 72". 

[wizardgoat]

Do a search for mountain ash bows or Rowan bows, there's been plenty made and its seemingly good bow wood

[mikekeswick]

With very interlocking grain 

[Marc St Louis]

Depends which species you are talking about.  The North American species of Mountain Ash is a very soft wood and not really suitable for making bows

[mikekeswick]

Funny eh, ours over here in England is very similar to hickory. It's almost impossible to split.

[dbb]

I know the european variants of rowan (Sorbus) is all similar in strenght and elasticity ,and from what i can find it seems most of the sorbusfamily should make a good bow.
Can it be that the popular name "mountain ash"is used for different threes in different parts? (not an unusual problem i guess)

[Pappy]

That's what I was thinking dbb, Not sure about Mountain Ash, but we have a lot of Ash here in TN. and it all makes a good bow, but it is about as easy to spit as it gets, just hit in the end with a wedge and it will almost split itself. Well almost.
   Pappy

[Marc St Louis]

I know the european variants of rowan (Sorbus) is all similar in strenght and elasticity ,and from what i can find it seems most of the sorbusfamily should make a good bow.
Can it be that the popular name "mountain ash"is used for different threes in different parts? (not an unusual problem i guess)

The European species (Sorbus aucuparia) is quite different from the American species (Sorbus americana).  This is a quote from Wiki about the American species

Wood: Pale brown; light, soft, close-grained but weak.

[vtbow]

When I worked on a grounds crew we cut down or pruned a lot of mountain ash planted as ornamentals. It was quite weak for climbing in, and as a wood, and especially prone to insect and disease damage. It seemed to be a favorite of sapsuckers here in the northeast, which usually ringed it with holes in rows - that definitely contributed to the other problems. It was planted for the colorful orange berries,

It is not related to the regular ash family. Just has "ash" in the common name.