Any idea what this is?

[Ippus]

So, I still haven't got my hands on full-length wood yet that I can work with for an adult-sized bow, but when I went to pick up some apple wood for a friend of mine's smoker last weekend, there was some other stuff that we picked up as firewood. There were a couple of pieces that looked pretty straight and solid, so I decided to get in a little practice splitting and tillering. They're a little short, but if I'm not too ham-handed, I figured I might manage a bow for my six-year-old. I haven't had a chance to take the bark off yet, but I covered the ends in wood glue.

What I'm wondering is whether any of you have an idea what the wood is. To look at, I was thinking maybe black locust.
There's a lot of sapwood and thin, dark bark; and when I had freshly split it (it's very wet still) it had a sort of greenish, weedy, musty scent - elm has that odor thing going on, right?

What do you think?

[Pat B]

Hard to tell from just these pics. Give it a try and see how it performs, but test it good before making a bow for your daughter.

[TimBo]

It looks like it could be elm from here; it does not look like black locust.  Definitely test it before making a bow!

[Ippus]

Definitely test it before making a bow!

Give it a try and see how it performs, but test it good before making a bow for your daughter.

I hear that! The last thing I want it to be digging shards of wood out of my little girl's face. Any recommendations on specific tests to put it through (other than shooting it in thoroughly)?

[wizardgoat]

Hard to tell, but I have some black locust sapling splits that look like that

[TimBo]

If I am curious about a particular stave or wood type, I usually make a rough mini bow (like a foot long) and try to figure out how easily it wants to take set and/or break.  I never get around to stringing it, more like floor tillering (table tillering?).  If you are a thorough type, there is a Standard Bending Test in TBB vol. 1 (the Performance chapter I think).

[Pat B]

For safety sake I'd suggest backing it with silk, linen or raw hide. You can get neck ties from thrift stores for a dollar or so and some have pretty cool patterns on them, maybe even something your daughter would like.

[Spotted Dog]

That looks a lot like post oak by the bark. I would raw hide it.

[huisme]

Definitely not locust, so I'm lost

[dylanholderman]

looks a bit like black walnut? maybe  hard to tell.

[riverrat]

looks like elm to me.what your thinkin is sapwood could be the cambium layer.or like was also mentioned, could be hickory.
 Tony

[Ippus]

Well, I lived next door to a black walnut, and this seems way too light for that, but I guess the bark might be about the right pattern for elm if the limb continued to grow.

Interesting... I hadn't really been thinking of backing at this point, since I kinda don't know what I'm doing yet; are you suggesting a backing more for safety's sake, so that if it does fail, the failure is contained by the backing?

If I am curious about a particular stave or wood type, I usually make a rough mini bow (like a foot long) and try to figure out how easily it wants to take set and/or break.  I never get around to stringing it, more like floor tillering (table tillering?).  If you are a thorough type, there is a Standard Bending Test in TBB vol. 1 (the Performance chapter I think).

Thanks, TimBo, I believe I recall the chapter/test you're talking about. You basically suspend a given length/thickness off the edge of a surface and add weight until it fails, right?

[Badly Bent]

If it has little partitions in the pith area than likely black walnut.

[Marc St Louis]

The bark looks a bit like White Ash.  A close up of the wood and bark might help identify the wood

[Dakota Kid]

The wood looks a lot like english walnut, but the bark looks like elm, ash, or maple. E walnut bark is that color but not as textured.

For future reference, Black locust glows under UV light. So does osage, sumac, and a few others.