juniperus communis reaction wood

[maatus]

Has any of you experience with this? I can't find any information about it, only found a research of juniper's normal wood compression wood-like properties. Interesting to see how it's gonna react humidity changes

I just ordered some more leg sinews, planning to sinew back it

[loon]

Very interested..
So this would end up being a reflexed stave with the back being in the heartwood?

[crooketarrow]

  Never used it before.

  Let us know how it go's.

[wizardgoat]

What did you want to know? In my experiences junipers don't warp or check much. Reduce to near bow dimensions and let it season. Juniper doesn't take long to dry.

[maatus]

What did you want to know? In my experiences junipers don't warp or check much. Reduce to near bow dimensions and let it season. Juniper doesn't take long to dry.

I meant the reaction wood properties. As a spruce reaction wood tends to be very fragile and stiff when overdried, going reflex when it gets some moist, not being that elastic etc... Things like that.

We all know that juniper is very elastic wood and now been wondering if it's reaction wood is as elastic as normal wood but being able to take more compressive stress. Just wondering... going to find out these things soon.

[Redhand]

My experience with juniper is that it keeps it elasticity and strength compression when dry. If time allows I like to work juniper when green. I shape, apply the sinew, and let it cure for a couple of months. Hope this helps you, good luck with your bow.

[loon]

Guess you'll be the one to let us know...
So reaction spruce isn't that elastic even with fish fat or moisture on it?

[Knotty]

I really want to see what you'll end up with 😊

[mullet]

Can someone post a close up of the leaves/needles? We have so many cedars and juniper type trees growing down here I'm never sure what kind you guys are talking about.

This is fast becoming the state of non-native species.

[Josh B]

Can someone post a close up of the leaves/needles? We have so many cedars and juniper type trees growing down here I'm never sure what kind you guys are talking about.

This is fast becoming the state of non-native species.

Eddie...I don't have any pics of common juniper, but it has yew like flat needles arranged in clusters of three around the twig.  I believe there are several junipers that have needles like that though.  So that's not a rock solid way of ID'ing them by itself.  I use several junipers to make bows and all of them that I have used are similar in that the compression wood is brittle.  I primarily use the top of horizontal branches (the thin ringed portion) for bows with fairly consistent positive results. Every attempt at compression wood bows has resulted in epic failure.  Josh

[loon]

So, I guess you'll have to moisten it or cover it in fat like I read somewhere had to be done with compression pine selfbows? O_o

Interested in the result

[wizardgoat]

I haven't made any compression wood juniper bows. I have made compression yew bows.
Most the juniper bows I've made came from branches just like yours, using the natural reflex to my advantage. I'd slightly decrown the stave just to make a nice gluing surface for sinew.
I'd want to keep my bow in the tension reaction wood, and I'd chip away all the compression wood

[E. Jensen]

In the non-bow world, reactionwood is considered inferior.  But what can you do but give it a shot?  There is a good chance its going to move when you take wood off and change the balance of internal stresses.  You might be able to mitigate that with heat treatment before it moves.