Eastern Cottonwood for a Selfbow

[blindarcher]

Hi All,

Has anyone made a selfbow from Eastern Cottonwood?  I have cut some staves from a Cottonwood but have some hesitation to use it for a bow of any substantial draw weight due to low modulus of rupture, elasticity and compression strength.  My fears may be unfounded.  I noticed a definite heartwood similar in appearance to Osage Orange.  I am wondering if I should remove the lighter colored wood down to the top layer of heartwood as one would do with Osage.  I would appreciate input from others.  Thanks!

[Dakota Kid]

Your fears are justified if it's cottonwood. The way you described the heartwood though it sounds like you might have a black locust. Cottonwood shouldn't have a yellow orange heartwood.  Locust has a somewhat similar bark to cottonwood. Any chance you can post a pic?

[Pat B]

The leaves should tell you whether it is locust or cottonwood.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I wouldn't use it. Find some bow wood nearby. Maple, oak, hop hornbeam, elm, hickory or ash.

[upstatenybowyer]

Cottonwood has interlocking grain making it nearly impossible to split. Locust splits fairly easily.

[blindarcher]

Thanks All!  Attached are pictures that may help identify the tree.  I am pretty sure it is of the Poplar family and likely an Eastern Cottonwood.  I have built many bows from materials such as Maple, Osage Orange, Hickory, Red Oak, Elm and Ash, but never Cottonwood.  These staves may just become firewood, or just an experiment if I get bored.  I was surprised on how heavy the staves are, but this may be just a high moisture content given the time of year.

[upstatenybowyer]

Looks like Eastern Cottonwood to me. I don't think it's a very good bow wood.

[Stringman]

Mulberry

[upstatenybowyer]

Dog gone it Stringman, I do believe you are correct. The leaf in the pic doesn't have that characteristic little dip. Mulberry makes a great bow!

[BowEd]

Good eye Scott.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Yup, and that beats the tar outta cottonwood for bow wood.

[Stringman]

I love being right once in awhile. 

[hoosierf]

Yep, if that was cottonwood you'd still be trying to The last strings apart from splitting it. It would not split like those staves. I grew up poor in Indiana and burned a lot of trash cottonwood to heat the house. It's a bear to split.

[blindarcher]

You guys are awesome!  Thanks very much for helping me solve this mystery.  The comments about the heartwood and difficulty in splitting cottonwood threw my for a loop, because it split easily, it appears heavier than what I expected for cottonwood, and the mulberry explains the heartwood.

Cheers to y'all!

[blindarcher]

In all my excitement about the news that this is Mulberry, I forgot about my original question.  Anyway, I had assumed that the white exterior wood is sapwood and the darker wood is heartwood, similar to  that found with Osage.  So, should I remove the whitewood down to the top layer of heartwood for the bow back?

Dopey me.