Hawthorn, bow-wood yes or no?

[stuckinthemud]

Ok, so, I have asked this question before and got conflicting answers from very experienced bowyers whom I deeply respect and who's work I greatly admire.  Is hawthorn a high quality bow wood?  I ask this as I have a number of excellent  staves  that I can use in a number of ways as (heresy) archery is only one of my wood-working interests and I wouldn't want to turn a fabulous length of premium hawthorn into a mediocre, or worse, bow when I could use it elsewhere.

[capitainepatenaude]

A couple of years ago, I saw a lot of experimented bowyer pretending that hackberry won't make a bow. Now you can find a lot of really nice hackberry bow on this forum. There's only one way to know for sure if hawthorn will make a bow. Try it or send me a stave 😎.

[bownarra]

For certain it will make a bow but it is prone to explosions if you gte a bit close to the limits. It also takes a bit more set than i'm keen on. Overall I wouldn't go out of my way to find any for bows.

[hoosierf]

I don’t trust it without sinew.   I’ve made one.  I have a few cockspur Hawthorne staves that are seasoned and ready to work.  Probably should make another.   

[BoltBows]

I need to make one soon... I've been wanting to make one for a while.
My buddy Leon (Leonwoodbows) made one a while back. Crooked shitty piece with knots so he backed it with boo. Thing shoots great!
Things to keep in mind:
- Difficult to get a straight bow length stave.
- Woodworm LOVES it.
- Very tough, heavy and hard to split so I love it for nocks and handles.
- Prone to checking when drying.

[airkah]

If you already have a bunch of staves, why not try it out on one and see what you think? I think you are getting conflicting opinions because some bow woods work better for some bowyer's styles than others. I really enjoy working with hackberry, red elm, and red oak. I really dislike using walnut or erc. They just don't work well for me but I know some love them and hate the woods I enjoy. I think you have to find out how hawthorn works for you.

[stuckinthemud]

Because I make harps, crossbows and other stuff that that timber would be excellent for, harp pillar or crossbow tiller for instance, so I don't necessarily want to test whether it makes a bow to find it is indifferent and have lost the wood that could have been great somewhere else.

[Dante_F]

Im fairly sure hawthorn was used throughout history like a higher quality whitewood, but since there doesnt seem to be a tin to go off of i would go for a low stress design.

[bownarra]

If you already have a bunch of staves, why not try it out on one and see what you think? I think you are getting conflicting opinions because some bow woods work better for some bowyer's styles than others. I really enjoy working with hackberry, red elm, and red oak. I really dislike using walnut or erc. They just don't work well for me but I know some love them and hate the woods I enjoy. I think you have to find out how hawthorn works for you.

That is when you do a bend test to elliminate the personal stuff! You may be in for heartbreak if you must try it....been there!