Hop Hornbeam

[Pinewood Archer]

Hello all, it has been far too long since I was here, in case anyone was wondering I'm still alive and kicking. Ended up moving to East Tennessee about 4 years ago from where I was in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains in New York and haven’t had much time to just live since but now I do.
Any ways, enough of the catching up, I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with Hornbeam and would know if it’s good for bow making. I want to make a longbow that would double as a walking staff and have threaded ferrules on each tip above where the string would sit for the purpose of attaching things like spear heads. Any help, advice, criticism, suggestions etc would be appreciated

[Pat B]

Hop hornbeam is a good bow wood but I don't know how it would work with a rounded cross section. Hornbeam or muscle wood is different and not a good bow wood in my opinion.

[JW_Halverson]

Glad to see you back!

[jameswoodmot]

Hop hornbeam is a good bow wood but I don't know how it would work with a rounded cross section. Hornbeam or muscle wood is different and not a good bow wood in my opinion.

Is that Carpinus betulus or Carpinus caroliniana that isn’t good?

[bassman211]

Pat B is that answer from year  personal experience with working with American horn beam, or blue beech? Finding a piece of wood that is long, and straight enough can be a problem. It takes belly heat treat as good as elm, and can be de crowned, and backed, and make a very good bow. Never belly frets after heat treat unlike hop horn beam. You can also recurve the tips with dry heat, and it is a dense wood with good spring.JME.

[Pat B]

American Hophornbeam, Ostrya virginana  is a very good bow wood. American hornbeam, Carpinus caroliniana isn't as good. I've only built a couple of bows or each over the years and hophornbeam would be my choice between the two.

[Pappy]

HHB is my favorite white wood, it makes a fine bow when you can find a clean , not spiraled  piece. 
 Pappy

[ajooter]

I have tons of it on my property.  Like Pappy said it can be pretty gnarly but I have plenty that is straight enough.  On my property it's in the understood and a 6 inch diameter tree is quite old for the size.  I will make it a point to count the rings on the next one I cut.  Being that it's thin ringed it is challenging to work with but will make a fine bow!!

[Pappy]

Yep it is slow growing for sure and tight rings, I try and cut it in the late spring or summer and just strip the bark for the back, so don't chase the rings most times. 
 Pappy

[Pinewood Archer]

American Hophornbeam, Ostrya virginana  is a very good bow wood. American hornbeam, Carpinus caroliniana isn't as good. I've only built a couple of bows or each over the years and hophornbeam would be my choice between the two.

That works out then because I was thinking Hophornbeam over regular Hornbeam, I used to have a piece of Hophornbeam that I had nicknamed iron wood before I knew both what it was and that it was commonly referred to as iron wood. Stuff barely dented when I wailed the 200 lb anvil we used for smithing.

[superdav95]

Yup it’s very good bow wood for certain if you can find a straight piece.  It likes to spiral!   It’s a great candidate for boo backing too.  It takes heat treatment well also.  I just don’t go as deep with my heat as I would with hickory especially on a self bow. 

[Marc St Louis]

I've made quite a few ELB style bows using HHB.  It's elastic enough to tolerate a rounded cross section.