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.

[Pinewood Archer]

So the general consensus is Hop Hornbeam is good so I’ll move onto my next question, is Hickory a better option? The shop I work at has a bunch of Hickory and I have no doubt that given how much is there that isn’t Calico I would have enough to experiment with, I want to go with a round cross section and from my understanding Hickory lends itself well to that.

[superdav95]

I personally really like hickory and is in my opinion very underated.  that being said you might get better results with a high crown of rounded cross section of hhb over the hickory.  Ive never tried making a walking staff and a bow at the same time with same stick of hickory before but would think that elm might be another good option if you have some.  its got interlocking grain and is very tough and also takes heat treatment well too.  as far as a regular long bow or a flat bow both hhb and hickory are fine choices. the edge given to hhb for durability and stiffness.  only trouble is finding a good piece.  this is where hickory shines really as its readily avail nice and straight. Then add a thorough heat treatment its hard to beat.  Elm is a lot more work to make into a bow but its very very tough. It also takes heat treatment well.