Anyone try sweetgum for bows?

[billy]

Was just wondering if anyone has ever tried making a bow of sweetgum?  Reason I ask is cause several years ago a friend of mine cut one down, and asked me to split it for firewood.  Well, I swung with everything I had, but that damn grain was so interlocking that I could only get the axe an inch or two into the wood before it came to a stop.  I kept trying over and over, but the wood never gave in....so I gave up.  Seems it would work really well for a bow, but I've never tried it.  That stuff grows all over the place here in Georgia....it's like a weed.  Below is a picture in case anyone doesn't know what I'm talking about.  I'd like to hear your opinions or experiences with this wood.

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[Pat B]

Billy, seems someone posted one a few years ago but I can't remember who it was. I've tried to split sweetgum and know what you are saying about the grain.

[snedeker]

I'd think you'd almost have to saw out a stave, its so resistant to splitting

Dave

[Hillbilly]

I've seen a few over the years on here. Sandman (wonder where he went to ?) posted a couple of nice ones.

[StevenT]

Forget trying to split sweetgum. Actually, I didn't know they were called sweetgum. We call them gumball trees here and there isn't anything sweet about them. But like I said, forget trying to split it. That is just about all we have around my house and when Isabel, a little huricane we had here in VA, came through, it nocked down just about every kind of tree except for those *&^% gum ball trees. We have cut them down and tried to split them with hydrolic splitter and even that wouldn't split the stuff. Only thing we could do was cut it in small lengths with a chainsaw and then used it in an outdoor firepit. Just put it on whole. I wish you could do something with those gum balls cause then I would have some trading material.

[coyote pup]

I bet if you cut a sapling about 2" in diameter it would make a decent bow. And if it didn't, you wouldn't have much work in it because it was only a sapling. I've heard it wasn't very nice to drawknife though, that you have to constantly be changing the direction your pulling in because of the grain. I cut a small one once mistaking it for a pignut hickory. Dad talked me out of trying it so I just left it but I wish I had messed with it now.

[recurve shooter]

i shot a possum out of one once.