Black locust: darker stronger, thicker rings better compression?

[huisme]

I've been using the staves from a tree I wouldn't have picked out as different from my other BL and they're just lighter in color than my other staves. I didn't notice at first, it's not like they take excessive set (especially the thick-ringed stuff), but when I was measuring a newer forty pound bow I noticed it was considerable thicker than an older forty pound bow of similar length, width, etc.

I've never actually confirmed it, but my thick-ringed stuff always seems to take less set and also seems to be more resistant to chrysaling, and even comes out slightly thinner per draw weight in my more narrow bows when I'm careful.

Does anyone have similar experiences, or is it just tree-to-tree differences that aren't actually related to/indicated by color, ring thickness, etc?

[Badger]

  Not sure about the rings but I have had some locust with extremely thin limbs when finsished. About what I would expect from ipe.

[gianluca100]

Hello Huisme,

I used quite some black locust in my bowmaking 'career' and I like the wood: by chrisaling it tells you exactly and immediately if you went wrong with the tiller or the dimensions of the bow 

And yes, in BL with very thin rings I noticed more chrisalling. I had to make the bows a tad wider to avoid that.
The BL with thick rings is better performing, but then again from a certain thickness of the rings on, the most important is the earlywood/latewood ratio, like in every ringporous wood. That said, the density and the amount of latewood is the deciding factor.

My 2 cents, as usual 

Regards,
gian-luca

[George Tsoukalas]

I haven't noticed a correlation between thin rings and set. I have not done a BL in awhile but I learned on the stuff years ago. It'll teach ya. Jawge

[PEARL DRUMS]

I agree w Jawgey poo. I prefer thin rings nowadays. Makes a better bow in my mind. I have found that the density of locust spells out the bow you'll get. I have some big 1/4 log staves that weigh nothing, two bows have failed so far from that batch. More dense locust is better locust. I think that goes for all species of wood, almost.

[Badger]

  I roughed one out a few days ago that is so light I doubt I will even bother to finish it. Most locust I have worked is very dense, I have some staves right now that are about 55 sg. Rings are about 1/4", wood was desert grown.