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Author Topic: iron wood for bows?  (Read 3319 times)

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Offline swiftjustus

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iron wood for bows?
« on: February 16, 2012, 05:00:58 pm »
I was wondering if iron wood makes good bow wood? I found some growing by my house and its tall and straight and about 4" in diamiter at the base. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
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Offline Bevan R.

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Re: iron wood for bows?
« Reply #1 on: February 16, 2012, 05:11:30 pm »
Short answer: Yes, it should.

Long answer: There are many woods that are called 'ironwood'. But they should all be workable to some extent.
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: iron wood for bows?
« Reply #2 on: February 16, 2012, 05:15:50 pm »
Smooth, muscley bark is beech, gnarly bark is hop hornbeam. Both get called ironwood up yonder. The latter is 10x better bow wood.
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Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline osage outlaw

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Re: iron wood for bows?
« Reply #3 on: February 16, 2012, 05:39:37 pm »
Can you post a picture of the bark.  HHB is good bow wood. 
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Offline randman

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Re: iron wood for bows?
« Reply #4 on: February 16, 2012, 05:39:57 pm »
Not to be confused with Ocean Spray which was called iron wood by the natives and earlier pioneers in the Pacific NW...then there's the Mexican ironwwood..........then there's............ >:D
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Offline swiftjustus

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Re: iron wood for bows?
« Reply #5 on: February 16, 2012, 05:52:48 pm »
I'm going to work on a pic of the bark for a more positive id, and if this is Iron wood then it answers some ? I had about hop hornbeam, as i was confused about wich was actual hop horn beam or blue beech. The bark is knarly like pearl said, and in my "Trees of Michigan and the upper great lakes"  book it definetly looks like iron wood (ostrya virginiana)
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: iron wood for bows?
« Reply #6 on: February 16, 2012, 07:50:33 pm »
I have the same book.
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Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline bowtarist

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Re: iron wood for bows?
« Reply #7 on: February 16, 2012, 08:12:26 pm »
The muscley stuff is called ironwood, blue beech and water beech down where I live.  Usually pretty gnarly, but sometimes smoother and straight.  I made a spear out of one about 20 years ago and it was real tough.  Is this "blue beech" usable for bows?  dpgratz
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Offline swiftjustus

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Re: iron wood for bows?
« Reply #8 on: February 16, 2012, 08:48:22 pm »
Did you notice in the book, pearl, that they refer to both iron wood and blue beech as "iron wood and hornbeam" hence my confustion... :)
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Offline soy

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Re: iron wood for bows?
« Reply #9 on: February 16, 2012, 08:58:41 pm »
I hope I've been using hhb iron wood but as of late I would be able to tell pine from oak....but hhb is awsome!  Imho
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Offline PeteC

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Re: iron wood for bows?
« Reply #10 on: February 16, 2012, 11:05:46 pm »
The" muscle " wood tree is American Hornbeam,and it will make a good bow. Eastern Hophornbeam has a "flakey" bark and it is an excellent bow wood. God Bless
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What you believe determines how you behave., Pete Clayton, Whitehouse ,Texas
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