black walnut? good for self bow?

[BOWMAN53]

Is black walnut good bow wood? Its just about the only wood i can get at the moment that isnt red oak or ash. I went to a wood store and they said that another bowyer had come in the day before and bought the last of the yew and hickory. Their ash has way too many run offs so its not really worth it.

[LivingElemental]

Jesus... what wood store is selling yew?! Lucky...

And Black Walnut has a specific gravity between .51-.65, and while I've never used it, i would imagine it works. I wouldn't try to take too many liberties with it, though.

[DarkSoul]

Run a search for "walnut". Should give you some valuable information.

I think I'd prefer the red oak or the ash over the walnut, for a selfbow...but if you get fed up with oak and the ash isn't straight enough, you could certainly try  the walnut. Look for STRAIGHT grain, which can be more difficult to find in walnut than in ash/oak. Also, I think that tighter growth rings result in higher density, in walnut. A wide flatbow selfbow should be possible with walnut. Never used it myself, but just some observations from examples on online message boards...

[BOWMAN53]

Lol they sell yew but they sell out so darn fast its almost like they dont sell it at all. thanks for the info, ill try it as a flat bow and see how it goes.

[RBLusthaus]

where do you live - I mean - where is this mill or yard that carries yew - some of the time?

Russ

[BOWMAN53]

I live in san jose, ca. The store is in santa clara its called global wood source.

[LivingElemental]

Awesome. I'll be moving back to Monterey for a year, so I'll have to do some research on this.

[Josh B]

Yep walnut is good bow wood.  In my experience, walnut likes wide flat limbs best.  Josh