Casaurina (Australian Pine/ She Oak) questions

[Limbit]

We had two large super typhoons roll through Taiwan last month and they knocked over a lot of really old growth Casaurina trees. The city immediately cut them up for removal, so I figured it was time to give it a go for bow making. The piece I took for bow making is below. Typically this tree is far too twisted and knotty to even consider it for bow making. The tree below looked great. Upon removing it from the ground, I noticed the base had a good deal of rot, so I ended up basically halving it and getting billets rather than staves. The billets looks good though and only a few had any notable twist or problems. I'll further split them to separate out the core wood and sap wood. See which one works best. I'm curious about it. I hear VERY mixed reviews regarding it. Some people say it is the best kept secret in bow wood and others say it is crap. Obviously differences in growth conditions and species will change the nature of the wood a lot, but do any of you guys have solid experience with it? Anybody got some pictures of bows you've made with it? How did they perform? My guess is it is weak in tension. I'd think a pyramid bow would be the safest bet for this wood, but it is crazy dense so it seems it would end up being a slug. Suggestions?

[son of massey]

I know you asked for experiences with the wood, and I have none, but did a little looking to find information on the wood. The density seems to be around 0.7, which is not bad and the wood seems hard enough that it is difficult to work, which may be good. I also found a paper that suggested that the strength of the wood would likely decrease as one moved from pith to underbark wood, and I would be curious to hear how your experiments work and whether this is supported from what you find. It also appears to dry well and quickly, so there are a number of attributes that seem positive and it may be a great wood to have around if you can figure out how to make it work. Best of luck, let us know what you find!
SOM

[Pat B]

There are a few guys in Florida that have built bows from Australian Pine and said it is pretty good bow wood. I guess it is the same tree in Florida.

[ajbruggink]

Very interesting, I don't want to hijack this thread but I'm curious as to why a pyramid design would be good for a tension-weak wood? Let us know how it turns out.

[cadet]

Which species of sheoak exactly?  We have Allocasuarina verticillata growing locally, native to the area; I'll cut a few suckers/saplings and have a go with one soon...

[mullet]

I'm not sure what species we have in Florida. Your picture doesn't look the same to me. What was planted for wind protection here has little pine cones that suck stepping on barefoot at the beach. The wood has the tightest, interlocking grain I've ever seen. I broke a bow on purpose just to see how much it would take. It did not break into, but folded at the fades and held together by all of the interlocking fiber. I went back in the shop a few hours later and was amazed that it had recovered almost back to it's unstrung profile. It is tough and a very heavy wood. Steve Parnell on this site has made quite a few short bows from it. maybe he will chime in.

[Limbit]

Casaurina has many species in Taiwan, but I am guessing it is Casaurina Cunninghamiana since this tree seems to have the largest distribution on the island in my area. I live right on the beach and am surrounded by the stuff. It is exactly how you guys describe it...as in having cones, thin needles and tight interlocking wood-grain. I usually use it for building around my house because it seems to last a long time and insects avoid it. I was surprised the grain had such contrast between heart and sap wood. Normally this wood doesn't in smaller trees, so this must be due to the age of the tree. It split VERY easily. So easily that I became concerned about checking. Either way, we'll see how it fairs. The reason I am choosing a pyramid bow is because they are quite wide and stable and I have had a good deal of success using this design on boarder-line bow woods. If in doubt, I'll rawhide back it.

[Sidmand]

might want to do a search, as I remember seeing a couple threads on using sheoak for bows.  I seem to remember folks having good success with it.