Underlay, underlay!

[DC]

With apologies to Speedy Gonzales (I've been waiting to use that )
What is a good dark wood to use for underlays? I want dark to hide my glue lines. I tried Red Oak once and it crushed. I think the string groove weakend it. Would Yew be a good choice?

[Pat B]

On my short sinew backed osage recurve, "Lil Thumper", the recurves cracked when I bent them using dry heat. I use yew as an underlay for it's lightness and a thin piece of ipe over that for the string to run over. Osage will work. It will darken in a year or so or maybe one of the tropical hardwoods.

[bushboy]

Ebony?

[bushboy]

On second thought ebony would likely be impossible to bend,may walnut?

[PatM]

Black Walnut bends well.

[bubby]

Black walnut, horn , ipe, Osage darkens well, I like figured woods

[upstatenybowyer]

I've used walnut, tropicals (paduk, bacote), yew, and osage. If you want to speed up the osage darkening, just fume it.

Oh yeah, and I love the thread's title. 

[DC]

I thought everyone was too young to know who Speedy was

[bubby]

I thought everyone was too young to know who Speedy was

I googled it🙄

[Mo_coon-catcher]

How well would the ferric acid do to darken Osage on the underlay? I know it’ll turn walnut black if you used it. My stiff scrapers walnut handle  has a black spot from laying on a card scraper that got a bit damp and rusted.

Kyle

[piotref1]

I thought everyone was too young to know who Speedy was

I've got good memories with that little mouse guy. And I'm 22 

Clever title, very clever.

[Marc St Louis]

Cute but to be precise that's not an underlay but an overlay.  You can use a dense tropical if it's thin enough.

[DC]

I thought belly side was called an underlay. So the correct term is an overlay on the belly side. Doesn't have the same ring

[bushboy]

I have used bamboo to reinforce before,works well!

[Pat B]

I'd call it an underlay on the belly side.