European Buckthorn 56" Shorty #70@27"

[backtowood B2W]

very nice bow. So narrow for such a heavy bow.

[vinemaplebows]

Nice work. Do you know which kind of buckthorn it is? Rhamnus cathartica maybe?
70#... it would be like a warbow for me :-)

Greets
Cord

Nice bow She's bending
From what I can see of the wood it looks identical to prunus spinosa? What we in England call blackthorn.
Do you know the species of buckthorn? Latin name?

Yeah it’s just the common European Buckthorn. We don’t have it here where I’m at. It was sent to me from the eastern US.
The native buckthorn we have in my area, the Pacific Northwest. Is called Cascara. And it’s a bit different but also makes a nice bow. Has a lot less heartwood. But similar white sapwood and salmon colored heartwood.
The Cascara definitely has a stronger fruity/raspberry smell.

I post another reply with some tagged pics of the differences.



Thanks guys:) it’s definitely a fun one to shoot. Might have to have it with me in a Pronghorn blind soon😁
It’s always hard trying to decide what bow to hunt with.


I have one other stick of this good wood that I wanna make a nice longbow or ALB out of. Just can’t decide.

Bryce,
                   Very interested in the difference between the 2 wo0ods, can you elaborate a bit more? Cascara I have worked with a lot was looking for specific differences. Thanks.


VMB

[Parnell]

Bow turned out really beautifully, Bryce.  Great tiller and simple details.

I recall Cody was in N IL.  I lived there for awhile and would work clearing that stuff out for environmental conservation efforts.  Buckthorn was EVERYWHERE!

[Bryce]

Hey! Thank you so much. Appreciate the kind words:)

Bow turned out really beautifully, Bryce.  Great tiller and simple details.

I recall Cody was in N IL.  I lived there for awhile and would work clearing that stuff out for environmental conservation efforts.  Buckthorn was EVERYWHERE!

Oh man! Shoulda snagged that stuff up!

Nice work. Do you know which kind of buckthorn it is? Rhamnus cathartica maybe?
70#... it would be like a warbow for me :-)

Greets
Cord

Nice bow She's bending
From what I can see of the wood it looks identical to prunus spinosa? What we in England call blackthorn.
Do you know the species of buckthorn? Latin name?

Yeah it’s just the common European Buckthorn. We don’t have it here where I’m at. It was sent to me from the eastern US.
The native buckthorn we have in my area, the Pacific Northwest. Is called Cascara. And it’s a bit different but also makes a nice bow. Has a lot less heartwood. But similar white sapwood and salmon colored heartwood.
The Cascara definitely has a stronger fruity/raspberry smell.

I post another reply with some tagged pics of the differences.



Thanks guys:) it’s definitely a fun one to shoot. Might have to have it with me in a Pronghorn blind soon😁
It’s always hard trying to decide what bow to hunt with.


I have one other stick of this good wood that I wanna make a nice longbow or ALB out of. Just can’t decide.

Bryce,
                   Very interested in the difference between the 2 wo0ods, can you elaborate a bit more? Cascara I have worked with a lot was looking for specific differences. Thanks.


VMB

Yeah for sure. Our Cascara is a lot lighter, less dense, the heart:sapwood ratios are pretty different. With fruit woods I like a solid amount of sapwood, like a 50:50 with the heart if I can get it. But seems I can’t really get that with Cascara Bc it usually has a thick sapwood layer, I’ve reduced that and backed it and had good shooters, with less set.
Whereas the Buckthorn is a bit more dense and there is a lot more heartwood and more elastic, definitely better in compression than our Cascara. Through the tillering and shooting, the buckthorn never flinched, felt like I could touch nocks. I pulled out past the intended draw length a few times, and still went back to sitting flat after a few minutes at rest. It’s like a slowed down version of plum.
I would say Cascara is probably better tension wood.
And of course the stave wasn’t flat to be gone with. I heat treated about 1.25” of reflex through the whole of the stave. Usually I’ll do about 2” but I wasn’t sure about putting to much with this shorter stave.
I have one more piece of the stuff I want to make a ALB out of, I have a feeling buckthorn will do really well with that D* cross section.

[Santanasaur]

Wow, incredible  execution. It was bold to even attempt this bow! I’m very keen to try buckthorn now. Got some nice staves on the last bow wood harvest but otherwise it’s always spiraled too much on me to actually use.

[vinemaplebows]

Bryce,

               Thanks for the reply, was wondering for some years the differences. I have decrowned Cascara several times and prefer  more heartwood as well. I am rather shocked you give Cascara any credit as a tension wood. Cascara one nick on the back and boom! I always tell people to burnish the heck out of Cascara or back it with something, especially if they have never worked with it. I prefer to cut larger trees, for more heartwood, not that smaller trees don't make bows.

VMB

[Bryce]

Bryce,

               Thanks for the reply, was wondering for some years the differences. I have decrowned Cascara several times and prefer  more heartwood as well. I am rather shocked you give Cascara any credit as a tension wood. Cascara one nick on the back and boom! I always tell people to burnish the heck out of Cascara or back it with something, especially if they have never worked with it. I prefer to cut larger trees, for more heartwood, not that smaller trees don't make bows.

VMB

Oh well maybe that’s it, mine have all been natural backs. From basically larger saplings.