Black Locust for wood core?
Well, my horns finally arrived and I'm going to slowly start the project.
The bow will be MB-like bow. I'm planning to make the core from a single piece + added pieces for the handle and syahs like Andrew Hall's in this topic (but without the joint at the handle):
http://198.170.107.188/phpBB2/viewtopic ... 8&start=12
At the moment I have a good-sized black locust plank. I soon might get a maple trunk, but I have no data about the trunk's quality or length.
So my question is - is black locust good for wood core of hornbow or is it suitable for selfbows only?
The bow will be MB-like bow. I'm planning to make the core from a single piece + added pieces for the handle and syahs like Andrew Hall's in this topic (but without the joint at the handle):
http://198.170.107.188/phpBB2/viewtopic ... 8&start=12
At the moment I have a good-sized black locust plank. I soon might get a maple trunk, but I have no data about the trunk's quality or length.
So my question is - is black locust good for wood core of hornbow or is it suitable for selfbows only?
Lord Ruthven, don?t use black locust as a wooden core for a hornbow. Black locust is a very dense hardwood, so its glueing capablities are not as good as needed. Black locust weighs too much, so it would add to much mass. Mountain- maple is the best choice.
Michael
Michael
Uh, that's bad... I was really counting on that black locust plank.
Thank you verry much! I hope the maple trunks will be of good quality and length then. Otherwise my project is on hold until I find good wood.
Thanks again.
Thank you verry much! I hope the maple trunks will be of good quality and length then. Otherwise my project is on hold until I find good wood.
Thanks again.
And whats about sap wood??
This is better Miso :lol: . But maple is answer for all.
Jump in "drawing core vithout sinew" and see , how fantastic job doing only 1 ring from maple plate- by Jano Nagy !
yes. I saw it. But itś too depresive for me :lol: Jano is a fantastic secret engineer. I haven?t enough of courage for similar experiment.
But on basic question- carpenters don?t like black locust for gluing and on the word is enough recomended woods for bow core.
But on basic question- carpenters don?t like black locust for gluing and on the word is enough recomended woods for bow core.
After your answer I began searching and wondering...redhawk wrote:
Lord Ruthven, don?t use black locust as a wooden core for a hornbow. Black locust is a very dense hardwood, so its glueing capablities are not as good as needed. Black locust weighs too much, so it would add to much mass. Mountain- maple is the best choice.
Michael
MB bow's core is made of cornel and I have seen other findings with cornel core too. According to a table of specific densities I have cornel is exactly as dense as black locust. However, I have never seen a hornbow with black locust core. So what is the reason?
A friend of mine, who is bower told me what could be the answer - black locust wood is rich in etheric oils. So rich, that it's kind of hydrophobic and doesn't rot. So if it is rich in oils, then water-based glues would not penetrate it and won't glue it well. Could that be the reason?
And another question - I'm still looking for maple, but I need a backup plan in case I won't be able to find good wood. Is ash-wood good for that purpouse, and if not - what is the second best choice after maple ?
Apologies if I'm teaching grandma to suck eggs here. :wink:
The core of a horn bow has to accommodate a shearing force. Traditionally, wood from the muricaciae (mulberry and rubbery woods) were favoured. Osage orange belongs to that family.
On the other hand, there were bowyers (mainly those without a great choice of woods) who just made a minimal core sufficient to assemble the main working components. For that purpose, the main value is in having a wood that absorbs the water-based glue so that the glue also becomes a structural component and not just an adhesive. You see this in bows from desert areas of North Asia.
If your wood is neither good for accommodating a shearing force nor accept penetration of glue readily, it's probably not right for the job. I would definitely avoid an oily wood.
S
The core of a horn bow has to accommodate a shearing force. Traditionally, wood from the muricaciae (mulberry and rubbery woods) were favoured. Osage orange belongs to that family.
On the other hand, there were bowyers (mainly those without a great choice of woods) who just made a minimal core sufficient to assemble the main working components. For that purpose, the main value is in having a wood that absorbs the water-based glue so that the glue also becomes a structural component and not just an adhesive. You see this in bows from desert areas of North Asia.
If your wood is neither good for accommodating a shearing force nor accept penetration of glue readily, it's probably not right for the job. I would definitely avoid an oily wood.
S
Black locust is oily, heavy and dense.
Cornel is a hardwood too, but it is not so dense like black locust, before glueing coat it several times with a thin solution of glue(1:10 or thinner).
I?ve never used it as a wooden core for a hornbow, but it?s historical evidence for that purpose has been prooven.
Stephen, you?re very right, but I guess an osage- core adds to much weight to any kind of efficient hornbow. Osage is a real heavy wood.
In my opinion osage is heavily over- estimated even as a wood for a selfbow, due to its heavy physical weight.
Michael
Cornel is a hardwood too, but it is not so dense like black locust, before glueing coat it several times with a thin solution of glue(1:10 or thinner).
I?ve never used it as a wooden core for a hornbow, but it?s historical evidence for that purpose has been prooven.
Stephen, you?re very right, but I guess an osage- core adds to much weight to any kind of efficient hornbow. Osage is a real heavy wood.
In my opinion osage is heavily over- estimated even as a wood for a selfbow, due to its heavy physical weight.
Michael
Redhawk is right. White porouse woods is prefer except bamboo. Its special . In your country is Tartaric maple- beatiful wood .