Light wood for heat bending

jkekoni · Post by **jkekoni** » Tue Oct 15, 2013 5:52 am

Do you know any light woods that would heat bend well?

Bird cherry <prunus padus> should do, but i am looking for lighter one such as goat willow <salid caprea> (bad idea?).

As you probably guessed the idea is to make light (50-65#) hornbow with spliced tips and traditional constructions perform well with traditional weight... only.

Lamination from quality Pine <pinus sylventris> is good, but cannot be corrected with heat post construction(?)

KenH · Post by **KenH** » Wed Oct 23, 2013 12:57 pm

I've had very good luck hot water bending Red Elm

Kviljo · Post by **Kviljo** » Wed Oct 23, 2013 5:24 pm

I'd say maple is the way to go. Some maple can be pretty light, although the performance of a horn bow is probably more dependant on a proper shape and how well it is put together overall.

mikekeswick · Post by **mikekeswick** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:58 am

Prunus avium works. The bow I made with it is still shooting just fine. Fairly low sg but I wouldn't go any lower.
Sheer strength is very important I think.

jkekoni · Post by **jkekoni** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 8:20 am

Light weight maple does not grow here and and none is sold in lumber yards.

I got a new idea.

Aesculus hippocastanum (horse-chestnut / conker tree) Looks and feels like mapple but is lighter. No idea if it heat bends, I should get some and try.

Too bad I have none handy. I have fallen one, but did not collect any, since I though this to be too light for bows.

mikekeswick · Post by **mikekeswick** » Fri Nov 01, 2013 7:14 am

jkekoni wrote:Light weight maple. Non grows here and and non is sold in lumber yards.

I got a new idea.

Aesculus hippocastanum (horse-chestnut / conker tree) Looks and feels like mapple but is lighter. No idea if it heat bends, I should get some and try.

Too bad I have none handy. I have fallen one, but did not collect any, since I though this to be too light for bows.

It is!
Are you planning on using this for a hornbow core?

jkekoni · Post by **jkekoni** » Mon Nov 04, 2013 5:39 am

Not core, but spliced tips.

mikekeswick · Post by **mikekeswick** » Mon Nov 04, 2013 8:17 am

jkekoni wrote:Not core, but spliced tips.

Ah ha! It should be good for that.

Edmund Dohnert · Post by **Edmund Dohnert** » Mon Nov 04, 2013 4:26 pm

jkekoni -

While the non-scientific nomenclature of woods can sometimes confuse different species with each other, the true horse chestnut (at least it's American variety) has a reputation for being a somewhat weak wood not known for its structural strength. As such, I have some doubts as to its suitability for either the core or horns of a bow.

If you can't easily get maple, I would think that beech (if similar to the type found in the US) could be used in its place, as their mechanical properties are not all that different. Or perhaps birch, though it is probably not as strong as beech. Elm is also a pretty tough wood. Any elm in Finland or other parts of Scandinavia?