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Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: Bvas on August 25, 2018, 06:20:41 PM

Title: Let me ash you a question
Post by: Bvas on August 25, 2018, 06:20:41 PM

The emerald ash borers have moved thru our area the past couple years wiping out our ash trees.

How long are these trees still viable as bow wood if they remain standing?

Also, is there a certain ash species that is better? Risers? Core wood?

Title: Re: Let me ash you a question
Post by: Roy from Pa on August 25, 2018, 08:06:25 PM

Long as they are free of holes, they are good.

Lams...

Cores...

Dry ash is the best:)

Title: Re: Let me ash you a question
Post by: Forwardhandle on August 25, 2018, 08:20:38 PM

I have a white ash stave that's been in my rafters a few years I was told by trusted self bowyers that white ash was about the best of the spicies but I have never used ash for any thing yet.

Title: Re: Let me ash you a question
Post by: Pat B on August 25, 2018, 08:46:36 PM

I wouldn't use any dead standing whitewood for self or even backed bows. Fungi is pretty good at it's job of deteriorating dead wood.
 It may be OK under glass or in a riser or maybe knife handle scales.

Title: Re: Let me ash you a question
Post by: Mad Max on August 25, 2018, 08:57:05 PM

Not worth the time :saywhat:

Title: Re: Let me ash you a question
Post by: onemississipp on August 25, 2018, 09:18:08 PM

Black ash is the worst of the ash...
Here are the specific gravity of the ashes, the higher the better..

ASH: green .56; Oregon .56; blue .58; white .59; European .61. White is our heaviest ash. Almost all sapwood. Oregon looks and behaves almost identically to White.

There is also a list on my outdated site

https://sites.google.com/site/onemississipp/bowwoods



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Let me ash you a question
Post by: fujimo on August 25, 2018, 11:07:27 PM

nice site- lots of great info there :thumbsup: