I have a Northern Mist Sheldon on order and was wondering if the core wood make any difference in the bow other than looks? some pictures of wood combos would be a big help in my decision.
I think it can make a difference. I'm a fan of Bamboo but some like maple or elm. I know Mike Treadway really likes Sassafras. You should should ask Steve T. since he is going to build your bow.
The performance of a laminated bow is in the design of the bow first and the core woods second. For instance My bamboo cored - Black Widow PSAX limbs on my Kingwood bows are at best only a couple feet per second faster then the standard birch or maple PSA limbs.
I agree with Ron, if you don't have a preference, then speak with your bowyer. He knows his bows better than anyone.
It can make a difference, slight, mostly in how a bow feels as opposed to performance.
I've had/have several of Steve's bows in both Elm and Bamboo. I prefer Elm limbs.
Elm, Boo, Yew all make a good longbow limb. Osage & Hickory get kind of heavy.
Eric
I agree that design is most important, but the type and amount of interior laminations also make a difference. The more core and the less glass or carbon used, the more the core has an effect. And the heavier the core, the more it reduces performance. That's why I like bamboo over osage cores, for example. We're not talking big differences here, but they are noticeable, IMO.
A few years ago, KennyM made up a bunch of bows with the only difference being the cores. If I recall, walnut cores were the most efficient.
One factor that hasn't been mentioned is if the bow will be glassed. If so, the core material will not make much difference. If not, it makes a significant difference in my experience.
I think the core makes a difference in how the bow feels. I prefer bamboo cores over everything else that I have tried.
Yes the bow will be glassed. I understand glass color makes a difference. Black giving the best performance.
I had no idea that glass color would make a difference?
I'm going to say that is wrong as in tournament shooting we always had light colored glass for long term limb performance. As I remember black glass soaked up the sun's heat and caused slower limb speed. Of course that was back in the 70's when I was shooting in the NAA Nationals and try outs for the Olympics........Horserod
Less is better, according to some bowyers that are using carbon and foam instead of wood. Some woods like Red Elm are more consistent than others. There have been a number of books on the subject.
Depend lot of thinks... bow geometry,bow lenght,draw lenght........
but usualy under 28 " draw lenght,good quality maple core is perfect,over 29" bambou core is a little bit better (feel smoother) .but it's allways better to ask with the bower
Yes black glass is a little bit faster.