Which core do you guys prefer for just a regular pyramid style bow with a perry reflex and maybe a reflex deflex design.
i have had great success with HBI 1" & 1/4 at fades out to 3/8" tips, with 2 - 3" glued in reflex, super light to carry- and really snappy- but then i love my osage character bows too.
I'm pretty much with Vanillabear on this one.
I like working osage better than Ipe but I like the end result from my BBI's the most.
It is a toss up between the BBO and BBI for me.
Tough call. I really like the orange stuff myself. :thumbsup:
All of them.
What is IPE?
brazilian walnut, a large tree favoured for its shade and sweet smelling flowers, and many are scattered randomly through farmlands, used as a bow wood in the amazon.
favoured here for decking and flooring- you would find it here at most flooring lumber supply shops.
favoured, or at least recognised by the elite, and those of superior intellect as a fine bow making wood.
Ipe is a South Tropical wood from primarily Central South America and is highly touted as one of the best decking materials in the world. It also is a great bow wood. Different shades but tends towards a dark brown. I have one Bamboo Backed Ipe that I built and it is a sweetheart. Others will tell you much more about it's use as a bow wood. Some folks have reactions (skin, breathing, etc.) to it (the dust mostly) but it didn't bother me at all, even without a mask. I'd have to say Osage is my all-time fav but I like Ipe an awful lot too.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v689/ber643/BBI023.jpg)
Here is a link for the build (2008) on mine (here), if you want a closer look-see:
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=000115#000000
IPE
Since they're both really good, then consider the cost. An osage core can get pricey. Ipe is pretty cheap, the last board worked out at around $5.50 a core