I have a bunch of of ekki wood boards and I have read that some native tribes made long narrow bows out of them. I have seen a few bows online that were bamboo backed that performed well. I cut some backing strips and did some test bends it's very strong and flexible in 1/8" strips. I'm thinking of backing an Osage board with it and going for it. I figure of the modules of rapture and modules of elastisity are almost the same as hickory it should make a bow or belly wood. Any advice or info in ekki would greatly be appreciated.
What is Ekki?
http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/ekki/
Yes I've used it quite a bit. I got a couple of good boards of it a few years ago. It looks unlike most other woods and makes a good bow.
Go for it. Obviously straight grain is important for a backing.