Spent this afternoon shaping LB risers.  One of purple heart and the other of yellow heart.  The yellow heart is certainly easier to work than the purple heart.  Grain has no drama whatever, but in this case am just going for a contrast to the limb veneers.

But, just what is yellow heart?

Tree from South America.  Have never seen it lose it's color like other tropical woods do.

Not osage! I know that much.

Definitely not PD. It's also way softer than purpleheart, and many other woods. Linseed or tung oil will make it pop tho. Really brings out the subtle grain. I wouldn't use it for much more than accents, but that's just me.

Am already commited to a riser with it, so hope it holds up!  I'll try the tung oil and see how that looks.  The grain definition is there, just not distinct.

Brandon Stahl made my wife a bow using cocobolo and yellow heart. He recommended the yellow heart because it looks like osage and it isn't suppose to change in color like Osage will. She has had the bow at least five years now and it still looks like fresh cut Osage.

Wood craft in St. Louis usually has it, and Wood & shop in Eolia carries it.  Don't know where in Missouri you are Vanillbear?  But Eolia in in Pike county, NE Missouri.

Pau Amarello is the name of "yellow heart". Imported from brazil.

I have a yellowheart bow backed with bamboo that is a very good shooter and a looker to boot. Purpleheart accents in the riser and limbs.

I made one of my first glass longbows with a yellow heart riser..and worked just fine.  I haven't used a piece since but will the next time I head to the hardwood store.  Its nice looking stuff.

I have used it several times in risers on glass bows no problems and looks nice.

Yellow heart... yellow goodness!  I love the stuff:

Makes great overlays on black glass.  It doesn't fade or brown out like Osage with exposure to sunlight.  It cuts, grinds & rasps easy.

You can get it for pretty cheap (by comparison to most woods) online from woodcraft or rockler.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2000710/Yellowheart.aspx


http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=30006


The 1/8" x 3" stock makes accents way easy.

I met Tom Turgeon at the Dallas Woodcraft store last year--he had just finished teaching a class where they made English longbows using yellowheart as the belly wood--I don't remember what he backed them with, but he did say yellowheart needed a backing. I like to use it as an accent wood with purpleheart in handles and nock tips. As premium hardwoods go, yellowheart is fairly inexpensive.

Here's one I made last winter, nice to work with.                                                 s