Core lam question

[talkingcabbage]

Hey all!  I'm just looking for some input on different core lam materials for recurves and longbows.  What, in your opinion/experience, is the fastest core wood to use?  Actionboo, osage, red elm, maple, etc?  Or are all of these about the same?

[Troy D. Breeding]

Have to give A-Boo my vote.

Troy

[Dmaxshawn]

Kenny proved walnut is the fastest !!! I'm sure he will be along to repost the thread

Shawn

[Dmaxshawn]

Of course it really doesn't amount to anything if a critter want to duck it there going too even with one of those wheel bow thing-a-ma-jigs.  

The difference between walnut and boo was only a couple fps.

[jsweka]

If I remember right, in Kenny's experiments with different core woods in the same bow design, it didn't make much difference and you probably would be able to tell while shooting.

[kennym]

Hi Joe,

Here is the thread, I found very little difference, only wish I'd had time to test with a 9 gpp for each weight. Had to get a bow to a Childrens Hospital auction, so was a bit rushed at the end...

http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001491;p=11

I can't feel any difference in any of the cores at the shot, tho some say this or that is smoother. I'm insensitive I reckon...

[talkingcabbage]

I knew you had done some testing, Kenny.  Just couldn't find the thread!

Well thanks guys.  Guess I just need to pick a color then.

[kennym]

One other thing, red elm has open pores on limb edges, will need filled a bit if you want smoooth edges...

[Dmaxshawn]

This is true Kenny.  be sure to seal the edges good

[2crazy2run]

Easy... White Ash... Hard light and springy ... My two cents!

[eflanders]

I will vote for Walnut as my personal favorite but everyone is also correct in that I doubt very, very much that anyone could really tell and prove the difference (especially in a laminated fiberglass bow).

I base my opinion above based on the simple fact that I have only built all-wood laminated bows. I have made bows to the exact same size and only changed the limb core and I was very hard-pressed to prove that the differences between them were due to the core material used.  I think the inherent difference of one tree to the next of the same species is a bigger noticable variable in the proven core woods.  

Many a bamboo fly rod maker/user will also tell you that you can make the exact same rod taper with absolutely no variables other than the bamboo culm used a 100 times and everyone will feel slightly different from one another.

In my opinion it is the fiberglass "sandwich" and especially the overall bow design that affects shooting performance more so than any limb core material will.