ADD MOR & MOE

Wood - Common Name(s) Binomial SG

TBBv4 DRon Knife
Acacia Acacia
Black/Australian Blackwood melanoxylon 0.60
Alder Alnus
Red rubra 0.41 0.41
Grey incana 0.47 0.47
European/Black/Common glutinosa
White rhombifolia
Almond Prunus dulcis 0.67
Apricot Prunus armeniaca 0.67
Apple Malus spp. 0.68 0.65
Ash Fraxinus
Black negra 0.49 0.49
Green pennsylvanica 0.56 0.56
Oregon latifolia 0.56 0.56
Blue quadrangulata 0.58 0.58
White americana 0.59 0.59
European excelsior 0.61 0.61
Aspen Populus
Quaking tremuloides 0.38
Bigtooth grandidentala 0.39
Avocado Persea americana mill 0.70
Baldcypress Taxodium distichum 0.46
Balsa Ochroma pyramidale 0.16
Bamboo
Basswood Tilia americana 0.37 0.37
Bay, California Laurel, Myrtle, Peppe Umbellularia californica 0.57 0.56
Beech Fagus
American grandifolia 0.64 0.64
European sylvatica 0.64
Beefwood/Bulletwood
Birch Betula
River populifolia
Gray nigra
Paper papyrifera 0.55 0.55
Silver/European pendula 0.59 0.59
White/European/Downy pubescens 0.59 0.59
Yellow alleghaniensis 0.62 0.62
Sweet/Cherry/Black lenta 0.65 0.65
Black Locust/Robinia/False Acacia Robinia pseudoacacia 0.69 0.69
Blackthorn Prunus spinosa 0.87
Blue Beech/American Hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana
Box Elder Acer nigundo 0.46 0.46
Brazilian Cherry/Jatoba Hymenaea courbaril 0.91
Brazilwood/Pernambuco Caesalpinia echinata 0.98
Buckeye, Aesculus
Yellow octandra 0.36 0.36
California californica
Buckthorn/Cascara/Chittam Ramnus purshiana 0.52
Butternut Juglans cinerea 0.38 0.38
Buttonwood/Button Mangrove Conocarpus erectus 0.85 0.85
California Nutmeg Torreya californica
Catalpa, Northern Catalpa speciosa 0.41
Cedar Chamaecyparis
Atlantic White thyoicles 0.32
Port Orford lawsoniana 0.43 0.43
Alaska nootkatensis 0.44 0.44
Cedar Thuja
Northern White/Eastern Arborvitae occidentalis 0.31
Western Red/Giant Arborvitae plicata 0.33 0.32
Yellow ??? 0.44
Cedar Cupressus
Leyland Cypress x leylandii
Alaskan/Yellow nootkatensis
Cherry Prunus
Black/American serotina 0.50 0.50
Sweet avium L. 0.66
Bitter emarginata 0.66
European Wild avium 0.65
Common Chokecherry virginiana 0.65
Western Chokecherry virginiana var. demissa 0.65
Eastern virginiana var. virtiniana
Hollyleaf/Evergreen ilicifolia 0.93
Chestnut, American Castanea dentate 0.43 0.43
Cottonwood Populus
Black trichocarpa 0.35 0.45
Eastern deltoids 0.40 0.40
Crepe Myrtle Lagerstroemia spp. 0.75
Desert Willow Chilopsis linearis 0.61
Dogwood Cornus
 Flowering florida 0..73 0.73
Pacific nuttallii 0.75
American sericera
Ebony Diospyros spp. 0.90
Eastern Red Cedar Juniperus virginiana 0.48 0.47
Elderberry sambucus velutina 0.50 <0.50
Elm Ulmus
English procera 0.49 0.49
American americana 0.50 0.50
Sippery rubra 0.53 0.53
Wych glabra 0.60 0.60
Rock thomasii 0.63 0.63
Cedar crassifolia 0.64 0.64
Winged alata 0.66 0.66
Eucalyptus Eucalyptus
Spotted Gum maculate 1.00
Blue/Red/Grey Gum 0.65
Fir Abies
Balsam balsamea 0.36 0.36
White concolor 0.37 0.37
Noble procera 0.38 0.38
Pacific Silver amabilis 0.38 0.38
California Red magnifica 0.39 0.39
Norway alba 0.43 0.43
Fir Psuedotsuga
Douglas menziesii 0.48 0.49
Fremontia/Flannelbush Fremontodendron californicum 0.40
Goncolo Alves Astronium fraxinofolium 0.79 0.80
Guava Psidium cattleianum Sabine 0.90
Hackberry Celtis occidentalis 0.53 0.53
Sugarberry laevigata 0.51 0.51
Hawthorn Crataegus spp. 0.83 0.80
Hazel/Hazelnut Corylus spp.
Cali. Hazelnut/Filbert cornuta
Common avellana
Hemlock Tsuga 0.42
Eastern canadensis 0.40
Western heterophylla 0.44
Hickory Carya
Shellbark laciniosa 0.69 0.69
Shagbark ovata 0.72 0.72
 Mocknut tomentosa 0.72 0.72
Pignut glabra 0.75 0.75
Nutmeg Hickory myristiciformis 0.60 0.60
Water Hickory aquatica 0.62 0.62
Pecan illinoiensis 0.66 0.66
Bitternut Hickory cordiformis 0.66 0.66
Holly Ilex
American opaca 0.56 0.56
European aquifolium 0.68 0.68
Honey Locust Gleditsia triacanthos 0.66 0.66
Honeysuckle Lonicera spp. 0.85
Hornbeam, Ironwood, Musclewood Carpinus caroliniana 0.70 0.70
Horse Chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum 0.45
Hophornbeam/American Ironwood Ostrya virginiana 0.70 0.70
Ipe/Brazilian Walnut Tabebuia spp. 1.00 1.08
Junipers Juniperus 0.45
Alligator deppeana
Kentucky Coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus 0.60 0.60
Koa/Hawaiian Koa Acacia koa 0.60 0.60
Laburnum Laburnum anagyroides 0.84
Larch Larix
European/Common decidua 0.53 0.52
Western occidentalis 0.53 0.51
Lemonwood/Degame Calycophyllum candidissimum 0.67 0.67
Lignum Vitae/Ironwood Guaiacum spp. 1.14
Lilac, Syringa Syringa vulgaris 0.82
Lime, European Tilia vulgaris 0.48
Linden, American
Locust
Madrone, Pacific Arbutus menziesii 0.65 0.60
Magnolia Magnolia
Southern grandiflora 0.48 0.50
Sweetbay/Laurel Magnolia virginiana 0.48 0.48
Mahogany 0.50 <0.50
African Khaya senegalensis 0.63
Central American Swietenia spp. 0.58
Mango 0.45
Maple Acer
Silver saccharinum 0.47 0.47
Bigleaf macrophyllum 0.48 0.47
Red rubrum 0.54 0.54
 Norway platanoides 0.57
Black nigrum 0.57 0.57
Vine circinatum Pursh 0.60 0.60
Hard/Rock/Sugar saccharum 0.63 0.63
Field campestre 0.66
Tatar tataricum ?
Massaranduba/Beefwood/Braz. RedwoManilkara bidentata 1.00
Mesquite/Honey Mesquite Prosopis glandulosa 0.77 0.81
Mountain Mahogany Cercocarpus ledifolius 0.90 0.80
Mountain Laurel/Spoonwood Kalmia latifolia 0.68 0.68
Mulberry Morus
Red rubra 0.68 0.66
White/Fruitless alba 0.62
Oak, Red Quercus
California Black kelloggii 0.57 0.57
Southern Red falcate 0.59 0.59
Black veluntina 0.61
Northern Red rubra 0.63
Pin palustris 0.63
Scarlet coccinea 0.63 0.67
Oak, White Quercus
Bur macrocarpa 0.57 0.63
Chestnut prinus 0.59
Post stellata 0.61
Sessile petraea 0.63
White alba 0.67 0.68
Oregon White garryana 0.69 0.72
Swamp White bicolor 0.70 0.72
Live virginiana 0.85 0.82
Tanoak
Oak, European/English Quercus robur 0.62 0.67
Ocean Spray, Creambush, Ironwood Holodiscus discolor 0.81
Olive Olea europaea L. 0.91
Orange Citrus spp. 0.64
Osage Orange Maclura pomifera 0.82 0.82
Padauk Pterocarpus spp. 0.67 0.67
Palm, Black Palm Borassus flabellifer 0.90
Peach Prunus persica 0.68
Pear Pyrus spp. 0.73 0.73
Pecan
Persimmon/White Ebony Diospyros virginiana 0.74 0.74
Pine Pinus
Eastern White strobe 0.35 0.35
Sugar lambertiana 0.36 0.36
Western White monticola 0.38 0.38
Ponderosa ponderosa 0.40 0.40
Lodgepole contorta 0.41 0.41
Red resinosa 0.44 0.44
Scots sylvestris 0.45 0.45
Loblolly taeda 0.51 0.51
Shortleaf echinata 0.51 0.51
Pitch rigida 0.51
Southern Yellow/Georgia/Longleaf palustris 0.57 0.55
Slash/Dade County elliotti 0.62 0.56
Plum Prunus 0.70
Wild americana 0.73
Domestic domesitca 0.68
Purple Leaf cerasifera 0.69
Poplar, Yellow/Tulipwood Liriodendron tulipifera 0.42
Poplar Populus ~0.37
Balsam balsamifera 0.34
White alba 0.36
European/Black nigra 0.39
Grey canesceris 0.40
Privet Ligustrum vulgare 0.65
Purpleheart Pelyogyne spp. 0.82
Quince Cydonia oblonga
Ramin Gonystylus macrophyllum 0.59 0.59
Redwood Sequoia sempervirens 0.38 0.40
Rosewood, Honduras Dalbergia latifolia 0.90
Rowan/Mountain Ash Sorbus aucuparia 0.61 0.60
Russian Olive Eleaagnus angustifolia L.
Sassafras Sassafras albidum 0.46 0.46
Serviceberry/Juneberry/Shadbush Amelanchier spp. 0.75 0.70
Scotch/Irish/English Broom Cytisus scoparius 0.66
Silverbell Halesia carolina 0.48 0.48
Snakewood Piratinera quiannsi 1.00 1.00
Spruce Picea
Sitka sitchensis 0.40 0.40
White glauca 0.40 0.40
Black mariana 0.40 0.40
Red rubens 0.41 0.40
 Norway albies 0.42 0.42
Sumac/Staghorn Rhus typhina 0.48 0.47
Sweetbay
Sweetgum/Redgum/Sapgum Liquidambar styraciflua 0.52 0.52
Sycamore/American Plane Platanus occidentalis 0.49 0.49
London Plane x acerifolia 0.55
Syringa/Mock Orange Philadelphus spp. 0.75
Tamarack Larix larcina 0.52
Tanoak Notholithocarpus densiflorus 0.65 0.65
Teak Tectona grandis 0.60 0.57
Toyon/California Holly Heteromeles arbutifolia
Tree-of-Heaven Ailanthus altissima 0.52 0.52
Tulipwood, Brazilian Dalbergia fructescens var. toment 0.86 0.86
Tupelo/Black Gum Nyssa sylvatica 0.51 0.50
Black Walnut Juglans nigra 0.55 0.55
Southern California californica 0.55
Northern California hindsii 0.55
Walnut, European Juglans regia 0.56 0.56
Wenge Millenttia laurentii 0.70 0.67
Willow Salix spp. 0.39
Black nigra 0.39
White alba 0.40
Yellow lutea
Witch Hazel Hamamelis virginiana 0.60 0.60
Yew, Pacific Taxus brevifolia 0.64 0.63
Yew, European Taxus baccata 0.66 0.66
Irish fastigiata
Zebrawood Microberlinia brazzavillensi 0.68 0.68
MOR & MOE
SG Porous?
Wood DB Primitive Ways
0.66
0.64

0.45 Diffuse-porous

0.50 Closed pores

0.47

Semi-ring-porous
0.83 0.70 Diffuse-porous

0.55 Ring-porous
0.64
0.61
0.64
0.67 Ring-porous
0.68 Ring-porous

0.45 Diffuse-porous
0.43 Diffuse-porous

0.51 Non-porous
0.15 Diffuse-porous
0.50-0.85
0.42 Diffuse-porous
0.63 0.56 Diffuse-porous

0.72 Diffuse-porous
0.71 Diffuse-porous

0.56 Diffuse-porous
0.59 Diffuse-porous
0.61 Diffuse-porous
0.64 Diffuse-porous
0.62 Diffuse-porous
0.69 Diffuse-porous
0.74 Diffuse-porous
0.77 Ring-porous

0.79 Diffuse-porous
0.49 0.42 Diffuse-porous
0.91 Diffuse-porous
0.98 Diffuse-porous
0.40 Diffuse-porous
Diffuse-porous
0.41 Diffuse-porous
0.61
0.43 Semi-ring-porous

0.35 No resin canals

0.64

0.50 No resin canals

0.50 No resin canals

0.56 Semi-ring-porous to di
0.55

0.55

0.53

0.60
0.79 Diffuse-porous

0.68

Diffuse-porous

0.58

Diffuse-porous

Diffuse-porous
0.38 Diffuse-porous
Diffuse-porous
 Diffuse-porous
Diffuse-porous
Diffuse-porous
Diffuse-porous
Diffuse-porous
Diffuse-porous
1.08 Diffuse-porous
0.82 Diffuse-porous to semi-ring-porous
1.11 Diffuse-porous to semi

0.69 Ring-porous

Ring-porous
Ring-porous
Ring-porous
Ring-porous
Ring-porous
Ring-porous
Ring-porous
Ring-porous (tyloses)
Ring-porous (tyloses)
Ring-porous (tyloses)
Ring-porous (tyloses)
Ring-porous (tyloses)
Ring-porous (tyloses)
Ring-porous (tyloses)
Ring-porous (tyloses)
Diffuse-porous

Ring-porous
0.86

Diffuse-porous
0.97

0.64

Semi-ring-porous
0.89

0.61

0.51
 Diffuse-porous
Diffuse-porous

0.85
0.67 0.65 Diffuse-porous to semi

0.84

Diffuse-porous
Semi-ring-porous

0.53

0.70
Notes

Over 1000 species. See Koa.

Treat as if SG 0.50 for safety. Steam-bends well.

Tends to check and warp while drying.

Takes an abnormally large set.
Weakest of the ashes.

The heaviest American ash, almost all sapwood. Oregon looks and acts like white.

surface as belly. Bamboo fibers tend to split and pull out when being cross-cut; use
masking tape over the cut line to prevent this.

Usually excessively twisted and gnarly.

See Massaranduba
Lighter birches somewhat tension-brittle, and fret in compression. Served well by a
rawhide backing.
Stronger in tension than compression. Frets and chrysals easily, making this wood
ideal for teaching you how to tiller.

Not Hophornbeam, as Tim Baker indicates.

A maple.

Treat like a medium-density birch. 6-8" diameter trunks, so not commercially avail.

Behaves like lower-density yew

Cedars are brittle, typically poor wood. Pick densest, oldest growth possible.

Very light and brittle.

According to Wikipedia, yellow cedar is also Thuja occidentalis.

Excellent bow wood.

Not a typo for SG

Dogwood-like.
Not a willow.
Tough and strong. Endures a large set before breaking.
See also Persimmon.
A juniper. Exceptional potential. Elastic, but weak in tension (?). Heartwood is purple-
red. Thin rawhide will help compensate for tension weakness.
SG 0.40-0.6. Better if denser. Ligher wood should be longer and wider.
Elms are especially strong in tension compared to compression.

Somewhat brittle in tension, chrysals easily, tends to be twisted.

Most other varieties, esp. younger trees, are lighter and more brittle.
Grown in Cali. for timber, reportedly strong, but tested weak.

Look for heartwood boards or trees with high percentage of dark in rings. If dense, like
mid-weight ash.
Light, tough. Withstood taking a design suitable for SG 0.65.
Difficult to steam bend. May be better flat than crowned.
Heat-bends well. Seems promising.
Steam-bends very well. Very similar to elm.
Treat like a light elm.

The champ. Strong in tension. Unless violated, never needs backing.

More sapwood than black locust. All sapwood is OK if longer/wider than usual.

Usually twisted and gnarly, but if straight, can be good.

Treat like a denser maple.

0.40-0.50, usu. All varieties can make excellent bows.

Possibly the densest kind

Grain is usually slightly interlocked, and sometimes wavy.

Excellent, elastic wood.
Tamarack is another larch.

Similar to pecan. Trees grow very straight.

~0.85 sapwood; sapwood makes good bows
Has good potential if straight wood can be found.

See Basswood
See Black Locust, Honey Locust
Somewhat brittle in tension. Rawhide will help. Shorter bows, even sinew-backed, have
been reported breaking.

Large variety of similar woods. Density matters; lighter staves should be longer and
wider to compensate.

Tension-strong. Great bow wood.

 Like Ipe, but straighter.
orous to semi-ring-porous
Very hard and tough.
Heavy and strong but brittle
Cousin of osage. Make about 25% wider than osage, ceteris paribus. Like osage, can
leave sapwood on the stave if undamaged.

All white oaks are very strong. They take set, but are hard to break. Tylose fills the
pores.

Heaviest true oak, and heaviest North American tree. Only non-ring porous oak.
Not a true oak; see Tanoak

Strong, durable. Highly prized for making arrow shafts.

Checks easily while drying.
Other citrus species generally similar.
Heaviest common North American wood. Lighter yellow wood typically less dense,
more brittle, but cast better.
Tested brittle in tension, but few sample available.
Denser on the outside. Use outside as the belly. Make longer than usual to keep set
low.

Somewhat prone to checking.

See Hickory
Interlocking grain. Strong in tension.
Typically considered terrible bow wood. Good bows can be made, however.

0.60-0.65. elliotti var densa grows in Florida.

All plums difficult to dry without checking.

Compression strength as if SG 0.70. Frets easily. Treat like hophornbeam. Strong in

tension, but hard to pick out flaws due to color of wood.
Should be similar to other rose-family trees, particularly apple and pear.
Small tool handles can make fine kid bows. Large handles bows to about 50#.

Weaker in tension than compression. Try working-handle designs, especially an ELB.

Treat like plum. Tends to check while drying.

SG 1+. Very dense.

See Magnolia
Good bows reported. Crowned bellies often fret. Often warps while drying.

A larch.
Sapwood is very wide and not clearly differentiated from the heartwood.
SG 0.55-0.65. Oily. Rot-resistant.
Fairly brittle.

Great wood. Like cherry, but stronger in tension. Can use heartwood, sapwood, or
both.

tension to tolerate being a backward bow: the crowned sapling surface as belly, the
split back surface tillered.
Usu. quoted as SG ~0.88, but tested lighter on avg. Brittle in tension relative to
density.
SG usu. <0.40. Best for making wide, thin and long, light bows.

Near identical to European Yew.

rings/inch is good. Density reported as high as 0.80. Sapwood elastic in tension,
heartwood strong in compression; self-bow stave acts like it has a natural backing.
Common landscape yew. Very pin-and-branch filled, thick-ringed and weaker than wild.
Not ideal, but better than nothing. Pins and branches where sun reaches trunk.
Maple-like.