Bows
I've been making bows for over 15 years now and have made 350 bows total. I started with Osage Orange (also known as bodark, horse apple as well as many other names) and later on tried many other types of wood including Pacific Yew, Mulberry, Elm, Hackberry, and Walnut. My favorite wood to use is still Osage Orange and I understand that Osage is the wood of choice for many bowmakers. I've also tried different styles of bows such as the Indian Flat bow, English Long bow, and more recently the Bamboo-backed Osage bow. Although each type of bow has it's own advantages, I prefer the Indian Flat bow.One interesting type of wood I've encountered is the Fiddleback. The Fiddleback is a very interesting type of wood decoration, it can be found in various woods and it's defining characteristic is the curly grain seen on the wood. I was lucky enough to come across this kind of wood in Osage and while many bowmakers can go through hundreds of bows without seeing such a type of wood, I encountered it before my first 100. It is pictured in my gallery, as bow #60, because you can only barely make out the curly grain, I will try to put up another picture soon.