Hi all, has anyone used Meranti or Pacific Maple for bow laminations?
Just thinking as I made bows with it as a kid, pinched it for the grandfather form his cabinet making timber and got a belting for it too.
Woodie
Meranti?
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Re: Meranti?
Hi Ron,
I have found that the hardness difference in the Meranti group of timbers range from almost like balsa to ironbark.
One piece of dark brown Meranti I used for a keel would stop a 9 ¾” table saw if fed too quickly.
It is an economically priced timber for general carpentry and boat building.
At the end of the day it depends on how much money you are prepared to sacrifice on research and development.
Probably the best advice that I can offer if you want to save money is to stick with the woods that are used by commercial bow manufacturers.
Meranti;
Common Name(s): Dark Red Meranti, Lauan, Philippine Mahogany
Scientific Name: Shorea spp.
Distribution: Southeast Asia
Tree Size: 65-130 ft (20-40 m) tall, 3-6 ft (1-2 m) trunk diameter
Average Dried Weight: 42 lbs/ft3 (675 kg/m3)
Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .55, .68
Janka Hardness: 800 lbf (3,570 N)
Modulus of Rupture: 12,710 lbf/in2 (87.7 MPa)
Elastic Modulus: 1,743,000 lbf/in2 (12.02 GPa)
Crushing Strength: 7,070 lbf/in2 (48.8 MPa)
Shrinkage: Radial: 3.9%, Tangential: 7.8%, Volumetric: 12.5%, T/R Ratio: 2.0
From the Wood Database;
“Comments: Dark Red Meranti is sometimes referred to as Red Lauan, wood in the Shorea genus is very commonly used in Southeast Asia, and there is an abundance of variety between the difference species: each with different working properties, appearances, and mechanical strength values.
Main groupings for Shorea spp. are: Light Red Meranti, Dark Red Meranti, White Meranti, Yellow Meranti, and Balau. The strength and mechanical values listed at the top of this page represent the average of a handful of species within the corresponding group.
Also called Philippine Mahogany, Meranti bears no relation to what is considered to be “true” mahogany in the Swietenia and Khaya genera.”
Pacific Maple (Philippine Light Red Mahogany) is a tropical hardwood typically found in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. It is part of the extensive Shorea species that includes over 180 species and it is a popular export hardwood and commonly made use of as a somewhat more affordable option to expensive teak.
Daryl.
I have found that the hardness difference in the Meranti group of timbers range from almost like balsa to ironbark.
One piece of dark brown Meranti I used for a keel would stop a 9 ¾” table saw if fed too quickly.
It is an economically priced timber for general carpentry and boat building.
- Woodie.jpg (34.33 KiB) Viewed 2023 times
Probably the best advice that I can offer if you want to save money is to stick with the woods that are used by commercial bow manufacturers.
Meranti;
Common Name(s): Dark Red Meranti, Lauan, Philippine Mahogany
Scientific Name: Shorea spp.
Distribution: Southeast Asia
Tree Size: 65-130 ft (20-40 m) tall, 3-6 ft (1-2 m) trunk diameter
Average Dried Weight: 42 lbs/ft3 (675 kg/m3)
Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .55, .68
Janka Hardness: 800 lbf (3,570 N)
Modulus of Rupture: 12,710 lbf/in2 (87.7 MPa)
Elastic Modulus: 1,743,000 lbf/in2 (12.02 GPa)
Crushing Strength: 7,070 lbf/in2 (48.8 MPa)
Shrinkage: Radial: 3.9%, Tangential: 7.8%, Volumetric: 12.5%, T/R Ratio: 2.0
From the Wood Database;
“Comments: Dark Red Meranti is sometimes referred to as Red Lauan, wood in the Shorea genus is very commonly used in Southeast Asia, and there is an abundance of variety between the difference species: each with different working properties, appearances, and mechanical strength values.
Main groupings for Shorea spp. are: Light Red Meranti, Dark Red Meranti, White Meranti, Yellow Meranti, and Balau. The strength and mechanical values listed at the top of this page represent the average of a handful of species within the corresponding group.
Also called Philippine Mahogany, Meranti bears no relation to what is considered to be “true” mahogany in the Swietenia and Khaya genera.”
Pacific Maple (Philippine Light Red Mahogany) is a tropical hardwood typically found in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. It is part of the extensive Shorea species that includes over 180 species and it is a popular export hardwood and commonly made use of as a somewhat more affordable option to expensive teak.
Daryl.
"And you must not stick for a groat or twelvepence more than another man would give, if it be a good bow.
For a good bow twice paid for, is better than an ill bow once broken. [Ascham]
“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” [Einstein]
I am old enough to make my own decisions....Just not young enough to remember what I decided!....
For a good bow twice paid for, is better than an ill bow once broken. [Ascham]
“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” [Einstein]
I am old enough to make my own decisions....Just not young enough to remember what I decided!....
Re: Meranti?
No worries Daryl I was just wondering.
Thanks
woodie
Thanks
woodie
may your arrows fly straight and true and your limbs return.