Black Locust Lams

Black locust laminations cut to order. Sustainably sourced from directly from the Driftless area of Southern Wisconsin. Each set is precision-ground to order at the Bending Branch shop to ensure the exact tolerances required for high-end bow building. These are not matched pairs and are not intended to be used as veneers. Black locust grain is ring porous with boldly defined growth rings. The color tones vary greatly. If you would like flat grain parallels to use as veneers, please let us know in your order notes.

In traditional bowmaking, Black Locust is highly valued for limb laminations and tapers because it offers an elite strength-to-weight ratio and exceptional stiffness (Modulus of Elasticity). While often used for risers, its properties make it a high-performance choice for the working parts of a bow. Compare various woods’ mechanical properties >>

Why It’s Used for Limbs and Tapers

• High Energy Storage: Its mechanical properties allow it to store and release kinetic energy very efficiently. When used in a lamination stack, it provides the “backbone” that helps the bow return to its original shape quickly after release. Learn about calculating stack thickness >>
• Compression Resistance: It is one of the strongest North American woods in compression. In a laminated bow, black locust handles the crushing forces on the belly (the side facing the archer) exceptionally well, provided the design is wide enough to distribute the load.
• Stability and Low Shrinkage: With a very low volumetric shrinkage rate (around 10%), it is less likely to warp or twist during the gluing and curing process compared to other hardwoods.

Critical Design Considerations

Because Black Locust is so stiff and has high tension strength, it is prone to chrysals (micro-compression fractures or “frets”) if the limb is too narrow or the tiller is slightly off. I encourage you to do your research to learn from others who have made bows using black locust. A few things I’ve noticed is some bowyers recommend slightly “trapping” the back (making the back narrower than the belly) to force the belly to do more of the work because of the high tension strength. Again, do your research.

Product Specifications:

Quantity: Sold as a pair (2 laminations per order).

Length: 36″

Butt Thickness: Customizable from .030″ to .120″.

Taper Options:

• .001″ per inch
• .002″ per inch
• .000″ per inch (parallel)

For .002″ taper, you must order 0.100″ butt thickness or more. For .001″ taper, you must order 0.070″ butt thickness or larger.

Custom Crafting Timeline:

To ensure maximum precision, all laminations are cut to order. Please allow 3 to 4 business days for production before your order ships.

Contact Eric if you have any questions or have a special sizing or superlam request. Learn more about laminations >>