The Penguin

 Good Lord, what could that title mean...? Not actually from my woodlot, but a nice huge old oak behind a Biggby. But seriously folx, as you know I'm a bit of a tree geek*, and as such I'm endlessly fascinated by these woody giants and always want to experiment with them. Today I investigated the properties of five different hardwoods: shagbark hickory, American beech, American basswood, eastern hophornbeam, and musclewood. So background: I've been low-key obsessed with making my own bow and using it for hunting. You may think, "Well gee Rick, go get a stick and some string!" but oh no no, my sweet summer child, it's much more involved than that. The first part of the process is to find a log of the correct length, then split it lengthwise into two or more "staves" that then form the basis for the bow.** The trick is to find the kind of wood that's flexible, long-grained, straight, and without any big knots. Really the best wood for this is found