Bamboo Archery - Malaysia

As it turned out, high quality Quilted Maple is very difficult to source, I couldn't get any of it. So while searching for alternatives, I came across Tamo Ash. I actually encountered this veneer years ago, but I didn't know what it was. It was beautiful and my customer paid a heavy price for the mesmerizing veneer. Today, I realized why it was so expensive 🤣. This veneer will be available on the Spirit of Khorasa.

# # The Peak of Luxury Woodcraft: Why Tamo Ash is the Ultimate Trophy Material

For designers, luthiers, and master woodworkers, standard wood choices often fall short when a project demands a true statement of luxury. When conventional exotics like ebony or koa become predictable, the design world looks toward Japan for its ultimate hidden treasure: Tamo Ash.

Scientifically known as Fraxinus mandshurica, this is not your everyday ash tree. It represents one of the absolute rarest, most visually arresting biological phenomena on Earth.

Here is why this legendary Asian hardwood is the crown jewel of architectural veneers, and why it commands some of the highest prices in the timber industry.

# # Born of Myth and Nature: The East Asian Origin

True Tamo Ash originates from the dense, cold forests of East Asia—primarily Northern Japan, South Korea, and the Russian Far East. However, just finding the tree is not enough.

The legendary "Tamo" figure cannot be farmed, engineered, or predicted. It is a freak occurrence of nature.

Traditional wood lore states that the mesmerizing, rippled figure is born from struggle. As young saplings grow, heavy wild vines wrap tightly around the trunks. For decades, the tree fights this constrictive pressure, forcing the wood fibers to buckle, twist, and compress into a tight, undulating wave pattern.

When you look at a piece of Tamo Ash, you are looking at the physical signature of a tree's decades-long battle with its environment.

# # Unmatched Visual Depth: The "Peanut Shell" Quilt

While unfigured logs are simply sold as Manchurian Ash, a true Tamo log reveals a spectacular, three-dimensional grain pattern under its bark.

* The Quilted Illusion: Often described as a "peanut shell" or "bubble" quilt, the wood looks completely fluid.
* The 3D Effect: It tricks the human eye into seeing deep ridges, rolling hills, and watery pockets on a surface that is completely flat.
* The Color Palette: The wood boasts a radiant, warm tone that shifts dynamically from creamy straw-biscuit to brilliant liquid gold under the light.

No two logs are identical, meaning any piece of furniture or instrument crafted from it is a completely unique, unrepeatable work of art.

# # Extreme Scarcity: A Vanishing Resource

Tamo Ash is not just rare; it is actively vanishing from the commercial market. Due to decades of intense global demand, strict conservation measures and rigid harvesting quotas have been enacted across its native regions.

* Strict Logging Quotas: Governments in East Asia heavily restrict the felling of old-growth ash trees to prevent the loss of native forests.
* Export Restrictions: Japan strictly manages its pristine timberlands, making the export of raw, highly-figured Tamo logs incredibly rare.

Today, the global supply is largely restricted to existing, prized veneer inventories held by elite brokers. For a collector or developer, acquiring a sequence of premium Tamo veneer is the ultimate design flex—once current worldwide stocks are gone, they may never be replaced.

# # Why It Reigns Supreme as an Architectural Veneer

Because highly-figured Tamo logs are so impossibly rare, cutting them into solid lumber would be a tragic waste of natural art. Instead, master logs are sliced into ultra-thin architectural veneers. This process maximizes the yield of the grain and allows the pattern to be "book-matched" or "slip-matched" across massive surface areas.

The wood is highly prized by veneer specialists because it takes high-gloss lacquers and specialized stains like a sponge. When a master finisher applies a mirror-coat to Tamo Ash, the chatoyancy—the way the wood reflects light—is nothing short of hypnotic. It doesn't just sit on a wall; it glows.

# # The Ceiling Value: What Does the Highest Grade Fetch?

When a log possesses flawless, ultra-dense "grape" or "peanut" figure with zero mineral defects, it enters the upper echelon of the global luxury market.

While standard commercial veneers sell for a few dollars per square foot, the highest museum-grade Tamo Ash veneer can fetch upwards of $40 to over $70 per square foot. For an entire flitch (a complete series of slices from a single log), luxury architectural firms and private collectors routinely bid tens of thousands of dollars just to secure exclusive rights to a single tree's yield.

# # Where Legends Use Tamo Ash

You will not find Tamo Ash in standard residential homes or commercial offices. It is reserved exclusively for high-consequence environments where budget is no object:

* Superyachts & Private Jets: It is a favorite choice for custom-built cabin walls and bulkheads, providing a warm, opulent atmosphere that screams bespoke luxury.
* Hyper-Luxury Automobiles: Elite automotive brands like Bentley use Tamo Ash for their handcrafted dashboard inserts, matching the wood's swirling grain to the contours of the cockpit.
* Elite Instrument Design: World-renowned luthiers like Benedetto Guitars and Emerald Guitars use Tamo Ash to create breathtaking acoustic backdrops and electric guitar tops that look as spectacular as they sound.
* Executive Boardrooms: High-end interior designers deploy it as statement feature walls, entryway doors, and custom executive desks in the headquarters of multinational corporations.

# # Invest in a Masterpiece

Tamo Ash is more than just timber. It is a historical record of nature’s resilience, an optical illusion carved by time, and a finite resource that grows scarcer by the day. To choose Tamo Ash is to invest in an elite tier of craftsmanship that guarantees your project will never be replicated.

If Horsebow is a compact, recurve bow designed specifically for use on horseback, then this is the real Crabbow 🤣!

I love AI, a fantastic tool in helping me to make the right decision. These 2 photos illustrate how the color and texture of different wood would go together on the Khorasa. Customizing heavily textured bow requires extra thought so that it becomes a worthy collection.

Option 1:
Riser - Stabilized Curly Mango
Limb - Quilted Maple Veneer
Kasan - White Oak

Option 2:
Riser - Stabilized Curly Mango
Limb - Sapele Pommele Veneer
Kasan - Dark Oak

FREE WOOD VENEER - FIRST 5 CUSTOMERS ONLY

Bowyer happens to have an unused old stock of wood veneer, but he doesn't know what wood it was. After investigation, it turns out to be lacewood, which is a highly popular, decorative specialty wood. Even though it isn't some super exotic, ultra expensive wood, I still think it has an interesting and unique wood texture. So instead of being wasted, I suggested to offer it as a free veneer. The quantity is only enough for 5 bows, hence will be on first come, first serve basis. If you are interested in the Spirit of Khorasa, but can only afford the basic version, you can add this option for free.

💬https://wa.me/60122669631

Super Recurves are gaining popularity within China, particularly in the combat archery arena (aka Archery Tag). Consequently, many orders tend to be around 30 #, but let's dive deeper to understand what is actually going on. The quick answer is all about gaining an upper hand in a competitive game. When one player does it, everyone follows because nobody wants to be handicapped.

But why 30 #? For player safety, usually the game limits the poundage to a max of just 30 # 28". SR allows player to deliver 15-20% more energy for the same draw weight. So obviously, if you aren't allowed to increase the poundage, you'd game the system with a SR to squeeze every bit of advantage! And when your peers see that you can legally shoot with 15-20% more power, everyone wants the same thing!

This connects to the practicality of a "better" bow. Many people often brush it off that archery is all about the archer, not the bow. That's not true at all, in fact in most sports, it's a harmony of both the player and the equipment. Take out the equipment and the player is in deep trouble. Archery is a technical sport, and if your rival can deliver 15-20% more power, more speed, and more range, you are at a severe disadvantage.

Even historically, this is still true and applicable. If you are a commander/general, and you know your enemy's bows deliver 15-20% more power than yours, that's not something you can just brush off ... that it's all about the strategy, tactics, training and discipline. It means in battle, your soldiers need heavier, thicker armor, and that slows them down, exhaust them much faster. Your army will be rained upon with arrows before your archers can even get in range, and your archers will be exhausted much sooner. Of course it doesn't mean you will lose, but surely won't be easy to win without significant losses.

So even ancient bowyers race to design bows that are smoother and more efficient. Let me give an actual example, modern Korean archery fans may claim that the stacking on Korean bows is the optimum design. But this is completely false and just a self-deception. Korean hornbows do not have the same stacking issue at all. The problem is that laminated Korean bows are usually designed to allow easier mass production at minimum cost. If you tweak and optimize it, it can actually be much smoother without changing the profile. So we shouldn't self-deceive and excuse poor design, but to be objective and motivate bowyers to follow the same goal as ancient bowyers.

Wow, this wood is so beautiful, you might even think it's impossible to be real. But it is a real wood veneer!

Found this exotic material while configuring for the Spirit of Khorasa. It will be made available on Yuwen and Mariner as well. If you're a collector like myself, this is a must have!

Sapele Pommele is a rare, highly figured variety of Sapele (Entandrophragma cylindricum), an African hardwood in the mahogany family. It is distinguished by its dramatic, three-dimensional "blistered" pattern that resembles raindrops on a window or "plum pudding".

The Copper Red Appearance
Sapele Pommele is famous for its rich copper red to deep reddish-brown color.
[Luster and Depth] The wood has a natural, velvety sheen and intense chatoyance (light reflectivity). When light hits the surface, the "bubbles" of the figure seem to shift and glow with a metallic, copper-like brilliance.
[Aging] While it may start as a lighter golden-red or pinkish-brown, it deepens over time into a magnificent, darker copper-bronze or rich mahogany tone.

Why It Is Highly Prized
Sapele Pommele is considered one of the most elite decorative woods for several reasons:
[Exceptional Rarity] Unlike the standard "ribbon" grain of regular Sapele, the Pommele figure occurs only in select trees due to irregular growth stresses or genetic deviations. Finding a log with uniform figure across its entire length (sometimes up to 12 feet) is extremely rare.
[Three-Dimensional Visuals] The "pommele" (French for "dappled" or "apple-shaped") figure creates a 3D effect that regular grain cannot achieve. It is often described as looking like "champagne bubbles rising in a glass" or a "turtle shell".
[Superior Durability] Beyond its beauty, it is significantly harder and denser than genuine mahogany, with a Janka hardness of approximately 1,410 lbf—similar to hard maple or English oak.
[High Market Value] Due to its scarcity and aesthetic appeal, figured Sapele veneer can be extremely expensive, sometimes reaching nearly $140 per square foot for the highest grades.

Typical Uses
Because of its high cost and striking look, it is typically used in thin veneers for:
[Luxury Interiors] Yacht cabins, private jets, and star-rated hotel paneling.
[Fine Furniture] Statement pieces like executive desks, conference tables, and boutique cabinetry.
[Musical Instruments] Premium acoustic guitar backs and sides, or the tops of luxury electric guitars.

Some days like today, it gets to 37°C ... and this is ambient air temperature on a moving vehicle! Surface temperature directly in the sunlight is even hotter! This forces air to expand and pushes out of wood/bamboo. Then in the evening, it rained ... with 100% relative humidity. So moisture gets sucked back into wood/bamboo as temperature cools, creating a vacuum effect. This is one of the biggest reasons why laminated bows are much more prone to failure and had to be specially designed/modified to handle the extreme conditions in this climate. Otherwise, the aftersales breakage/warranty is just brutal and would force any brand/manufacturer/seller out of business. On the bright side, bows that are proven here have minimal risk when used in any cooler/drier climates ... just a walk in the park.

When you do any warranty claim, please do not tamper with the original broken unit. Keep it in its original broken state as evidence just in case the warranty claim was accidentally forgotten and had to be reported again. Ask for manufacturer/seller's advice on disposal procedure because they might want it back for failure analysis, or they may want the original unit to be properly destroyed and disposed to prevent future liabilities from an already claimed unit.

Thanks Walrus Fagurt for the funny review. The Super series are among the most overlooked, underrated, and underappreciated bows in the market. With a starting price of RM2300=$580=€497=£428, identical to a Mariner Premium Carbon, they are often brushed aside without even looking at the performance.

For example, many simply assume that a Super Ming is probably like a Mariner Ming Moon 6, or an AF Sicai that are similar in shape and size, but they couldn't be more wrong! Many people thought that simply having the profile of a Ming bow gets you a Ming bow's performance, but that's completely false! You can literally have two identical looking bows, but one has been subtly tweaked and optimized, and the performance can be completely different!

AF Sicai vs Mariner Ming Moon 6, you can already feel the Mariner being smoother, faster, more efficient, more refined, and people are often willing to pay the difference. But Super Ming vs Ming Moon 6, the gap is even bigger! In fact, Super Ming > Josyrian-X > Ming Moon 6 in smoothness, speed, efficiency, refinement, and it costs the same as the Ming Moon 6. Even crazier is the fact that Super Ming is actually running on Dacron B50 bowstring, not Fastflight! The bow is Fastflight-capable, but Yuwen wants to use up their Dacron stockpile, that's why 😅.

My theory is that most people simply pay for the brand name, only a few such as myself explore and appreciate the technicals. I didn't name it Super Ming for no reason, it is absolutely the most powerful Ming bow in my inventory. The Super Emperor and Super Kaiyuan are derivatives of the same bow. The only bows more powerful than Super Ming are the Super Recurves such as the Spirit of Khorasa, Mini-Smaug, Moonchase, Peregrine, and Smaug.

Beautiful work! If you have the money, why not reward yourself for the hard work? Available on Moonchase, Windchase, and Peregrine.

💬https://wa.me/60122669631