Yew...

[leapingbare]

  Hey guys,, i have a real nice piece of yew waiting for me back in Sweet T.N. I cant wait to get back and build a bow outa it. Only i dont know what sorta bow to make outa it. The stave is long like 70+ inches.. but i am also thinking about a west cost Indian flat bow.. but a nice long bow would be cool to..  heck i cant make up my mind. you dont get a piece of yew like this everyday. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Maby some pro's and cons.

[AKAPK]

Ya could almost get 2 west coast bows outa a yew stave that long, I atcually only seen Flat bow from yew in a museum local and they were cerimonial bows. Shorter and wider, for short distance and longer and Narrow for Long distance shooting I would say.PK

[Keenan]

Leapingbare,   You would really be pushing it to get two bows and if you did the draw would have to be real short. Yew is often full of knots so if you have a clean (knot free) stave I would definitely go for a long bow vs. two shorties. You can always find a piece of yew for a West coast flat bow.
  Look it over good with the bark cleaned off and see what you have. If there is a knot near one end you might want to just remove that and have long/flat bow. Yew is a very versatile wood and works on just about any style of bow.
  Do you have any pics?  Are you going to hunt with it? If so I would go for the medium size bow. 70" bows can be limiting for hunting because of brush/
  But if you are thinking of only target or rendezvous shooting then definitely do the long bow.

[leapingbare]

Keenan, thank you for your input.. i think i will go with a smooth shooting longbow. i think about 68'' should be good.

[D. Tiller]

Nah nah! You want an English longbow around 72 - 76" long with and nice D profile. Make it bend full compass and draw all the way back to a nice 30-31" draw length. These are the sweetest shooting bows around! No stack no strain pulling in 90 - 100#'s. Punches through armored french nights and bullet proof wearing troops like butter. African law enforcement agencies still hire bowmen in Eastern Africa since there heavy arrows from 90 - 100# punch through bullet proof vests like they are not there. That nice little ceramic plate you get in them is ixnaed to boot!!!! 

Personally, I think the rifle is going to go the way of the Do Do bird if things keep going the way they are. Back to the Bow is the way to go!!!! 

[FlintWalker]

Jesse, I looked at that stave the other day and if I remember right, It looked pretty wide.  If it was as wide as I think it was, you might be able to get two English style longbows from it.  I don't think they have to be very wide, but then I could be wrong.  My mind slips from time to time.

[D. Tiller]

Any where from 1 7/8" for bows up to 65# aprox. and 1 1/2" for bows 90 and over 100#'s. I'm shooting and 80#er now! 

[AKAPK]

 

[ravenbeak]

hey Jesse,
is this the stave i sent you?

I think there is a full bow and a kids bow in that stave.

I'd suggest 68" long for a full 28" draw.  what you cut off save and use for tip overlays.

whatever dimensions you end up with,  try to maintain 50-50 sapwood/ heartwood. 

goodluck

[armymedic.2]

i think 68" is a great compromise if you want to hunt with it.  keeps it long and sweet to shoot, but isn;t so long it is a pain to move through the woods with.  every inch counts for a hunting bow.  you wouldn't believe the look on my face the first time i hopped into my popup blind with a 72 inck red oak bow i had just finished.  i looked around for a minute and said out loud, "well this ain;t gonna work."