ERC and Yew chasing ring question?

[Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive]

Ok i have several ERC staves i had cut, but unfortunately the wood borers hit them hard and bored into every one, they dont go very deep, but i need to chase the ring down below them. I have never dont that with ERC before.     i have tried but the rings are so fine and the wood is so different than any hardwoods that im not thinking one continuous ring is feasible.       the wood feels so fine that it seems like you could have violations in the back and would be fine....   but again my erc experience is zero.     so what should i do.  i prefer not to back them with anything,   but  if i was to back them, can sinew be used...... i dont really care for linen or rawhide

ok next part of the question...  is same things above but for Yew. 

and also how long should a erc and a yew bow be for a 28" draw.  I think from what i have read before that a man tall on yew bows.  i know i can tiller an osage bow to 28"  and it be pretty short  58-60 inches, although i am more comfortable with 64-66"  if i have my choice.      so with yew or erc,  what is the shorted i should consider at a 28" draw.  and what would the ideal length be.

just need some info from you yew guys,  and dont forget about my original questions...that one im iffy on..lol   thanks much

[Josh B]

Erc is not real picky on chasing a ring like most hardwoods are.  I have decrowned everyone I made with no problems.  admittedly, that's only two erc longbows so I'm definitely not the go to expert.  I made both of them 72" ntn d- bows with a slightly eliptical tiller.  I f you have to go down to heartwood to get away from the insect damage I would guess that you would have to back it with sinew.  Sinew seems to go quite well with junipers.  I haven't tried it, but I have heard more than once that ERC heartwood is very poor in tension.  I'm sure there are others on here with alot more experience concerning ERC.  As for yew, don't have any and have never tried it.  I wish I could help more,  Josh

[blackhawk]

I have two experiences with ERC...ones a shooter yet and the other is waiting in line to be tillered.

The first one I attempted to chase down several rings for fun(very tough to do)for about 18" before I stopped and said screw this and got the planer out and ripped it down flat and glued a hickory backing on it,and it made a nice looking bow.

My second one is 54"long,2" wide pyramid flipped tipped limbs. I decrowned it (much easier than trying to chase a ring with ERC )and put two layers of sinew on it. I plan to
 tiller this one to 24-25".

I imagine you could decrown and use rawhide at the very least,but you know sinew is a better option. Ill let the yew experts chime in to answer those questions.
   

[Keenan]

ERC needs to be backed. It can blow up without warning if unbacked. I would remove the majority of the sapwood down to about 3/8" and then back it with a couple layers of sinew.
  Yew on the other hand is one of the most versatile bow woods that there is. It will work great as a short sinew bow, flat bow or ELB. I have made several 58" unbacked yew self bows, with a 26" draw.  I like about 1/4 - 3/8" sapwood. and a very squashed oval for a mid limb cross section.  Sinew and yew are great together. as well as sturgeon or carp.
 

[Del the cat]

A Yew bow doesn't need to be long for a 28" draw. It's only man tall if you want an ELB design.
For a flattish or oval cross section 64" is plenty and I'd guess you could get down to the same length as you can with Osage, 60"should be no prob' with a short grip or working grip.
Yew is pretty forgiving... I've never seen a chyrsal on a Yew bow yet, worst I've seen happen is a bit of set on some second grade Yew.
Del