Author Topic: Yew stave value?  (Read 12036 times)

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Offline Prarie Bowyer

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Yew stave value?
« on: February 19, 2012, 03:15:11 am »
Hey guys,

I'm curious what the values in $ is for a yew stave.  Not certain what I have to trade unless it's a finished bow and or a Fishing spool.


Offline criveraville

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Re: Yew stave value?
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2012, 03:43:17 am »
I'm not certain. I'm sure that's a subjective question and you will get a different value amount from different folks. For example, here in Texas a yew stave would be worth more than say for Keenan who happens to live in yew country I believe.

Just remember to keep it "at trades in goods and not money."  ;)

Cipriano
I was HECHO EN MEXICO, but assembled in Texas and I'm Texican as the day is long...  Psalm 127:4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

Offline Dag

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Re: Yew stave value?
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2012, 06:09:39 am »
I only know of one gentleman who has a regular stock and sells yew staves commercially. The best staves (70+ in, 30+ growth rings/in.) are around $100-250 and he has lower grades that go as low as $45 dollars.

He operates out of Washington state where Pacific Yew grows. I live in SW Washington state and have NEVER seen a wild Yew tree. There are four Yews on an ornamental tree garden island in our local lake and that is the only Yew I have ever personally seen.  Id love to take a weekend and go to one of the Nat'l forest to camp and explore for some wild Yew even if i'm not allowed to harvest them.

Offline Sparrow

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Re: Yew stave value?
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2012, 12:56:12 pm »
Plenty of yew in the coastal cascades.Go see the forest service. I don't know the current regs,but they do and you can talk to them about required permit. Problem is that the timber companies and the forest servants,like to plant "Market" trees and the diversity of species in the forest is really suffering because of that practice. There are bound to be some trees available for personal use.  '  Frank   
 (If not Washington,maybe Oregon)
Frank (The Sparrow) Pataha, Washington

Offline vinemaplebows

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Re: Yew stave value?
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2012, 04:04:35 pm »

                You must be refering to medicine bow woods...(Dave Roberts) I use to sell him wood Cascara staves, vine maple, figured maples. Any way as to value......there really is very little value when it comes to yew other than a VERY FEW SPECIALTY furniture makers, and wood turners to my knowledge. Use to be a Taxol market(for cancer) that killed tons of yew trees.

               Obtaining permits to cut yew is not easy in Wa. I have often wondered how Dave gets so many primo yew staves to sell.......I never asked, and he never told.

                As to price.....Seems Daves prices are fair for the effort it takes to find nice yew staves for bow making. You can look at LOTS of trees that are not any good to the bow maker. On the other hand low elevation yew is still yew, and will make a excellent bow.....people have been taught that ring count, and and sap to heart wood ratios the most important thing....this is NOT true all yew will make a fine bow, some is just better quality than others.

              One more thing if you look carefully Daves yew staves are sawn not split to my knowledge. Yew is to hard to come by to split in my opinion. I saw all of mine.

Brian
« Last Edit: February 19, 2012, 04:08:49 pm by vinemaplebows »
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Offline Bryce

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Re: Yew stave value?
« Reply #5 on: February 20, 2012, 09:17:08 pm »
i get my yew staves for $20 :P
dave gets his staves from an RV park, bought one from him a year or so back and it had a check half way down the stave i was furious.
the way to go is find someone who cuts yew for the cancer lab and buy the logs off them :D super cheap. they just throw the logs away sometimes you can them for free.

as far as value of yew depends on length, rings/inch and straightness all that jazz. so like $45-$250.

so if we had some specs we could throw an estimate at yah lol
« Last Edit: February 20, 2012, 09:29:21 pm by Bryce21 »
Clatskanie, Oregon

Offline vinemaplebows

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Re: Yew stave value?
« Reply #6 on: February 20, 2012, 09:54:42 pm »
Just curious was it a intentional? The yew stave?? Rv park? I thought they stopped cutting yew trees yrs ago for cancer treatments???
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Offline Bryce

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Re: Yew stave value?
« Reply #7 on: February 20, 2012, 10:16:26 pm »
Just curious was it a intentional? The yew stave?? Rv park? I thought they stopped cutting yew trees yrs ago for cancer treatments???

idk if it was or not but i was mad. yeah dave has some videos on youtube and he tells you where he harvests them. down in roseburg they cut a few here and there and a guy who makes furniture in aurora has them shipped up, then gives me a call.
Clatskanie, Oregon

Offline Dag

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Re: Yew stave value?
« Reply #8 on: February 20, 2012, 11:53:43 pm »
Yeah! That is the guy I was talking about! Thanks for remembering vinemaplebows!

I asked him in an email one time how he harvested Yew in the G.P. Nat'l Forest and he was kind of ambiguous but it sounded like he had a permit and permission from the nearby RV park owners.

Offline vinemaplebows

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Re: Yew stave value?
« Reply #9 on: February 21, 2012, 01:34:46 am »
hmmm...he has to have more to tell, I have got a permit before.....but they are very strict as where, and how much you can take. I think it was 4 trees under a certain size at the time, this was north of Seattle. Marcshoreline a member yrs ago here was with me.


Brian
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Offline Prarie Bowyer

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Re: Yew stave value?
« Reply #10 on: February 23, 2012, 02:33:29 pm »
I live in Iowa and I plan to make a bow from it.  Snakey and pimply isn't my speed right now.