Dry climates and yew bows?

[TheDukesArchers]

My plan is to remove the bark and cambium, then get down to the growth rin I want (the most time consuming part in my opinion)

Seal the back with tung oil and leave for a few days, then apply the rawhide backing and leave for at least a week before further work.

[wizardgoat]

Maybe rawhide before you put any finish or oil on the bow?
Not 100%, but the oil may prevent your rawhide from sticking good

[Pat B]

Yes, put the rawhide down first before the finish.
 

[TheDukesArchers]

Yeah I was actually thinking about that. I've been advice to just work the belly into a rough shape first, which I think I shall do. I will leave the bark on for a few weeks to let the stave adjust to any moisture changes.

[mikekeswick]

The bark will slow down any change in m.c.
I would also back it with rawhide.

[TheDukesArchers]

I've been advised to get a moisture reader, and then finish the bow when it at ideal m/c. I will start work on the belly right away; just to get it down to nicer depth.

Where would be a good place to store the stave to prevent it becoming too dry?

[Pat B]

Inside your hydrated house.

[TheDukesArchers]

Stupid question, but how would I know if my house is hydrated enough? Are all homes hydrated?

[Bryce]

I've hunted the high desert with a yew selfbow. 12 deg. At night and high temps during the day. Never had a problem.
To back or not to back, that is the question. Lol
Whether it is nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of our fellow bowyers for backing a bow😂😂😂

Backed or unbanked yew makes a great bow in any climate:)

[Badger]

  Yew bows will shoot like a demon when they are dry but in my experience they also tend to break. Every single yew bow I have brought to the flight shoots with me has broken after drying out in my hot car for a few days. I would imagine that if the bows were built while very dry they may have held up.

[Stoker]

Clark Dennil once told me to use ski wax as a finish... the light green one for when it's ice on the slopes... Hand rubbed with a leather... It'll seal it and can be touched up easaly... Wouldn't really worry about it
Leroy

[Brevi]

I thought this issue was covered in one of the TBB volumes .  Yew wood was safe at 8% MC , below that it and it may break .  Alberta gets very dry in the winter , many homes have natural gas furnaces which suck the moist air out of the house and very dry air comes in to replace it, hence many homes have humidifiers. Interestingly local native woods are well suited for local humidity conditions for bows . Yew performs well in damp temperate areas. Keeping a yew bow inside a car in Utah for a few days and then shooting it there is asking for disaster !  So if you have a yew bow in a dry climate , keep the moisture level up .

Mongolia and other Central Asian countries also experience very low humidity in the winter , so low that composite bows would delaminate and break . The archers there built cabinets with meat in them where the bows were stored , the meat gave off moisture that the bows absorbed . 

[TheDukesArchers]

The bow will be finished around February time, though I shall get the stave this week. What should be my first port of call.
I'm thinking of making out her ought belly dimensions and then putting it away until Feb.