Cheap wood for bow making practice

[TheDukesArchers]

Ok, so I have a really fine piece of pacific yew that I want to (hopefully) turn into a warbow/heavy longbow. Nothing too crazy, maybe 75-80lb at 30 inch draw.

My bow making experience is mainly with Native American/First Nation bows, but I want to fully concentrate on English Longbows from now on out. I have made a yew longbows before, but the wood was pretty wet and didn't come out with a great tiller.  Bought the wood from a right Muppet! To be honest it was a flat bow/longbow hybrid type thing.

I really need some much needed practice on cheap woods going for my second yew bow. I can't make laminates as I don't have power tools, just my few trusty hand tools. I'm personally thinking of either hickory or ash? Really need to make a few cheap longbows before having ago at this stave. It would be a sin to waste it.

Edit
Why do the majority of Ash elb's have a rectangular cross section, as opposed to an oval or d cross section?

[Del the cat]

Hickory... IMO
But both will benefit from heat treated belly, squareish section (or trapped back) rather than a high arched D.
Del

[TheDukesArchers]

Hey Del,

I was thinking of hickory, too. The price of yew I have needs to work as it was quite expensive. Needs to be given 100 percent effort.

Was also thinking of pine wood. Not to actually turn into a working bow, but just to practice shaping cross sections.

[Joec123able]

I think hickory or ash are a pretty good choice for practice for sure

[TheDukesArchers]

It just ca. Be a right pain in the ash when all you have is a knife, few scrapers and some files. I have a draw knife and an electric saw, but they're back home.

Have to make do with basic tools right now. Good thing about yew is it isn't too bad to carve using just basic hand tools.

[WillS]

Why not save money and buy a couple of decent bow making tools that will last a lifetime, rather than spending it on expensive yew staves?  Just a thought   Just because "whittling Will Hunter" (as he's known to most) does it with a pen knife (or claims to...) doesn't mean you have to.

FWIW, that genius Scandinavian bowyer Eirik made a 130# Warbow from pine recently.  So it can be done!

[JoJoDapyro]

What tools do you think you need? Maybe you can trade for a few? Where are you located?

[OTDEAN]

You just need an axe and rasp and that is it.  Anything else is just a waste of money that could be better spent on beer burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp! 

[JoJoDapyro]

I would at least invest in a scraper. I don't know how you would tiller a bow with an ax and a rasp.

[Yeomanbowman]

Very straight grained American white ash is very easy to turn into a bow.  get it cut into a 1 1/2" square section at least 76" long.  I'd get a surform, a 1/2 round file and a cheap steel rule as a scraper to work it.  The cheaper rule the better as it has a bur. 

[TheDukesArchers]

Why not save money and buy a couple of decent bow making tools that will last a lifetime, rather than spending it on expensive yew staves?  Just a thought   Just because "whittling Will Hunter" (as he's known to most) does it with a pen knife (or claims to...) doesn't mean you have to.

FWIW, that genius Scandinavian bowyer Eirik made a 130# Warbow from pine recently.  So it can be done!

Hey Will,
I do have a few bowyers tools, but they are the otherwise of the Atlantic right now. I have scrapers, rasps and a knife.

[Bullerboy]

simple.....ash

[TheDukesArchers]

simple.....ash

Possibly ash. I live in quite a dry climate so that could be just the ticket for a self bow.