Author Topic: Re: First Yew Flatbow Build/Help Along-Pics Added (Read 11589 times)

Cloudfeather · « **on:** October 01, 2016, 05:39:12 pm »

I'm taking my first stab at making a bow from pacific yew. I got an incredible stave from Carson and am planning to make a flat bow from it.

The stave is approx 3" wide, 2 1/2" thick and 72" long. I'm going for a yew flat bow, 55-60# @ 28" I have a general idea of the dimensions that I want to go with but would like a little input from some that are more seasoned with yew. My plan is 64" tip to tip, a 4" static handle with 2" fades, slight recurves in the tips(possibly static?), 1 3/4" wide to mid limb, then tapering to 1/2" at the tip.

Here's where my questions come: What would be a good thickness and taper to start with, and how thick do I want the sapwood? The sapwood on this is approx 3/8" thick and I believe I heard that you want around 3/16-1/4". The rings aren't super thin, so I think I could chase one with my scraper. Here are some pics, and I look forward to hearing what everyone has to say. Thanks in advance.

wizardgoat · « **Reply #1 on:** October 01, 2016, 09:46:31 pm »

Looks like a nice stave. No need to reduce your sapwood, I only ever do if I'm going to run out of heartwood. No problem with your measurements. I never take thickness measurements when I'm roughing out a yew bow, just floor tiller till it start to bend.

Bryce · « **Reply #2 on:** October 02, 2016, 12:49:01 am »

I agree with goat, leave the sapwood. Even so you don't need to chase rings with yew.
I would go more narrow like 1 1/2" wide.

Cloudfeather · « **Reply #3 on:** October 02, 2016, 02:07:43 am »

How does yew split? At a bit over 3 inches, 1 1/2 would leave me enough for another, lighter bow.

phyankord · « **Reply #4 on:** October 02, 2016, 02:22:48 am »

i sure wish i had a stave like that. looks perfect.

phyankord · « **Reply #5 on:** October 02, 2016, 02:24:08 am »

Quote from: Bryce (Pinecone) on October 02, 2016, 12:49:01 am

I agree with goat, leave the sapwood. Even so you don't need to chase rings with yew.
I would go more narrow like 1 1/2" wide.

do you mean all you have to do is tear the bark off? i thought that you were suppose to chase a ring no matter what kind of wood it was (unless you back it with somthing strong)

penderbender · « **Reply #6 on:** October 02, 2016, 02:54:06 am »

Quote from: Cloudfeather on October 02, 2016, 02:07:43 am

How does yew split? At a bit over 3 inches, 1 1/2 would leave me enough for another, lighter bow.

I wouldn't try to split that. That's got a nice bow in it. Just go for the one. Cheers- Brendan

wizardgoat · « **Reply #7 on:** October 02, 2016, 03:23:38 am »

Don't split it, if you think you can get 2 staves use a band saw.
Ya just carefully remove the bark and cambium and use what's under the bark for your back

FilipT · « **Reply #8 on:** October 02, 2016, 04:03:26 am »

Quote from: phyankord on October 02, 2016, 02:24:08 am

Quote from: Bryce (Pinecone) on October 02, 2016, 12:49:01 am
I agree with goat, leave the sapwood. Even so you don't need to chase rings with yew.
I would go more narrow like 1 1/2" wide.

do you mean all you have to do is tear the bark off? i thought that you were suppose to chase a ring no matter what kind of wood it was (unless you back it with somthing strong)

You chase rings on a certain species, like non white woods such as mulberry, osage, black locust. White woods just need to have bark removed and wood underneath the bark is the back of the bow.
Yew is also non white wood but its a exception to the ring chasing rule.

Del the cat · « **Reply #9 on:** October 02, 2016, 06:28:07 am »

Quote from: phyankord on October 02, 2016, 02:24:08 am

Quote from: Bryce (Pinecone) on October 02, 2016, 12:49:01 am
I agree with goat, leave the sapwood. Even so you don't need to chase rings with yew.
I would go more narrow like 1 1/2" wide.

do you mean all you have to do is tear the bark off? i thought that you were suppose to chase a ring no matter what kind of wood it was (unless you back it with somthing strong)

There is no "supposed"...
Yoda

But seriously... the whole chase a ring thing is a good generalisation and certainly applies to Osage.
For Yew it is much less important, but you still have to be sensible. many ELBs and warbows have thickish sapwood which is fine, but needs thinning near the tips to avoid having no heart wood (I like at least 50/50 heart/sapwood).
On an old ELB of mine there was a big dip in the sapwood where it suddenly went very thick... the only choice was to reduce it... I went down about 8 rings

in a gentle reduction. The bow is now over 40 years old (70# at 28")and still shoots about 230 yards (see pic)
Del

Dances with squirrels · « **Reply #10 on:** October 02, 2016, 07:07:04 am »

That's a challenging stave with the twist and whoopdy dos. For a flat bow, I'd go narrower, 1 1/2" in the end. But first I'd remove the bark and reduce the sapwood to 3/16 - 1/4", cut it out 2" wide end to end, bring limb thickness to 3/4-5/8" from dips to tips, and then straighten and flatten them with heat. Once I thought I had it as good as I could get it, then I'd lay out the bow and cut it to front profile. More heat corrections could be done later if needed.

PEARL DRUMS · « **Reply #11 on:** October 02, 2016, 09:12:20 am »

That twist will be an absolute bear to get out of yew. Keep the limbs straight rather than recurved and you might have a chance at keeping the string on. You are nearing an 80 degree twist.

Cloudfeather · « **Reply #12 on:** October 02, 2016, 10:18:32 am »

I'm not going to get greedy and try to get two staves from it, I've decided. Maybe a belly split once I get it down to a couple inches thick, but I won't count on it.

PearlDrums - The picture is kind of deceiving. The one half is basically flat so the twist will be mostly in one limb. I've got a steam setup and a heat gun. I'm going to try steaming it straight and then setting it with dry heat and see how that works. Thanks for the input.

DC · « **Reply #13 on:** October 02, 2016, 12:25:54 pm »

I've had really good luck steaming twist out of Yew. I reduce the limb to equal dimensions at the fades and the tips. If it's 1 1/2" x 3/4" out of the fades, make it the same at the tips. If you make the limbs tapered, when you try to take the twist out it will untwist more where it's thinner. Once the twist is out and you're happy then taper the limbs. I steam the whole limb for 45 min. If you don't give it lots of time the heat doesn't go all the way through and when you start to remove wood the twist will come back some. Most of my yew staves are twisted to some degree and I steam and untwist them all.

Carson (CMB) · « **Reply #14 on:** October 02, 2016, 01:37:04 pm »

The twist will likely be difficult for you to get the first go around. Not because yew is so hard to manipulate with heat, it is just different than osage, and takes experience to get a feel for it. Of course, reduce it to bow dimensions before attempting to steam it straight. For staves like that with fairly even twist, I like to steam the full length of it, take it over to the full length caul, and start clamping at one end and moving along using the heat gun as you go to get it nice and hot and you are moving along clamping and to lightly temper what is already clamped down. I keep the cheap cedar shims from the hardware store handy. These are great for supporting on either side of bumps, knots whatever, and when dealing with twist in yew, I like to go a little beyond where I want it to allow for springback. Use the cedar shims on one side of the limb along its whole length to accomplish this.