Interesting Yew Billet

[Del the cat]

I thought this might tickle a few of Yew guys.
I'm going to make a warbow from this Yew, now if it isn't any good, it doesn't necessarily prove that all coarse grained, fast grown Yew is poor.
But if it does produce good bow it will disprove that the oft' spouted opinion that coarse grained fast grown Yew is no good.
It already disproves the theory that such lowland fast grown Yew is pale with poor sapwood definition! 
Anyhow we'll see, I'll be sure to let you know how I get on, I'm nominally aiming for 100# at 31"
Just for the record it was grown in North London in the back garden of a bloke I know. It is the flood plain of the river Lea which is low lying fertile grain.
It's certainly the lowest ring count I've ever seen in Yew.
Del
 

[Marc St Louis]

No reason it shouldn't make a warbow Del but it might take a lot of set

[wizardgoat]

I've made bows from very thick ringed yew, maybe not that thick though!
I design them a little more like a white wood bow, and I always heat treat it.

[Pat B]

I've seen mulberry with thinner rings than that.

[osage outlaw]

That looks like it could be a mullberry/yew hybrid.  Good luck Del.

[Badger]

   i think the density of the wood might be your best indicator. What is the density like?

[Del the cat]

   i think the density of the wood might be your best indicator. What is the density like?

Seems pretty heavy in the hand
It was cut June 2016
Del

[Pat B]

Well, whatcha waiting for. Get to scraping. 

[Del the cat]

I've got the billets spliced and glued... I'll work on 'em tomorrow. (Probably before you guys are up  )
Del

[Bob Barnes]

I'm looking forward to your findings... 

[gianluca100]

Hello Del,

I used quite some yew that I call "garden yew" because it's fast grown in the city gardens where I live and I got i for free.
The growth rings were not as wide as in your stunning example, but I had some with half as thick rings.
I was never very impressed with the quality and the bows took quite some set, even when turned into rather flatish and wide bows (I never heat treated them).
Where I live I have the opportunity to get some good stuff, grown i the woods and in some altidude. This is really impressing stuff and one unterstands easily why the old timers favoured this kind of yew. So I simply stopped using the garden yew...

Good luck and I'm sure you will get something good and interesting out of it   
gianluca

[leonwood]

Will follow this one here and on your blog for sure! Most yew we have in the Netherlands is a bit like that and I find that with heat treating it makes fine bows. Mind I only made a few flatbows of app. 50 lbs so that's not even close to warbow weight;-)