Pacific Yew Sapling - good stave or firewood?! Please advise!

[Thunderlizard]

I was at work yesterday, flagging a timber harvest boundary around a road, when I stumbled upon this small diameter yew. Since it is going to be cut this time next year, I took the liberty to harvest it myself in hopes of making a bow from it.

It is about 72” long at this point. And between 1 1/2” and 1 3/4” diameter. Small pin knots but nothing major...

Will it make a shooter?! If anyone has experience making a bow from a yew sapling, please let me know. And if anyone has opinions in the compression (tightness) of the rings on one side, please divulge anything you know.

Thanks!

[Thunderlizard]

One more photo

[Mafort]

If you’ve got the skill yea. It’ll make a decent shooter

[ksnow]

I am no yew expert by any stretch, but that looks to me like it would be a great candidate for a northern European style neolithic bow. Basic flatbow trending to longbow design, flattened d cross section.

I would get those ends sealed up right away, regardless of the wood.

Kyle

[upstatenybowyer]

It looks more like a branch than a sapling to me w/ those compression rings. Was it growing at an angle?

I have yet to make a bow from yew compression wood, but I would think you'd want those compression rings on the belly. It seems to me (and please correct me if I'm mistaken) that in order to achieve that you'd have to rip away the majority of the wood above the compression side and back the bow with wood or sinew.

Please do chime in if you know how to make a bow from such a stave! 

[Bryce]

Yep there is a good selfbow in there for sure.

No need to worry about rings and compression/ tension wood. For now, just make a bow. Lay it out so that when you’re done roughing it out you can pull against the natural reflex of the wood.

[dylanholderman]

i'm not sure how the compression wood will react might have to do some heat correction after you start shaping it.

if it was mine i would just start shaping a bendy handle sapling bow, high crowned staves tend to dictate bow shape.

and nail the tiller as soon as you can high crown staves also drop weight faster than a standard stave.

[Del the cat]

It'll make a decent stick bow.
Locate the cleanest straightest side for the back and don't touch it. Chop away the other side to give a flat belly.
Here's one from a much worse stick... 
https://bowyersdiary.blogspot.com/2013/06/stick-bow.html
Del

[Thunderlizard]

It looks more like a branch than a sapling to me w/ those compression rings. Was it growing at an angle?

I have yet to make a bow from yew compression wood, but I would think you'd want those compression rings on the belly. It seems to me (and please correct me if I'm mistaken) that in order to achieve that you'd have to rip away the majority of the wood above the compression side and back the bow with wood or sinew.

Please do chime in if you know how to make a bow from such a stave! 

It’s definitely a sapling! Growing right out of the ground, just at an angle!

[Thunderlizard]

Yep there is a good selfbow in there for sure.

No need to worry about rings and compression/ tension wood. For now, just make a bow. Lay it out so that when you’re done roughing it out you can pull against the natural reflex of the wood.

Just to be clear, you would lay it out so the the tips are bending away from me at back?

[Thunderlizard]

Yep there is a good selfbow in there for sure.

No need to worry about rings and compression/ tension wood. For now, just make a bow. Lay it out so that when you’re done roughing it out you can pull against the natural reflex of the wood.

Putting it another way, the side facing Smokey the dog on the last photo will be the back?

[Thunderlizard]

i'm not sure how the compression wood will react might have to do some heat correction after you start shaping it.

if it was mine i would just start shaping a bendy handle sapling bow, high crowned staves tend to dictate bow shape.

and nail the tiller as soon as you can high crown staves also drop weight faster than a standard stave.

Awesome

[Swamp Thang]

I've read where some would use the side where the wood is removed as the back with a good sinewing and the high crowned side as the belly.

[Bryce]

Yep there is a good selfbow in there for sure.

No need to worry about rings and compression/ tension wood. For now, just make a bow. Lay it out so that when you’re done roughing it out you can pull against the natural reflex of the wood.

Just to be clear, you would lay it out so the the tips are bending away from me at back?

Away from the belly. So your 3rd photos down. The top would be your back

[Ryan Jacob]

Always confuses me whenever I see someone suggest using bow wood and especially yew as firewood. Isn’t yew pretty darn poisonous?