Advice on a Yew flat bow

[apg]

Hello Bowyers,

I’m working on my first piece of yew. Very accustomed to making Osage hunting bows with varying levels of success, so excited to give this a shot.

I’ve got a stunning piece of wood, and I’m hoping for advice as I work on it..!

It has a little bit of recurve, which seems great. BUT it has a curve on it too. Check out the photos. I’ve marked a line across the crown with a pencil (and a little crayon as a guide).

I’m wondering -

Should I follow the crown of the Yew only? Or just mark a straight line to create a tip to handle to tip bow that’s straight?

Or should I follow the crown and heat treat it when I get to the tiller?

The other thing I’m confused about is if I’m making a flat bow, then what happens with the curvature of the back of the yew? It’s so different as a shape from Osage.

Thanks so much!

Ash

[Ryan Jacob]

I think it would be best to follow the crown and heat bend the issues out later when it’s been reduced a little in size. You might want to thin that sapwood first though.

edit: it looks kinda thick in the bottom half of the second pic though that may just be the sapwood curving over the edge. If that’s the case then you probably won’t have to thin it.

[Pat B]

Ash, yew is different than osage to work, it is a lot softer so take it slow.
Follow the crown and don't worry about the side bend until you get to low brace unless it is extreme. Get the bow shaped and start reducing the belly until you get to floor tiller stage. The sapwood looks to be at a good thickness so you shouldn't have to work the back unless the sapwood is uneven.

[High-Desert]

When making a self bow, following the crown is best, then once you get it thinned down you can work on getting the tips lined up with a steaming session.

[Del the cat]

With Yew it's not so fussy about following the grain.
IMO you can do either, follow the crown and correct any sideways bend by heating at the grip later.
or you could run a string line/straight edge down it and work to that.
Which ever you do, leave extra tip width to allow some string line adjustment.
If it was an English longbow I'd prob' lay it out straight, but as a flat bow I'd probably lay out two straight limbs meeting at an angle at the grip (to be straightened later)
Yew does take well to heat bending but can sometimes slowly return over time... best to fix the bend in place with some relatively high heat.
Del

[simson]

+1
what the cat said!

[bownarra]

The problem with not following the crown is that one side ends up thicker and of course this will lead to the limb wanting to twist unless you reduce the belly on an angle.... making more problems than you are 'curing'.
Follow the crown and leave the handle area full width. Once the bow is at first brace then simply shape the non bending handle to where the string wants to sit naturally.
Hope this makes sense to you. It is very simple, no heating needed and keeps the full strength of the staves back intact - how nature grew it

[apg]

Hi everyone, wanted to let you know I’m still working. Got the bow down to a floor tiller and did the first limb last night. About 20-25 minutes of dry heat on the oiled limb, reoiling when the oil cooks off, and weighted the limb overnight. Seems to be good. Will start rasping both limbs today and do the other limb tonight.

[apg]

Oh and in addition to doing this I moved the center line slightly into the bend out at the tips, and I’ve left the handle thick just in case..!

[Dances with squirrels]

Good advice above.

Also, consider making the arrow side the side the limbs were bending towards originally. That way if it does try to return some over time back to where it came from, the string will move toward the arrow side, making the bow more centershot and less critical of arrow spine, instead of the other way around.

[apg]

That's a very smart  suggestion - thank  you!

[apg]

So I’ve continued working the stave to almost first brace and after taking off more wood the bend came back!!!

I’m reheating and trying to straighten again now with an oiled belly and oil, heating the full length of the limb.

Any idea why the bend might have returned?

[Del the cat]

So I’ve continued working the stave to almost first brace and after taking off more wood the bend came back!!!

I’m reheating and trying to straighten again now with an oiled belly and oil, heating the full length of the limb.

Any idea why the bend might have returned?

As you remove wood it changes the internal stress. Don't worry about it... it's rare to get a heat correction right first time. generally best to bend a few percent past what you need to allow it to creep back.
Del

[apg]

Thanks Del!!

Current photo. Heated entire limb and sides of bow. Left the back untouched and unheated.

[wizardgoat]

Doglegs or sideways curves are always a challenge with yew, if the area bends at all, it seems to always return to some degree. Really really frustrating.
As already stated above, you can cheat the crown a bit. You can then cheat a bit more and remove a little more sapwood on the side thats a bit higher.
Often a good option is to go for a big bend in your handle. Keep the handle stiff and the heat corrections should hold there. A little bit of correction in the handle can go a long way.
Not sure how wide the area is now, but you can narrow your handle a bit creating a “weak spot”, a good steam and bend away.