Trying to get as much wisdom while this place is still kicking....

[ssrhythm]

Two topics.

I have some yew staves.  I know I do not need to chase a ring in the sapwood, but should I?  If so, how difficult is it?  Any advice on technique is appreciated.

If I don't have to chase a sapwood ring, I've heard I want to try to get the sapwood a consistent thickness.  Seems to me that the sapwood will undulate along the stave and present different thicknesses along the length and around the diameter/width of the stave.  Am I wrong?  If I'm not, trying to get a consistent sapwood depth seems like an exercise in futility.

Knots in Yew.  I've only worked Osage, and I just leave a little extra wood around the knots, but I can get pretty tight to them without violating the back.  These knots are completely different than on osage.  I've got a couple that are 1/4" where 1/4" limbs once were.  How do I go about treating these knots?  These aren't osage humps and pins...they are limb "stumps" so even if I were chasing a single sapwood ring, I can't understand how I am going to leave extra wood over the knot.  The ring will approach the knot and then stay uniform as it turns up the now-gone limb, so the middle of the knot is going to be different rings from layers below the top backing ring. 

Regardless, can someone point me to a good video or resource that really shows well how to deal with these knots.  I'll try to design them out of the bow, but I don't think I'll be able to avoid all of them.

Topic 2:

I have a dying juniper limb on a bush at my house that is relatively straight and begging to become a bow.
It will be highly crowned, as it is not a big limb.  Should I leave it highly crowned and use a flat-belly...sinew backing of course.
Should I de-crown it (would pretty much remove all of the sapwood on the back) and work the belly into a ELB type of shape?
Should I leave the crown, sinew back it, and attempt a hollow limb design to mirror the high crowned back?
Should I leave it high crowned, sinew back it, and make the belly wider than the back (whatever trapping that is called) so the back won't overwhelm the belly, and round the belly like a semi-ELB?

Never tried a juniper bow, and any...and I mean ANY advice is appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[Muskyman]

Del cat is my go to guy when I have questions about yew staves. Check him out on YouTube

[Hamish]

. Only chase a sapwood ring if its low ring count yew, and you are clearly able to see the target ring.

. You need to assess the sapwood properly before deciding on what approach you can take. Is it even in thickness throughout the length? How thick is it? Does it even need to be thinned? What style of bow, and draw weight are you going for?
Ideally you want the sapwood to take up no more than 1/3 of the final depth. This insures you maximise the tension strength of the sapwood while maximising then compression strength of the heartwood, plus it looks good visually.

To answer the knot question I'd have to see photos to give you a proper assessment.
For a video I'd check out our own Del the cat on PA. He has a youtube channel and a dedicated bowyer blog.No doubt he will have one, that will address yew Knots. I'm sure he will chime in when he sees your topic.

Musky beat me to the punch whilst I was posting, re Del, Lol. +1 Musky.

[Del the cat]

This video answers some common questions, using a roughed out scruffy yew stave.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjX-5-DcKKs
Del

[bassman211]

We all need to pitch in, so that this forum stays. Lots of nice people on here, and loads of knowledge on wood bow making, and other things.