Primitive Archer

Then some of Eddie's brats he left from his hunt for lunch, He makes some good brats.
 Pappy

I would leave as is, they can still grow into it, don't know many adults that draw 27 , much less kids. Everybody says they draw 27/28 but in reality now many do. By the way looks really good to me. 
 Pappy

I have made nice little flatbows, with a stiff handles drawing 40-45lbs at 26", from similar staves. Limbs were about 1and 3/8"-1.5" wide.

You could eek out a longer draw with a bow that bends through the handle.

Your stave is quite deflexed. I would build a form to allow you to straighten the stave, with heat, or put in an 1" or 2 in reflex.
The first step would be rough out the bow, until its floor tillered. This will make any heat corrections easier to do.

I would also let your stave re hydrate after heat bending, for at least a week(no bending). Yew gets brittle in tension if dried out too much.

That being said yew is magical stuff, compared to other woods. So light in the hand, yet so springy, with cast.

There are plenty of things you could do with your stave, like recurve, and or sinew back it, but it depends on your goal and current skill level, and how much time you are prepared to invest in it.

As this is your second bow, take it slow, don't rush and you should come out the other side with a lovely bow.

Hello All!

This is my my first post on Primitive Archer.
I would really value some advice on what I could make (If anything) with this small Yew stave I have. It was chopped in the north of England about two years ago and has been drying since. It is only 59 inches long.








I started trimming with the spoke shave today, removing the bark and thinning out the limbs a bit. There is a twist at the end of one of the limbs that I am not sure how to manage.





Also a few cracks on one of the tips.


Does anyone have any good ideas of where to go from here? I am thinking perhaps a viking style short bow.

Any ideas very much appreciated this will be my second bow (first one without expert oversight!).

I use shellac also like Eric to seal bow wood. I keep a can of spray shellac on my bench all the time. Any time I remove a back ring I seal it with shellac no matter how long it has dries or cured. It is easy to remove when necessary by sanding or wiping it with a rag wet with alcohol. Most finishes and dyes are compatible with shellac.