Where to cut yew

[tannhillman]

It's not inner bark, its cambium .. and there is nothing complicated or elitist about that, its just a simple fact!

And I haven't said the cambium added any strength , I said that it protected the sapwood , which it does. And that having it on the bow shows the sapwood has not been worked down, which it does. And that, in my opinion can make for a more intact and resilient bow, but hey that is just my opinion and this is (I thought) a open arena for people to share opinions and ideas on bow making? Maybe not judging by your and some other reactions? 

Clearly, some people are not open to new ideas, or up for hearing anything that doesn't fit with their way of doing things, which is there prerogative I guess!

Hey ho !     

[WillS]

No no, I don't think anybody is saying you're doing anything "wrong".  I'm certainly not.  I'm a complete novice, so don't have the experience to say whether it's right or wrong so I'm just curious.  It seems odd to me, as I thought the whole beauty of a yew selfbow was the caramel heartwood and cream sapwood.  The sapwood (as far as I understand) is the protective layer, so it seems needless to protect the protective layer, if that makes sense?

Forums like this are excellent and invaluable for learning new things, and learning new ways of doing things.  I'm fascinated by the idea of leaving this stuff (I won't go there) on the back, so to find out that it's just fractions of a mm thick surprised me.  That's not to say it hasn't got a purpose, I've just never seen it done before.  I'm sorry if my comments came across as dismissive.  They weren't meant to be.

There's absolutely no reason why new techniques and theories can't be shared and explored.  Nobody has all the answers!

[PatM]

You have actually said twice that it makes a stronger bow which means added strength, no?
 I still think you are just looking at the equivalent of "dried tree blood" and not an actual layer of material with much if any structure to it.
 Remember that at times when the tree is growing you are going to catch the cambium in the middle of producing cells which are at a greater stage of differentiation.
 I really suspect that that is all we are looking at here.

[WillS]

Mmm dried tree blood.