English Yew Self Bow- wobbly wood

[tomthumb]

Hello folks,

My first Primitive Archer post!

Thought I might post some pictures of a yew bow I have been working on. I'd picked one of the worse pieces to work on first, and then move on to the nicer pieces after some practice. I may have attempted that the wrong way around... well, we will soon find out!

Here the beginning. Enjoy.

                                                                                                          

[bambule]

Good luck!
Maybe use a normal piece - the result could be much better...
Beginning with a worse stave is tricky

Greetz
Cord

[tomthumb]

The yew logs above are what we picked out of the forest behind my house in North Yorkshire. They have been drying for a while and are down to around 17% moisture; Please remember we are in Yorkshire here... We have quite a lot of atmospheric moisture..

We used a ripsaw to score the logs along the surface, then used wedges to split them along the scores. This worked out quite well as with so many knots, juts by splitting I was in danger of making splinters.

[Del the cat]

They all look great , you should see come of the stuff I have to work with.
Looks like lovely thin sapwood.
My top tip Don't take the bark off!
It will protect the sapwood stop it drying too quick and it will pop off on it's own when you start to tiller.
(Mind the "crack" as it pops off will scare the crap out of you
With a wood that's new to me I usually go with the bad half first to get used to it.
Del

[tomthumb]

Thanks Del! I've been following your bow builds for years!


Yep, made a big mistake taking the bark of one of the nicer pieces.. DOH!!


Well, these should help cut them down to size anyway!!

[Pappy]

Welcome and good luck, keep us posted. Looks like a nice Challenge and should make a beautiful bow if you pull it off.
   Pappy

[tomthumb]

So... From log to stave. I got a bit band-saw happy. But.. Its easier to work down to the dimensions you want from a square... right?!


You will notice that the core doesn't run down the centre of the stave. I don't know if this is going to be much of an issue. Its all very well and good working from "square" dimensions, but I think this may result in something that I've seen people call "character"..  As you can see from the bottom photo, the back is quite undulating and has some seriously ropey looking features.

My mate has taken the opposing stave from the same tree, so we will be able to see how we both get on. A bit of friendly competition!

And, thanks for the welcome folks.

   
       


     

[sieddy]

Those staves look great to me too. Also it's great to find Yew in a wood rather than churchyard or property!

[tomthumb]

Hi Sieddy. Yeah, it is! The woods actually are part of an old castle estate, and the yew was from a hidden grove of about 12 or so trees. I've only taken 1 as I didn't want to be too greedy. Something tells me though, that s what they were planted for (unless its wild, but I don't think so).

This may be a good time to mention that the stave is only 5'4", quite a lot shorter than me. I guess if a bow that short is going to have to bend to a 28" draw (if thats possible!), then the dimensions are going to be quite different from traditional longbow section dimensions. Flatter and wider??..

[Del the cat]

Grain waving from side to side isn't a prob' with Yew.
It's always the same... the one area where you want it a bit thick (centre of the stave)... you find a big dip and the heartwood looking a tad thin
I think you've prob got plenty of thickness there tho'..
Number of times I've run it through the bandsaw thinking this looks fine... turn it over and woooo that's cutting it a bit close for comfort.
Roughing out square is a good start. you can get the belly running true to the back late just by running a pencil along with one finger following the back (I find I don't do so much damage with a pencil as a bandsaw )
Del

[George Tsoukalas]

Welcome to PA, Mr Tom. Enjoy.
Jawge

[WillS]

Welcome, and congrats! You've managed to succeed in the hardest part of making yew bows - finding yew! 

Once you have it, it's a walk in the park, as yew just wants to be a bow - even if you virtually ruin the thing in the process it'll still spit out an arrow for you

Best of luck with the build - I wouldn't personally worry too much about the cross section.  You can keep it Victorian style and go for a D section and narrow, or go medieval and make it rectangular or galleon shaped and it won't make a vast amount of difference to what draw length you can get from it - good tillering and making the handle work will help you out more there. 

64" is short for a traditional longbow and the thing will be working damn hard by the time it gets down to 28" so be super patient and treat the knots with care as if it goes it'll go at the knots.  Looks like a nice load of wood there though, so you should be fine

[tomthumb]

Thats it Del! The problem is that the grain and border between sap and heart changes depending which side of the bow you are looking at! How this going to look when its been cut to the right thickness in D-section, I have no idea! It does take a bit of a dip in the middle as you can see, but its much more pronounced at the sides as the surface ripples, so hopefully I should have plenty of wood left.

Thanks for the tips! I used then finger/ pencil technique for the thickness, but again this was complicated by the difference between the two sides. But, I've given it my best shot!

WillS; I think youre right! It's making that "springing-the-ruler-on-the-edge-of-the-desk" noise. Its calling to me! haha

I think in regards to the section, Im' just going to keep going till it bends and see what comes out naturally. I'm aiming for around 40# I reckon. But as you said, @28" its going to be working very hard and I'm a little concerned about some of those knots that run right through it..

[Del the cat]

Oooh I missed the 64".
Like Will said that will be ok if the whole bow is working. (I'm getting really worried... that's twice I've agreed with him in a week   )
I'd say avoid going too narrow and don't narrow the tips until it's getting to a reasonable draw. Tip width is you friend for correcting string line and preventing sideways bend.
I've just had a pig of a bow... I must have done at least 6 lateral heat corrections before I could get her to full draw. Now it's there hopefully it will become stable.
Del

[randman]

Nice staves! yes wider if shorter.....A good model to follow with that short of stave would be the yew bow of Pinecone's that just won the BOM
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,49699.0.html