Yew don't want that?!

[Bryce]

Some friends of mine just bought a new house in down town Rainier, Oregon. They had just had some landscaping done and trees cut out so they could see the might Columbia river. On my way into the driveway I noticed a very large redish stump of a tree. As I walked up to it there was no doubt that that tree was Pacific Yew. So I asked them where's all the limbs and stuff they replied," over there waiting to be burned, why?"
" would you mind if I snagged a few worthy pieces?"
"go at it boy"
So I busted the saw out of my truck but it seems that the tree trimmers where determined to cut everything into small pieces.
This was all I could salvage.
I got a total of 6 reasonable staves, between 60-68 inches






Here's a question for you people who know more about yew that me.
Here is a shot of the growth rings. Very pitiful if you ask me. Deffinatly the lowest ring count I've ever come across in yew. Could it still make a proper bow?

[mikekeswick]

Well it's not the greatest piece ever but it will still make a bow. Make it wider/thinner/flatter than normal for yew. I've made a few sinew backed yew bows from staves like this and they have come out well.

[Del the cat]

Ring count shming count!
Don't believe all that stuff about Yew has to be grown on a sacred moutain top and be the colour of the Dalai Lama's backside, with rings as fine as angel hair.
I've made plenty of longbows from wide grained pale English Yew, and we all know you can't make bows from English Yew... grrrrr ftzzzzz hissss.
Just go with the feel of the wood and draw your own conclusions.
Del
(On second thoughts it's all useless, ship it me for environmentally sound disposal )

[Bryce]

I just finished I nice flat bow from A good tight ringed piece of yew I got from a friend in Canada maybe I'll make a bow from this material (same MC, demensions, ect.) and compare there stats

[Del the cat]

I had one Yew ELB, which was low draw weight for it's dimension and took more set than expected, but that was definitely an ornamental type fast growing Yew which had been planted for screening.
Another piece I had that had weird sapwood which went light dark and then light again befor meeting real heartwood which made me suspicious, so I heat treated the belly and put in a hint of reflex which pulled out during tiller leaving a nice straight fast ELB.
Tight dark grain and milky white sap wood might be better, but the other stuff still makes a bow much better than the 'whitewoods', I'm not sure you can actually tell by just looking at it.
I've got some high altitude Oreon billets to try, but unfortunately the sapwood has bug damage so it's hard to do a good comparison. I'll prob bamboo back it.
Good luck
Del

[MWirwicki]

I'm with Del; make the bows!  The wood will speak.  You just have to listen with your eyes.  If you hate them, I'll pay the shipping to send them to my house.  (I'll share one with you Del)   

[Keenan]

Most all yew will make a great bow. I love and prefer High elevation, but low elevation with less ring count is still premium bow wood.

[JW_Halverson]

Considering what you will pay for what someone else is telling you is great bow wood, I thijnk what you have is certainly worth your time and effort to try.  After all, yew is not famous for dulling your tools too badly. 

[vinemaplebows]

What Keenan said..

[Badger]

Low elevation yew will make a great flatbow in the 50# to 60# class.

[Bryce]

Here's what's left of the tree. You can see me down there digging threw downed choke cherry to get to the yew branches

[JW_Halverson]

Got an uncle that has drug a lot of wood outa the hills for bows, he says ALL good yew grows uphill from the truck!!!

[fishfinder401]

Got an uncle that has drug a lot of wood outa the hills for bows, he says ALL good yew grows uphill from the truck!!!

what if all the yew in the area are decorations ( which im guessing people dont like having cut down)

[Bryce]

Got an uncle that has drug a lot of wood outa the hills for bows, he says ALL good yew grows uphill from the truck!!!

Haha so he doesn't have to drag it uphill haha that's a smart saying.

[JW_Halverson]

Got an uncle that has drug a lot of wood outa the hills for bows, he says ALL good yew grows uphill from the truck!!!

Haha so he doesn't have to drag it uphill haha that's a smart saying.

Then you are faster on the uptake than I am.  I immediately said, "I get it...HIGHER elevation, BETTER wood."  He just looked at me like I was the dumbest thing he had ever encountered.  He sighed and "How long did you try pushing log chain before you figured it was easier to drag behind you?"