Bamboo backed yew?

[PEARL DRUMS]

Anybody ever try a bamboo backed yew bow? Its gotta be smoking fast and super hard hitting. It seems yews compression would just love boo's tension?......................Im drippin spit out the side of my mouth right now........it just sounds like a perfect recipe.

[Pat B]

I've seen a few and it does make a sweet combo...but I would not take a perfectly good stave of any kind, especially yew and ruin it by decrowning and backing it. JMOP 

[PEARL DRUMS]

Neither wood I Pat. But I would take some belly saw off's and splice them together.

[blackhawk]

     I can't believe what I just read Mr. I hate glue ups 

I've seen a couple as well....I do have a couple pieces where the sapwood got tore up,but I took them anyways with the intention to back em with boo or hickory.

[rossfactor]

Have you've checked out Gordons two examples of this:

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,2149.msg27477.html#msg27477

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,6754.msg93925.html#msg93925

I love these.

Gabe

[Gordon]

You can't go wrong with yew and bamboo - it's a great combination.

[Youngboyer2(billyf)]

Hmm wheels turning...

[Holten101]

Its a pretty usual combo. Gotta make the boo backing as thin as possible....even yew can be overpowered.

Since I like local materials im working on a hazel backed yew.....hazel is very light, good in tension and kinda soft like yew.

Cheers

[mikekeswick]

I don't think thinning it makes any diffence to it's tension strength. How can it? There are still the same amount of fibers doing the same work. Trapping however is a different story.
Good luck with your glue up!

[Holten101]

I don't think thinning it makes any diffence to it's tension strength. How can it? There are still the same amount of fibers doing the same work. Trapping however is a different story.
Good luck with your glue up!

Now im no pro at laminated bows, so forgive my ignorence;-)

I thought that the shift towards the back, of the neutral plane, by thinning lam backs of boo and hick was one way to help relative weaker belly woods cope?

Cheers

[Keenan]

One of my fastest bows was bamboo backed yew. Great combo!

[mikekeswick]

I don't think thinning it makes any diffence to it's tension strength. How can it? There are still the same amount of fibers doing the same work. Trapping however is a different story.
Good luck with your glue up!

Now im no pro at laminated bows, so forgive my ignorence;-)

I thought that the shift towards the back, of the neutral plane, by thinning lam backs of boo and hick was one way to help relative weaker belly woods cope?

Cheers

I make laminated (and self!) bows for a living and have played around with many different combos/thicknesses etc...all my testing has shown thin backs to actually perform a little worse than a thicker backing. If you have a compression weak wood that you just have to back with bamboo then make the backing thick enough to allow significant trapping and you will have no problems with the belly cyhrsaling. Thin boo has just the same tension resistance than a thicker piece as it's the outer power fibers that are doing the work.

[Holten101]

Thanks for clearing that up mikekeswick:-)

Cheers

[RBLusthaus]

Hmm wheels turning...

Billy

I think I know exactly which stick of yew you have in mind.  I had the same thought.  I suggest you have a heart to heart with your uncle.

Russ

[Youngboyer2(billyf)]

actually, we got another... BUT out backup supply of yew trees and bushes was turned into woodchips a week ago... WOODCHIPS!. there is only one yew tree left... and it needs a few years to bear bows, but we can probably cut multiple lams out of our new stave.... i will talk to him about it next week
-BILLY