Yucca Bowstring

[Scallorn]

I made this bowstring for my sisters bow. The bow is 22# at 26 inches. It took a lot of trial and error to get the string making process right, but I have yucca growing wild where I live, so I had plenty of material to work with. I have put plenty of arrows through it to make sure it won't break, it has held up nicely. I processed the leaves by pounding them between a smooth stone and a hardwood billet, and then scraping away the outer layer. I'm thinking about making a thicker one for my brothers 40# bow. 

[Scallorn]

forgot the pictures! lol

[PrimitiveTim]

Awesome!  Nice job on the string.  Some types of yucca are much easier to process than others.  I make all my bowstrings from agave and they are extremely strong.  In my experience agave is much easier to process than any yucca I've found.  Also if you get like a 3 foot long leaf that will be enough for at least one bow string.  Also when the agave is processed it is nice and white.  That string looks thick enough for larger bows to me.  Maybe you could do a tension test.

[Adam]

Really cool! Are the fibers found in the leaves or the stalk?

[Scallorn]

Adam, the fibers are in the leaves. yucca and agave plants have very long broad leaves. The best way I have found to process them is to pound them between two smooth stones, and then scraping the outer layer of the leaves away. The pounding will separate the fibers down to very small hairlike fibers, when they are dry, take two bundles of them and start twisting! When the bundle starts thinning out, just weave in more fibers. The resulting string will be very strong. 

Primitive Tim, What part of the us do you live in? I live in northeast texas, and we have yucca , but I have never found agave???
I have thouhgt about doing a tension test, but I think it's too risky haha

[Newindian]

I made one recently but haven't been able to test it out (waiting for sinew to dry one the bow). I messed around with agave fibers before It stretched like fishing line, and the juices are strait from hell, retting seams like a much kinder process.

[Adam]

Thanks Scallorn!  Do you dry the leaves before processing or do you just cut the leaves from the plant and then get to work?

[PrimitiveTim]

Primitive Tim, What part of the us do you live in? I live in northeast texas, and we have yucca , but I have never found agave???
I have thouhgt about doing a tension test, but I think it's too risky haha

I live in Florida.  People have agaves as landscape plants and I'm sure they're in a neighborhood near you.  They're pretty commonly found around here.

The worst that can happen with a tension test is that your string breaks. lol.  It would be pain making all the diameter measurements and of course making a string with perfect consistency isn't easy.

[Scallorn]

Adam, It's good for the fibers to be pretty dry when you make the string. You don't have to dry the leaves whole though. After pounding the leaves and splitting the fibers, they will dry really quick. just put the bundle of fibers in a corner for one of two days and they will be plenty dry. Hope this helps

[mikekeswick]

Nice string. It's looks good and even.
Be careful with yucca because it isn't all that strong (strength to weight ratio). I'm talking about when you compare it to the best string making materials like hemp, flax, nettle, sinew etc. It's great stuff to learn with but it will never make a really good light string. It you are into string making from natural materials i'd recommend planting some flax or nettle seeds...probably best not to plant loads of hemp!
Have you read the chapter on string making in the TBB 2? It's a must read. I'd definately recommend you to do some breaking strain tests on the plys before making a string.

[SLIMBOB]

  I twist it up somewhat moist and then hang a weight from it and let it dry.  Scallorn, I'm in central Texas and Agave is every where here, somewhat a desert plant.  They make Tequilla from it.  Good for cordage and light weight bows, but be careful, not very strong.  It will break pretty easy.  Good lookin' string!

[burchett.donald]

Scallorn, Way to go! Now that is keeping it primitive. That's what I like to see on PA...I use linen but that looks interesting.

[Scallorn]

Mike', Thanks for the advise. I haven't read that section of TTBB, I will have to do that. Where would a person get flax seeds???
Slimbob, I have made string using that process before, but when they dry they tend to shrink a lot, so I dry them before I twist them...

[Adam]

I've seen flax seeds at the grocery store.  I've heard other people get them at health food stores.  Just be careful they're full seeds. I've seen some that are ground.  Scallorn, if you can't find any and are interested, send me a pm.

[Scallorn]

Thanks for the help Adam! There are plenty of health food stores and produce stores around here. I'm sure I can find some.