Author Topic: Anyone ever try to quick dry yew?  (Read 5950 times)

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Offline coaster500

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Re: Anyone ever try to quick dry yew?
« Reply #15 on: April 18, 2013, 03:18:01 am »
Yep, I tried fast drying yew once - bad idea. Yew is too valuable to take chances with shortcuts.

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Offline Badger

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Re: Anyone ever try to quick dry yew?
« Reply #16 on: April 18, 2013, 12:01:58 pm »
  I have a feeling you picked up some of the same yew I picked up at the chamberlain ranch shoot. What part of so cal are you in? I plan on splitting out my log some time this week and finsihing a couple of bows by september. I live in Torrance near LAX.

Offline vyadha

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Re: Anyone ever try to quick dry yew?
« Reply #17 on: April 18, 2013, 12:56:17 pm »
Hey Steve, its casey who brought the teens to chamberlain. I'm in ojai. I ended up with quite a bit. Now I'm just concerned it may check.

Offline Badger

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Re: Anyone ever try to quick dry yew?
« Reply #18 on: April 28, 2013, 01:31:46 pm »
  I split out a log 4 days ago that was sopping wet, still had green branches growing out of it. I took one of the less desirable staves off the deflex side and worked it into a bow, just removing the bark and taking to floor tiller. I didn't apply any sealers as it was pretty thin. The stave started off at 28 oz and 4 days later is now at 21 oz. So far no ill effects. I am still worried about the handle area checking but am starting to think by late next weel I will be able to finish it up.  The moisture meter is reading at about 12% right bow, I like my yew around 8 or 9%.   I am not recomending doing this but it seems to be working in this instance. I have tried this with plumb and it spit down the middle, osage and most white woods seem to be ok if I take them all the way down to floor tiller when wet.

Offline vyadha

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Re: Anyone ever try to quick dry yew?
« Reply #19 on: April 28, 2013, 06:13:59 pm »
Here are some pics of the staves and billets. 2 weeks in and no checking so far.
The two on the left are from the same log, 50" and 77". The big one has almost 4" of reflex.
The two on the right are billets, 55" and 50". I have 2 more sets of billets that are 48".
Im pretty excited about these. I have quite a bit of sinew and no idea how to splice. Who knows what will happen when the wood is dry.

Steve, you gonna be at the Conejo shoot?




Offline Badger

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Re: Anyone ever try to quick dry yew?
« Reply #20 on: April 28, 2013, 06:29:24 pm »
    I plan on being there. I will finish up the yew bow at the meet.

Offline Mark Smeltzer

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Re: Anyone ever try to quick dry yew?
« Reply #21 on: April 28, 2013, 11:11:11 pm »
I've quick dried Yew in my dring box in just a few weeks.  I took the opportunity while it was green to add some reflex. I just roughed out the bow from a green stave, sealed it up really good and put in in the hot box for a week. when I was finished working on it for the day i sealed it back up and put it back in the hot box.
Made some nice bows that way, it dry one too fast and it had some cracks in it.
Mark