To thin, or not to thin...

[adb]

Somebody just cut that stave out of the wrong part of the log.

[WillS]

It was probably my fault Adam! I was trying to lay out a bow avoiding a really nasty gouge and knot which was perilously close to a highly stressed area of one limb.  I had to skew the center line a bit which pushed the tips into opposite corners of the stave.  It didn't look anywhere near as bad until I started roughing out the front profile. 

I guess I decided that uneven sapwood was less of an issue than a funky hole on the edge.

[adb]

Well... you're probably right. Only time will tell. Don't sweat it too much, even a marginal piece of yew will make an excellent bow. Yew is amazing stuff. I'd rather keep the back flat, and avoid twist... than thin it evenly and have to deal with prop twist later. Keep in mind... yew responds very well to heat correction.