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Author Topic: So where do you get your yew staves (non East Coast people)  (Read 13997 times)

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Offline HoorayHorace

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So where do you get your yew staves (non East Coast people)
« on: December 01, 2014, 07:12:50 pm »
For those of you that don't live on the East Coast, how do you go about acquiring yew timber? Buy it? I checked a few out on ebay, but most of it is fresh cut and the asking price astronomical  :o  :-\



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Offline sleek

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Re: So where do you get your yew staves (non East Coast people)
« Reply #1 on: December 01, 2014, 07:46:49 pm »
Yew is a west coast thing my friend. Most get it from folks on this site, or suppliers,  non of which I know.
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Offline vinemaplebows

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Re: So where do you get your yew staves (non East Coast people)
« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2014, 08:44:20 pm »
Quote from: HoorayHorace on December 01, 2014, 07:12:50 pm
For those of you that don't live on the East Coast, how do you go about acquiring yew timber? Buy it? I checked a few out on ebay, but most of it is fresh cut and the asking price astronomical  :o  :-\


Well, when you can get a permit let us know........ and you better cut plenty. Yew is a darn hard species to get a permit for here in Wa. I know Dave, the guy you are refering to on ebay, and it seems he has his sources. ;) I don't know how he gets as much yew as he gets, but it would be nice to know what he does, and I have been cutting bow wood here for almost 20 yrs....sold wood to him as well.
« Last Edit: December 01, 2014, 09:02:31 pm by vinemaplebows »
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Offline HoorayHorace

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Re: So where do you get your yew staves (non East Coast people)
« Reply #3 on: December 02, 2014, 06:44:25 am »
He sells some nice clean staves, but they are all fresh  :P
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Offline adb

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Re: So where do you get your yew staves (non East Coast people)
« Reply #4 on: December 02, 2014, 11:20:54 am »
When it comes to yew, it seems to me you have 2 choices:

1. Go the distance and cut your own. Turn it into a holiday and adventure. I did. My wife and I drove 4,000 kms this past summer out to the west coast and Vancouver Island, and brought home a truck load of yew. Both staves and boards. Enough to keep me busy for a long while.

2. Pay through the nose for it from the lucky people who live close enough to harvest it. Those will be few and far between. Also, what I consider bow quality wood may not be the same as what they consider bow quality wood.

I've done both, but I strongly recommend option 1, after becoming very broke and frustrated with option 2.  Just sayin'.
It all depends how bad you want to make bows out of yew. It's a good option for the bowyers in yew country, but not so good for the rest of us. There are many other good options.
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Offline HoorayHorace

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Re: So where do you get your yew staves (non East Coast people)
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2014, 01:32:02 pm »
Hey ADB, sounds like you and your wife had a blast  ;)

I fancy doing that myself, but I understand the permits are pricey and hard to get? I was able to cut the trees legally I'd do it this summer.

Thing is, the only real interests I hold is for English longbows right now. Any good self bow woods in the Americas for that type of thing. Don't really like laminates myself.
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Offline Carson (CMB)

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Re: So where do you get your yew staves (non East Coast people)
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2014, 02:49:39 pm »
The last time I tried to get a permit here  in Oregon, the district forester told me that they had just stopped issuing permits for any harvest of yew and that there was a current sting operation in effect. He said they were trying to bust someone poaching yew bark. I find that hard to believe, as the market for yew bark fell out years ago. Just a couple weeks ago, a friend said that it was now a state wide moratorium on yew harvesting. Not sure if that is temporary or not, but it certainly does not bode well for the bowmaker.
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Offline bubby

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Re: So where do you get your yew staves (non East Coast people)
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2014, 03:05:13 pm »
If that's true Carson it doesn't bode well for the archer in more than one way, just think how much more a yew stave will cost, it will put yew out of reach for the average bowyer
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: So where do you get your yew staves (non East Coast people)
« Reply #8 on: December 02, 2014, 03:10:23 pm »
I was talking with Brian the other night and he said Washington state is the same way, almost impossible to get permission to cut yew. If it needs saving, save it. If not, why not utilize the resource?
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Offline JonW

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Re: So where do you get your yew staves (non East Coast people)
« Reply #9 on: December 02, 2014, 03:15:15 pm »
Quote from: bubby on December 02, 2014, 03:05:13 pm
If that's true Carson it doesn't bode well for the archer in more than one way, just think how much more a yew stave will cost, it will put yew out of reach for the average bowyer

Good thing I'm BELOW average. I will just look at other bowyer's Yew bows.
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Offline HoorayHorace

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Re: So where do you get your yew staves (non East Coast people)
« Reply #10 on: December 02, 2014, 03:41:14 pm »
looks like yew is off the cards for the  future
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Offline HoorayHorace

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Re: So where do you get your yew staves (non East Coast people)
« Reply #11 on: December 02, 2014, 03:47:32 pm »
So I need to find an alternative to yew for ELB's. In my naivety, I thought it would be cheap  :-\

Was thinking along the lines of hickory or ash, though not sure how they would stand up to the long and narrow elb design.

Looking for 80lb@30
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Offline Pat B

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Re: So where do you get your yew staves (non East Coast people)
« Reply #12 on: December 02, 2014, 03:53:57 pm »
Horace, we have ash, elm, osage, mulberry and probably a few other species that will make a good ELB.
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline HoorayHorace

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Re: So where do you get your yew staves (non East Coast people)
« Reply #13 on: December 02, 2014, 04:25:21 pm »
Which is the best type of elm? We have a few, right?
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Offline Pat B

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Re: So where do you get your yew staves (non East Coast people)
« Reply #14 on: December 02, 2014, 04:43:46 pm »
I've only use winged and red but it was for flat bows and recurves.
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC
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