Author Topic: Newbie first primitive Yew  (Read 2471 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Richard

  • Member
  • Posts: 2
Newbie first primitive Yew
« on: October 30, 2015, 01:48:25 pm »


Hi All,

My first attempt at a primitive type Yew Longbow "crafted" from a small branch cut last year. 71" long 50lbs @ 28" draw. It was a really bad and knotty bit of branch which was much worse than I thought before I started cutting onto it. It had a natural crack on the lower limb, so I had to take the weight down and make the lower limb stiffer plus bound it for good measure.

Is there a hinge in the the top 2/3 of the top limb ?

Still it looks "original" and it was a good lesson though !   Now onto the next.....

All the best

Richard


Offline Pat B

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 37,633
Re: Newbie first primitive Yew
« Reply #1 on: October 30, 2015, 02:14:12 pm »
Richard, I think it looks damn good for your first. The right limb looks a bit stiff and their might be the beginning of a hinge out on the left limb.
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Aaron H

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,437
Re: Newbie first primitive Yew
« Reply #2 on: October 30, 2015, 04:20:08 pm »
Do you have an unbraced side profile picture?  That would help a lot

Offline Richard

  • Member
  • Posts: 2
Re: Newbie first primitive Yew
« Reply #3 on: November 07, 2015, 09:32:17 pm »
Hi all,
Thanks for the kind feedback Pat B and Aaron....
I finished off tillering and run 50 shot through my primitive longbow and was pleasantly surprised.. From 100yds I was able able to hit my target well over 80% of the time, even as a "born again" bowman... It shot very nicely and consistently... not too fast, but  I guess that's down to the size/mass of the outer limbs. I got a slap in the wrist once, but that was purely due to my poor style and rustiness... The bow took about 2" of string follow initially, but that dropped down to maybe 1 1/2" after an hour or so,...  I am very pleased and have definitely got the bug once more !
It draws 50 lbs @ 28"....  It was made very much in the Traditional Bowyers Bible ethos of make the best bow from the material you have ! 





Offline bowandarrow473

  • Member
  • Posts: 696
Re: Newbie first primitive Yew
« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2015, 09:42:03 pm »
That is a very fine first bow!

I do however concur with what PatB has said. but all in all, a shooter! thats more than a lot of us can claim for our first bow, me included!
Whatever you are, be a good one.

Offline sieddy

  • Member
  • Posts: 708
  • Guaranga! :)
Re: Newbie first primitive Yew
« Reply #5 on: November 08, 2015, 02:35:35 am »
It's looks like you've crafted a great bow from a challenging peice of wood (very knotty isn't it!)
There's nothing like shooting your own Yew bow!  :)
"No man ever broke his bow but another man found a use for the string" Irish proverb

Offline Del the cat

  • Member
  • Posts: 8,322
    • Derek Hutchison Native Wood Self Bows
Re: Newbie first primitive Yew
« Reply #6 on: November 08, 2015, 02:44:30 am »
It's looks like you've crafted a great bow from a challenging peice of wood (very knotty isn't it!)
There's nothing like shooting your own Yew bow!  :)
+1  :)
Del
Health warning, these posts may contain traces of nut.

riverrat

  • Guest
Re: Newbie first primitive Yew
« Reply #7 on: November 08, 2015, 07:09:22 pm »
nice job. a little tiller advice. left limb in picture, between knot on side and handle, needs to be shaved a tad.right limb from handle to tip is in need of more tillering. take it slow. if your carefull you wont loose too much. Tony

Offline Springbuck

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,545
Re: Newbie first primitive Yew
« Reply #8 on: November 09, 2015, 12:00:29 pm »
Honestly, you made several tillering mistakes, but in spite of that it's not bad at all for a such a challenging piece of wood.  It looks darn good overall, and the mistakes aren't fatal.  Nice and rough looking, but gorgeous, and "net" tiller, well, I've seen worse.

But, without criticism, let me throw in a few thoughts for the future.  If you look at your unstrung pic you can see how all the set the bow takes in concentrated in the middle of the bow.  On a longbow that is the thickest portion,and should bend, but a tad to a good bit less than the outer limbs.  Likewise, if you look at the drawn, prefinished pic, most of your bend is in the middle of the bow. This is "wrong" for such a long, deep section bow, and results in high set, and heavy tips.   

Divide the whole bow into thirds mentally.  That middle third is bending the most, above and below the handle.  Now, mentally divide each LIMB into thirds. Looking from the handle outward, the top limb is bending a lot in the first third, too much in the middle third, and hardly at all in the outer third.  The bottom limb is bending too much in the first third, not at all in the middle, and almost not at all in the outer third.  It should be some on either side of the handle, more in the middle third, and about like the middle in the outer, except for the very tips.

  I see that the splint/wrapped area presented a technical problem, but right past the wrap is an are that could have been made to bend a lot more, which would actually help the tiller AND relieve stress from the spot you wrapped.

  Keep it up, brother, that is a good start.