Bending pacific yew

[Muskyman]

My kids got me a yew stave for my birthday. It’s several years old and seasoned pretty well and seems dry enough to make a bow with. I really know almost nothing about yew except that it makes great bows. Pretty clean on the back with a few very small knots.. wondering what stage to do my bending at   
I’m gonna guess about floor tiller? Also if anyone knows of some good videos on making a bow from yew.. I’d like to watch a bunch of videos before I even think about trying to start on this piece of wood.
Posting a few picks of the piece.

[Muskyman]

Another picture of it. It’s about 73 inches long and probably about 3 inches wide and maybe 2-2 1/2 deep

[superdav95]

Mike.  That’s gonna be a fun project.  Yew is good stuff.  It’s a different animal though then other wood that you may be used to.  With yew you want nice tight rings and a good ratio of sapwood to heartwood on your final bow to get a good balance of tension and compression.  On some of mine I e had to thin down the sapwood a bit to balance this out.  Some pieces have thick sapwood and can make up the bulk of the limb thickness if not thinned down to about 1/8” thick give or take.  This also depends on the type of bow your making too.  A elb that’s good and long and is heavy draw may not need much taken off if kept narrow.  If doing a flat bow or recurve or pyramid style with slightly wider limbs you’ll need to adjust the sapwood thickness a bit perhaps.  You’ll see as you get going.  You also don’t need to be overly concerned with violating a growth ring on the back either.  As long as your carefull and follow the contours of the back and match those on the belly for uniform thickness you’ll be good.  Get to floor tiller bending pretty quick with yew as it’s nice a soft to work compared to lime Osage or hard whitewoods.  It’s surprisingly good bow wood for how soft it is.  As far as heat corrections I use dry heat and oil with a brush.  I take out twists and bends with no issues.  Just don’t overheat or heat correct same area more then once as you’ll risk it getting too brittle and explode on you.  Don’t ask me how I know this!   Looks like a good piece of wood you got there mike.  Go for it! 

[Aksel]

Don´t forget yew is poisonous. Work outside or with a good mask.

[Muskyman]

I have heard that Aksel, and thanks for mentioning that. I do have several respirators and will use one. I watched a video by Richard Head Longbows last night and the guy making the bow had a mask on and mentioned that yew was toxic.

Thanks Dave, is there any set proportion between the sapwood and heartwood on this wood when making a bow. I did watch one video where the guy also said about 1/8th on the sapwood. It was a flat bow if I remember correctly. I’m thinking I’ll probably try and make a flat bow with it and maybe put recurve tips on it. Also might wait and get a few more bows made before I try making a bow with this piece. Might try to get it roughed out straighten it then let it sit inside until I feel a little more confident about trying to make a bow with it.. also what kind of oil do you use when bending it?

[Will B]

Here is one of the best yew build-alongs I have found. I refer to this frequently. Lots of great tips. Good luck.
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,23732.0.html

[Will B]

Here is the correct link.
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,30667.0.html

[Del the cat]

There are several Yew build along playlist on my Youtube chanel (Del Cat)
Here's one for a character Yew primitive:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-usn2HZR4n4&list=PLBz2tD9476KSJ1ghj5XVFgAROybcXZVZM
And here's one for a Pacific Yew 120# Warbpw:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJvkD1ib4YI&list=PLBz2tD9476KTaf_X7Em-n2t7jv4i1kCqm
Del

[superdav95]

I have heard that Aksel, and thanks for mentioning that. I do have several respirators and will use one. I watched a video by Richard Head Longbows last night and the guy making the bow had a mask on and mentioned that yew was toxic.

Thanks Dave, is there any set proportion between the sapwood and heartwood on this wood when making a bow. I did watch one video where the guy also said about 1/8th on the sapwood. It was a flat bow if I remember correctly. I’m thinking I’ll probably try and make a flat bow with it and maybe put recurve tips on it. Also might wait and get a few more bows made before I try making a bow with this piece. Might try to get it roughed out straighten it then let it sit inside until I feel a little more confident about trying to make a bow with it.. also what kind of oil do you use when bending it?

No problem at all mike.  I use canola oil.  It’s cheap and has a high smoke point.  You can just use the 1/8” as a target to start.  I would get bark off and see what you got as far as cluster pin knots or any inclusions on the back. You may find that when you thin it down a little that you have some spots you may want to leave a bit extra wood around to protect these areas.  Also depends on what draw weight your looking to get and length of you bow and whether you’ll be having recurves.  I boil my recurves for yew.  Just keep the belly wood to as close to single growth ring when bending the recurves.  You can get away with a little bit with yew but better safe then sorry.  Also watch out for delaminating the sapwood from the heart wood when doing heat corrections.  Only heat one area once.  Anyway hope this helps ya. Best of luck with it.  Looks like a good piece of wood.