Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: blackhawk on June 30, 2011, 10:34:31 pm
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Last week I had planned to cut up some black locust with my step dad that was a blow down on a neighbors property. The plan was I help with the waste wood and help him cut firewood and I was gonna pick out some clean sections(if there was any) to split into staves. We first got there and it was a huge hybrid locust. It was a mess,limbs and brush everywhere. The landowner said it took out a yew and I said that makes bows too,and she said I could take some of it as well. I thought maybe it was just another smallish ornamental too crappy for bow wood like everything else. So I climbed the brush pile and saw a 8" diameter yew trunk and went huh. No way. Underneath it all was a huge old yew. Now im also a lil cus they just bulldozed both trees over to the side of there yard to the treeline and some of it got beat up. What a shame :'( but there is alot still there that's usable and good. It took awhile to unbury it but this is what I found and im smiling from ear to ear. I ve only touched the surface and there's also another tree under there but didn't unbury it yet to see if any of it is good or not. Im gonna have to go back tomorrow and sat to get the rest. This is gonna be a lot of work.
Yew overhaul baby. 20"+ trunk
(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/blackhawk28/2011-06-30_16-31-31_593.jpg)
(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/blackhawk28/2011-06-30_17-12-37_859.jpg)
As you see,some of it got abused :'(
(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/blackhawk28/2011-06-30_16-48-14_949.jpg)
I got one trunk out and cut into a few billets and a couple full lengths. And a couple limbs. There's so much more. A LOT >:D
Once I get it all out ill count it all up and line it all up and snap some pictures. It may not be warweight worthy stuff,but it'll still make some nice hunting bows for sure. From what I seen the ring count is between and varies around 10-25 rpi
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SCORE!!!! ;D ;D ;D
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:o :o :o WHOOOWW you lucky dog!!!!
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There will be some sweet staves in that lower end!, Nice fnd
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Nice! makes my recent yew find look pretty measly. I hope you get alot of good staves out of that.
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Good luck with it. Looks like lots of good quality.
I have tried dozer pushed trees here in Mo. with bad luck. Mostly Osage, it seems to twist the grain internally,and stays hidden until the staves are worked down. Maybe your wood won't be effected by it.
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When you make your way past Webberville and if the van should happen to lose a piece on the highway, just note the mile marker. I'll rescue it for you!
The bow gods were smiling down on you! Great find!
Matt
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You can say that a few more times soy
I am more than lucky josh...I am blessed. And yeah. Whoooow is right. Im still blown away at this find.
Your right Keenan. Good eye. That lower section has some nice straight n pretty clean trunks.
Weylin your find is still good. Keep at it and one of these days this will happen to you too. Just get the word out to everyone you know that you make bows and tell em to be on the lookout for wood. It'll pay off.
Hey timo I hope the dozer didn't mess up the internal grain either. We'll see. Its still worth all the work to salvage it out tho.
Ok Matt..ill let you know if one flys off. Easily could with all that wood. And yes the bow gods have been smiling down on me BIG time.
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I'd be smiling so hard my lips would touch at the back of my head. Well worth the work.
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I get a lil excited when I see a nice sapling...
Not sure what I wood do if I came across that!
Nice score!
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Looks like you hit the mother lode with that.
Fortune favours the lucky ;).
Maybe you should send a few of the best bits to the Uk for evaluation at 'The Del the Cat Institute for Timber Studies' ::)
Del
BTW, It's easy to get casual when you find so much, make sure you get every last bit even if it's marginal...you can always throw it away later, 'cos if you don't it will get burnt/trashed etc.
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Yeah Dave I woke up this morning still smiling and giddy as a school girl. I thought there was only one substance that could give you permagrin. I was wrong. ;D
Sharpend I did cream my pants :D
Del...maybe I shoulda played the lotto yesterday too. Im gonna take the clean sections that has dinged sapwood too for backed bows. No worries ill get all the meat off her bones.
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This must be the week to find bow wood. :) Good find!
George
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Great find! I've never seen a yew tree but that looks like a lot of bows there. Everybody's out having fun and i'm stuck at work :'(.
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Despair not my friend. There is an osage log with your name on it at my place. Anytime you want to go flint hunting, or show me some tricks knapping...I will bring it over. ;)
George
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Its alright cowboy. Im at work too dying to get out of here. Hmmm? I wonder why.
And yes George the bow gods have opened up the heavens to us. Cool we both found a motherlode of wood to keep us junkies going for awhile. And im in despair to,its called work. So does that constitute my name being on a Osage log too >:D. Lol.....kidding. I got enough on my hands right now and don't have much room either to put it.
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Yes, it is a good week. I see no reason an osage log couldn't be swapped for a yew log...O, maybe 1 reason...shipping. :'( :'(
Good find, I hope that yew wasn't damaged when it was rolled around. Every time I cut wood rolled by a dozer I can't keep the saw sharp from all the dirt in the bark. ???
George
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Yeah. That shipping will kill ya. :-\
Well I got that one tree all cut up and all those ends are sealed. It took a whole can of shellac. Most of it wasn't too beat up actually. A lot of the spots that got dinged bad were in spots where a bow wasn't anyways or just had to remove a foot of trunk and then continue on full length or billet length. Im gonna pick it up n bring it all home tomorrow and then dig out that other smaller yew tree and see what else I can take home ;D
Its a haul for sure. Hopefully ill have numbers and pictures of it all lined up by tomorrow.
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I might have missed this but blackhawk where abouts are you located? Not looking for an exact location just generall location?
Josh
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Hey josh. Im in western Pennsylvania. I think its english yew to be exact(but could be wrong). These were planted a looooong time ago next to an old farmhouse when it was built,which has been torn down now. So its all like low elevation stuff. Like I said its not warbow worthy but its hunting weight worthy. This tree had to be close to fifty feet tall. This was a very rare find for out here. I basically found a needle in the worlds biggest haystack. And its bow worthy wood to boot. Im still waiting to wake up.
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Cool ya its a great find I am very happy for you I know how excited I get when I find a smal scrub yew tree even if there isnt any bows in it ;D
Josh
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Here's the top cut of the trunk I cut yesterday. 79" long. 20 rpi
(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/blackhawk28/2011-07-01_20-54-13_807.jpg)
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Very NICE :o
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nice haul there, never made a yew bow plenty of osage and other woods, nice and straight should make some beauties.
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Here's most of it. There's still a few more staves to dig out and cut. You guys can count it yourself ;D
(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/blackhawk28/2011-07-02_10-02-41_520.jpg)
Lengths from 33"-79"
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That is a very nice haul of yew. 8)
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Oh you dirty, dirty dawg.... >:D
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Thanks patb...what are the odds of finding this size clean yew out east here?
@Lee....hey buddy. Sorry to send you in a jealous rage. Friends aren't supposed to do that to each other. My apologies. Hope we still can be buddies. ;)
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You lucky dog I am very jelous I dont think I have ever seen yew in Ga. Great find and looks like you will be busy for a while.
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Bownut....people plant yews for landscaping and ornamentals in there yards everywhere in the country. You've seen it,you just didn't know it. Most of that stuff is no good. You still might be able to find one that you can get 2"-3"+ 36" long billet lengths and splice them. I saw a guy who did that and it turned out good. Yew has flat needles and grows the red berries. Do a search online.
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Lol Patrick. How did you know that's what my face has looked like the last three days. :o
And then there was some more. I think there's a few more yet to dig out.
(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/blackhawk28/2011-07-02_16-10-36_184.jpg)
This is just ridiculous. Im so beat up. This ones kicking my ! ## >:D