Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: poplar600 on November 27, 2015, 08:51:42 pm

Title: Steam yew and cracks along the belly?
Post by: poplar600 on November 27, 2015, 08:51:42 pm: Steamed a piece of yew to get the tipis aligned, and to my horror some massive lengthways cracks appeared along the belly! Never had this happen with yew before.

Going to now have to turn a 90-100lb roughed out blank into a 50lber :( :-\
Title: Re: Steam yew and cracks along the belly?
Post by: dylanholderman on November 27, 2015, 10:14:33 pm: ouch that hurts :'(
is there no way to fill them with glue and clamp to fix it?
Title: Re: Steam yew and cracks along the belly?
Post by: Pat B on November 27, 2015, 10:20:01 pm: Not necessarily. Set it aside and let it come back into equilibrium with the R/H and get ideas from other yew bowyers. I've only built a few yew bows but I've regretted many rash decisions over the years.
Post a pic of the check. A check in the belly shouldn't adversely affect the stave. I don't build 100# bows so that might change the dynamic.
Title: Re: Steam yew and cracks along the belly?
Post by: poplar600 on November 27, 2015, 10:54:20 pm: I've already roughed it out to the dimensions of a 50-60lber :-\ Cracks disappeared though. I don't mean small hairline cracks or checks, but multiple big deep cracks. I don't think super glue and yew dust would have solved these.

Just need to now get the tips aligned without the use of steam.....!

Very sad though as it took me 40 odd hours of work and it was looking beautiful. Oh well, I'll just shoot it as a light bow and wait for another stave.

I wish I knew what caused it though!
Title: Re: Steam yew and cracks along the belly?
Post by: wizardgoat on November 27, 2015, 11:16:00 pm: how seasoned was the yew?
Title: Re: Steam yew and cracks along the belly?
Post by: WillS on November 28, 2015, 05:14:41 am: Definitely sounds like it wasn't seasoned enough. Also, cracks that open up during steaming are longitudinal which are usually fine at any draw weight. Could have glued, clamped and wrapped them and still made a 100lb bow no probs.
Title: Re: Steam yew and cracks along the belly?
Post by: Del the cat on November 28, 2015, 05:55:07 am: The way to look at it is, it's done you a favour. Those cracks were just waiting to open up.
I recently had a similar thing with a stave that was "seasoned for 3 years" ... yeah right. it moved and split like crazy. One end even felt wet under the draw knife. When questioned further it turns out the shed where it was seasoned was open to the elements ::)...
Joe Public just doesn't understand what seasoning means :(
I had to wrestle with all sorts of heat bending, heat treating and storing it on a radiator... it got there in the end, but it was a right pig.
Del
Title: Re: Steam yew and cracks along the belly?
Post by: poplar600 on November 28, 2015, 09:38:10 am: I bought it from abroad as "premium" and spent a good deal. Had drying checks when I got it.
Will just get it roughed out and now leave the thing for a year. Waste of money if you ask me.
Title: Re: Steam yew and cracks along the belly?
Post by: WillS on November 28, 2015, 12:28:19 pm: Let me guess - Pacific yew "premium Warbow stave" from Medicine Bow Woods (burl.quilt if you went through eBay)

Nothing he sells is seasoned. No matter what he says. The wood is superb quality but you have to be prepared to leave it a year or so before working on it.
Title: Re: Steam yew and cracks along the belly?
Post by: Pat B on November 28, 2015, 12:37:35 pm: Even if it was seasoned, you still have to allow for regional R/H differences so you have to allow the stave time to come into R/H equilibrium with where you are. All wood takes on and releases moisture to the atmosphere(hygroscopic) in the area it resides.
Title: Re: Steam yew and cracks along the belly?
Post by: WillS on November 28, 2015, 12:49:46 pm: Very true, but my understanding is that it doesn't take very long for that to happen, provided the stave is properly seasoned beforehand.

I may well be wrong, but I would imagine that if the OP has been working on this for weeks and weeks it would have been well "acclimatised" as it were.

A piece of wood opening up cracks when exposed to extreme heating screams of not being seasoned to me.
Title: Re: Steam yew and cracks along the belly?
Post by: poplar600 on November 28, 2015, 01:01:04 pm: Working on it for 6 weeks. Now going to be a 50-60lb bow :(
Title: Re: Steam yew and cracks along the belly?
Post by: bradsmith2010 on November 28, 2015, 01:26:36 pm: also keep in mind,, if you are working inside ,, the low humidity can effect wood after steaming,, I had the same thing happen a few days ago, I was working in a heated room,, I think if I had put the stave in a cool room after steaming.... or outside,,, it would have not checked,, also I have seen posted that coating the area with glue before steaming can help prevent checking,, I know the stave I was working on was seasoned,,, winter time with the heat going inside is different than working outside temps of summer,, relative humidity is not so low,,
Title: Re: Steam yew and cracks along the belly?
Post by: Bryce on November 28, 2015, 02:08:01 pm: Cracks like that usually aren't a problem. A better assessment could be drawn if you posted a picture of said cracks.
I've hade 3 year old staves open up as well, once exposed to the open air. Yah just never know.
I've had yew get the same cracks and after a day of sitting they either go away or just get smaller. Filled them in and continued of as if they weren't there. Bows came out just fine.
Title: Re: Steam yew and cracks along the belly?
Post by: poplar600 on November 28, 2015, 07:25:26 pm: How should I move the tip across without using steam? Can't afford anymore cracks.
Title: Re: Steam yew and cracks along the belly?
Post by: Bryce on November 29, 2015, 02:38:45 am: Steam the handle, press and clamp to align the tips. But if your adamant about adjusting just the tips, boil it. The cracks shouldn't be a huge deal.