Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Bamboo-Bows on June 09, 2021, 05:39:55 am
-
Ready for the shredder or a brand new longbow? 🧐
This piece of yew was cut down a few years ago. The bark had a lot of damage and was starting to rot away. The trunk had a lot of drying cracks even before the tree was cut down. It was left for the shredder alongside the road untill lucky me picked it up.
I decided to split the old yew logs that I had laying around for some years. Most of the logs I cut into laminates but I saw a potential billet hidden in there. Maybe it would be cool to make a yew longbow. Before I started on laminated bows I always loved making a yew longbow because of its history. The wood itself is also easy to work with, just as long as you use a dustmask 😉
You can see a place at the end of the billet where the wood was rotting away. Hopefully this piece leaves just enough sap and hardwood that it won’t be in the finished bow. Now it is on to assembly and roughing out the profile. Will keep you guys posted on the progress! Because the end doesn't give a lot of wood to work with I will be looking for an easy target bow out of this one, let's see if it will work out.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51234819685_6d9f88e5f9_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m4rQU6)Yew log (https://flic.kr/p/2m4rQU6) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51233753031_e44b39c1d0_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m4mnPv)Yew logs (https://flic.kr/p/2m4mnPv) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51233964188_35c6993132_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m4nsA9)Billet (https://flic.kr/p/2m4nsA9) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51234821260_2322e54217_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m4rRnf)Growthrings (https://flic.kr/p/2m4rRnf) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51234531059_56b236db70_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m4qn6M)Split end (https://flic.kr/p/2m4qn6M) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
-
Some nice looking wood there :)
Any that has damaged or rotten heartwood will be great as backed yew heartwood. Boo Yew is a great combination and heat treated Yew which is then boo backed is superb!
Del
-
Nothing wrong with that yew.
I haven't had to need to try it but I have read some guys will split that crack right through, and re glue with resorcinol(which will take heat bending).
You could also saw it down the crack, plane the surfaces flat and re glue it back into a billet.
-
Some nice looking wood there :)
Any that has damaged or rotten heartwood will be great as backed yew heartwood. Boo Yew is a great combination and heat treated Yew which is then boo backed is superb!
Del
Someday haha, going to back some yew with bamboo. Have not tried it yet, I am planning on putting yew in some cores. Lightweight but stiff, could give some nice shooting bows.
Nothing wrong with that yew.
I haven't had to need to try it but I have read some guys will split that crack right through, and re glue with resorcinol(which will take heat bending).
You could also saw it down the crack, plane the surfaces flat and re glue it back into a billet.
Never tried or even heard of this! Interesting thought, I think there might be just enough wood left to go for a longbow without re-glueing this piece. But it is an option I will keep in mind on the next build, thank you Hamish.
-
Good looking stuff, look forward to watching your progress with it.
-
I'm not only envious but also curious what the end result will be. Probably something pretty i bet (: Keep us posted and good crafting to ya
-
Nice logs :)
Yew works well for cores but it isn't stiff, it has very low bend resistance and needs to be thicker than most woods for the same stiffness.
-
Stage two. I joined the two pieces with a simple v-slice at the handle giving it a slight pre-set. Glued with epoxy to fill any gaps. The growth rings on this piece is pretty tight and should make a nice bow. I plan to chase a ring on the backside taking the sapwood down to around 5-6 mm.
The stave has a little twist which will be gone once the profile is cut. I noticed at the bottom limb where the tree was rotting away that the wood was splitting. This gives me a little room to work with but should be just enough. I am aiming for a nice lightweight target bow.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51234819720_c8721d5beb_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m4rQUG)Side view (https://flic.kr/p/2m4rQUG) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51233050757_2c8e755159_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m4hM4k)Rotten core (https://flic.kr/p/2m4hM4k) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51234820410_ff9b948fc6_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m4rR7A)Endsplice (https://flic.kr/p/2m4rR7A) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51233051077_54e7f62be0_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m4hM9R)Splice (https://flic.kr/p/2m4hM9R) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51233964393_45f11e4fd2_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m4nsDF)Profile (https://flic.kr/p/2m4nsDF) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51233753511_5059a4f42a_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m4mnXM)Profile 2 (https://flic.kr/p/2m4mnXM) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
-
Further progress on the yew longbow build. The bow is almost tillered so next I glued up some white cow horn nocks. I always wait with putting on the nocks until I am sure the tiller is good and the bow won’t suddenly break on me. Horn nocks like this cost a lot of time preparing but the end result will be awesome I hope.
I saved an offcut from the horn nocks for the arrowpass. Never throw stuff away :BB
The yew is pretty soft and easy to work with, making it a little more easier for the arrowpass to be laid into the wood.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51309785459_bdc86c8e2f_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mb54Br)Foto 13-07-2021 14 50 53 (https://flic.kr/p/2mb54Br) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51309063736_51939bb7f9_o.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/gp/189784433@N07/p7CA2P)Foto 13-07-2021 14 51 22 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/189784433@N07/p7CA2P) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51310068365_bfb9ce5940_o.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/gp/189784433@N07/9xK64S)Foto 13-07-2021 14 51 48 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/189784433@N07/9xK64S) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51308321037_338250fd2c_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2maWyhM)Foto 13-07-2021 15 23 36 (https://flic.kr/p/2maWyhM) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51309783659_52ba9a9750_k.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/gp/189784433@N07/Z833w2)Foto 13-07-2021 15 33 22 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/189784433@N07/Z833w2) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51309061971_64496ab896_k.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/gp/189784433@N07/LW326X)Foto 13-07-2021 15 41 11 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/189784433@N07/LW326X) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51310066065_c7f03f2240_k.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/gp/189784433@N07/VTxp9S)Foto 13-07-2021 15 42 17 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/189784433@N07/VTxp9S) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51309059081_0e265a7b62_k.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/gp/189784433@N07/CAA38K)Foto 13-07-2021 16 24 00 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/189784433@N07/CAA38K) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
-
Nice work on the arrow pass :)
-
I like the shape of the horn on the top limb. Looks nice.
-
Love that inlay, bow is coming along nicely
-
Beautiful horn nocks and arrow pass. Looking awesome!
-
Thanks guys! It has been so long building a yew longbow, haha. Can't wait to put a finish on it and shoot it!
-
Finished up the new Longbow!
It took me a while but I am very pleased with the result. From a log by the side of the road to a yew longbow with character. It is not that often Dutch yew has such deep orange heartwood. Most of the time the trees over here have a more softer colour and the growth rings are a lot less tight as well. I am grateful to have come to acquire this piece of wood. I took my time bringing some layers down on the backside as the sapwood was thicker at some places, it would almost be sapwood going into the nock so I brought it down to around 4-5mm. I love the look of thin sap on yew bows.
The bow draws 38lbs at 28 inches and is a smooth shooter. The string is 10 strand of Dyneema and the bow is 185cm nock to nock. I applied several layers of Tung oil finish and it is silk smooth. It has been a while for me building selfbows, mainly focussing on laminated bows, but it has been a great experience. It takes a little different approach as to laminated bows. Taking a closer look to the woodgrain and knots. The bow has some character to it and really stands out next to my bamboo composites. Maybe I’ll try my hand on some more selfbows in the future, just have to find other pieces of yew like this so the bow will get a brother or sister. )W( )-w(
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51341146566_640254c29d_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdQNbb)Top nock (https://flic.kr/p/2mdQNbb) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340427262_bbb7fd37ec_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdM7mo)Handle (https://flic.kr/p/2mdM7mo) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51341370908_835c5f5570_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdRWS9)Side view (https://flic.kr/p/2mdRWS9) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51342161645_c4f525e097_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdVZVx)Front profile (https://flic.kr/p/2mdVZVx) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51341371733_624c65e99b_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdRX7n)Side view 2 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdRX7n) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51341372563_9dcf8d171a_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdRXmF)Handle longbow (https://flic.kr/p/2mdRXmF) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51341373343_2104d6d153_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdRXA8)Yew nocks (https://flic.kr/p/2mdRXA8) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51342164045_08a37b5957_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdW1CV)Yew full draw (https://flic.kr/p/2mdW1CV) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51342164820_706e641420_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdW1Sh)Profile yew bow (https://flic.kr/p/2mdW1Sh) by Bamboo Bows (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189784433@N07/), on Flickr
-
That is a really beautiful bow!
-
I think you did an amazing job on that bow. Your laminated bows that you’ve posted are all quite beautiful, but I agree, you should do more self bows, this one certainly turned out beautiful!
-
Beautiful work! Green with envy of a fellow Dutchie getting such pretty yew though ;p
-
Yep, your selfbow game is as good as your lam bows. Fantastic job on this beauty.
-
Beautiful work! Green with envy of a fellow Dutchie getting such pretty yew though ;p
Hee haha dat's toevallig! Je kunt bij Jan vd Veen of Ton Bus misschien nog wel wat kopen?
-
Great job, very handsome bow :)
Del
-
Oh, that's a mighty fine bow. Precise work on a beautiful wood. The tips are looking great, the two tone horn and the slender form reminds me on a beetle antenna.
Congrats!