Straighting yew

[Stoker]

deer season been over for a month and Christmas has passed.Time to get back to work.I've been working on a Yew stave.
It's modelled after John Strunck"s in Tbb1.Being 64" long I made it a bit wider hoping to get at least 50-55lbs and an oval belly
It's just about floor tillered and the top limb is really starting to deflex.Stave is a natural deflex.Is it to late to start bringing it back?
Or just let it go and maybe flip the tips a bit?There is knots about 10" from the top tip.Dry bending or steam?
Thanks Leroy

[Stoker]

Sorry allthe pics didn't load

[rwaterman00]

looks like the dflex in that one would make a great gull wing style bow when you flip the tips

[Keenan]

Leroy, here is a link to a bow that I made that was a similar stave to yours. With dry yew I always use Crisco shortening and a heat gun.   Just slightly warm the wood with a heat gun then rub in the lard with a cloth. I keep rubbing occasionally during the whole heating process. Check out this thread and you can see the amount of deflex in the original stave. Also always go a little past for the set to settle where you want it. You Pm if you need more help. Good looking stave. Rub in some fine saw dust in the knot and then saturate the knots first with super glue before you start the heat bending.

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,17111.0.html

[Del the cat]

I've done steam and dry heat on Yew, I find steam quicker and more controllable, but dry heat straightening combined with heat treating will re-shape and increase the draw weight/minimise set.
I set the hot air gun for 400C for the dry heat, but made sure the dap wood was protected.
Del

[bigcountry]

Wow, that sapwood on that one pops out.  Almost looks like its rawhided.

I notice yew will have a tad more set than most.

I also use dry heat anymore.  I think I am about done with steam heat.  Always get checks and such in Osage and others.

[Pappy]

Can't wait to see how this goes, I have used heat like Keenan on a very limited amount of Yew and it worked fine.  As far as sreaming,I don't sream anything over 2 years old and don't dry heat anything less than 2 untill it has been steamed straightened first and I always seal it good beforesteaming.I had the same checking problems before I started doing it that way. Tips on white wood is a different story,I will steam or boil them sometimes.
   Pappy

[Holten101]

For very small corrections I dry heat. But I have had mixed result with both dry heat and steam, I have even experienced that a finished bow reverted to its original shape weeks after being steamed. Also i have experienced most of the induced reflex/recurve gets pulled out over time (both dry and wet heat).

I have great results with the following: I steam bend, then I let it surface dry for a few hours, and then I heat treat/temper the newly bend area while it is still in the form. It keeps most (almost all) of the induced bend....this method has all but revolutionised my bowmaking!

cheers



 

[Stoker]

Thanks all for the advice.I think dry heat it will be.From what I've read steam will probaly make the stave check.
Thank you Keenan for the offer to PM you I will if I need some help.
Haven't had time to work on it for a week drywalling my garage and busy at work.
But shall get back at it .
Thanks Leroy