low elevation yew?

[bowbendr]

I read somewhere that low elevation, faster-growing yew isn't as good for bows as the higher elevation yew in the Cascades. I've found some good yews growing in southwest Washington, and I'm wondering if they're worth trying to make a bow from--the unit is less than 100 years old, and the yew trees that I've marked are 4 to 8 inches in diameter--I could get 3 or 4 bows worth of billets from them if it's worth taking them down--they've got about 4 feet of good, clear wood before all the branches start.

What do you think?

--Trevor

[Gordon]

Here's a bow that I made last year for a friend of mine from low elevation year.

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,20863.0.html

[Dag]

Hey bowbendr, where abouts in SW Washington are ya? On college breaks and holidays i travel back to my home in Longview, and I attend school in ellensburg. I travel through White pass a few times a year but have yet had a chance to look for yew trees!  Next time I go home its my goal to spent a few days finding a suitable tree.  Its so hard to live here where the beautiful yew trees grow and not have a stave or two 

[Bow Nut]

If you get enough and have extras let me Know if you would be interested in a trade I would love to get my hands on some yew low or high elevation.

thanks

[Del the cat]

All my Yew bows are low elevation Yew and I've only had one dodgy piece.
I expect that some fine grained high elevation Yew will be better than some low elevation Yew. But the elvation per se is no garantee of anything.
Some of my Yew has really tight grain, I've had 2 bits of Yew growing withing a few hundred yards of eachother, one bit with pale heart wood and wide rings, the other really tight dark rings. Both made fine bows see them below.


Try it yourself, but don't necessarilly draw conclusions from just one bit of wood.
There are a lot of peole who have never made a Yew bow trotting out the same old 'received wisdom'.
Any Yew is likely to be pretty fine bow wood, even if maybe a poor piece needs a bit of heat treatment. (It takes tempering and bending very well)
Del

[JW_Halverson]

Take Del's advice with a grain of salt.  After all, the man could tiller an old aluminum broomhandle into a servicable bow!

The only way to tell if a piece of wood will make a bow is to make a bow from it.  Have at it and post some pics, we all love bow porn!  Luck to ya!

[Del the cat]

Take Del's advice with a grain of salt.  After all, the man could tiller an old aluminum broomhandle into a servicable bow!

The only way to tell if a piece of wood will make a bow is to make a bow from it.  Have at it and post some pics, we all love bow porn!  Luck to ya!

Made I larf 
Del

[bowbendr]

Sounds good, I'll go ahead and cut it. Not sure when I'll get around to it--it's within Weyerhaeuser land a good ways from any public roads. It'll be an all-day project, hiking in and out, especially since there are at least a few good trees that I saw, and probably more.

Dag, I live in Chehalis for the summer--I'm working for Weyerhaeuser this summer. I go to the University of Idaho. If you're around Longview between now and August, we should go cut some vine maple--there's tons of good staves waiting out here.

Bow Nut, depends on how good the staves (likely billets) turn out to be. If I get a few good pieces, I'll be happy to consider a trade.

P.S. If any of you work for Weyerhaeuser, pretend that I didn't just say that I was going to illegally harvest wood from their land!!     I'd rather not get fired.