newby questions about yew staves

[stuckinthemud]

Hi All,

many apologies if what I am asking has been covered before but here goes.  I have foraged a 50 inch long, 4 inch diameter, clear stem of yew. the heart wood is indifferent in quality - rings are quite wide at 30 per inch, sap wood is 1 inch of the total diameter.

I only range shoot and I am happy shooting 35 lb at 28inches, so I do NOT want a hugely powerful bow, so roughly what sort of thickness/width will the limbs need to be? Are we talking flat-bow here - I am not interested in making an ELB so the 5/8 rules need not apply? Having read up a little more, I guess I will need to splice two lengths of the yew to get bow capable of a 28inch draw, that's fine, but is a 26 inch draw possible from a 50inch length?

Any ideas how many staves I might be able to cleave from the billet - would 4 be too optomistic?

Thanks,
Stuck

[wizardgoat]

Without seeing pictures, id say you could saw it in half and get 2 staves.
you could splice it and get a longer bow and draw yes
Dont get greedy and go for more, you may end up with none.
50" to me is a stave,  and id rather make 2 shorties.
if its tillered perfectly and tips are flipped slightly you
could maybe get 26 draw.
how old is the wood?

[stuckinthemud]

Only cut the billet yesterday, so wanted advice before splitting, sealing the ends and putting somewhere cool to dry.  26" draw is fine since if I can get two bows then one will be a junior bow for my son - he only draws 25" and 25lb at the moment, so next summer, if the timber has cured by then, then 26" draw and 30lb should be about right.

[wizardgoat]

Seal your log ends well if you haven't already, and at least 4" up from the ends.
I dip my staves and logs in a ice cream bucket filled with watered down wood glue.
dip 2 or 3 times, dont split your log for at least 3 months.
When you do split it, put spacers between them and bind them back together for another 6 months.
at that point you can begin roughing them out, but even then after reducing, they will need another couple months to be ready to bend.
theres no quick drying with yew.
In this time you could go cut some vine maple or juniper, any other quicker drying wood for practice.  Nice clean yew is pretty rare, so take it slow. Ive ruined some nice wood trying to rush it.

[stuckinthemud]

Thanks for that advice, I was planning on splitting the log this weekend, then roughing to shape and then storing for the winter. Guess I'd best reconsider.  Ash is plentiful round here (Welsh Wales) and seasoned 2" boards are relatively in-expensive, so a couple of practice bows before the main event might be a good idea.........I know the US bowyers like red-oak, what's English oak like as a bow-wood?

[wizardgoat]

If I were you id cut some ash and hazel. Not sure about your oak, but if its a white oak it should be good bow wood.
An ash board is a quick and cheap option too

[stuckinthemud]

Hazel is so common its virtually a weed here but I thought it went brittle with age? Don't know if English oak is classed as a white oak but its not cheap as the timber -framers love it so much.

[WillS]

Hazel is fantastic, and our oak is hit-and-miss.  Some is great, some is pants.  Whereabouts in Wales are you?

[Del the cat]

Forget the Oak.
Trawl through my blog (Bowyers Diary) there are at least 3 yew primitives in there.
If you follow the progress of this stave through the various posts on my blog:-
http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/yew-primitive-stave.html
It eventually ends up being "Twister" my regular field shooting bow.
Del

[stuckinthemud]

Am near Cardiff.  All my growing up, Dad would cut us play-bows and arrows from hazel and ash - anything straight enough and long enough, and I've always done the same for my kids but I never considered it as a 'proper' bow wood....

Hi Del, I've visited your blog from time to time, always enjoyed a good read there, will check out that post again soon.

[Del the cat]

The difference between unseasoned and seasoned Hazel is dramatic!
Del

[WillS]

Hazel makes MONSTER warbows as well.  I've got a couple of staves drying that I'm hoping to get at least 110# from.  Plum is also superb, and holly.  A very talented bowyer from Greenland recently made a 140lb apple bow. 

There's not many woods out there that won't make a good bow, provided you know what profile and design is best suited to each species.  If in doubt, keep it longer and wider than you'd think, and you can refine and reduce once it's a good bow to learn it's tolerances.  Ash is always recommended but it's a bit unpleasant to work with, I find. 

If you can find holly, plum, hazel or elm you'll be in good stead for experimenting with the potential to make some cracking bows.