rings are off-center

[Jodocus]

Hi all,

I got this yew branch from a pile of wood waiting for the shredder. It's not much overall, but it is dead straight and very oval in its cross section. The rings are off-center. It was growing straight up, and a heavy branch protruded sideways from its upper end. It is battered on one side, but intact on the other. I split it (red line in pic), and the good side might make a shortbow.

Now: What do I have to expect from a piece of wood like this? Any experiences? Is it worth a try?

[DarkSoul]

I hate to say this mate, but you've split it exactly the wrong way! The cut should have been perpendicular to your cut. The right side of the log is the upper side of the branch. The lefthand side if the former lower side of the branch and contains compression wood as a reaction from the branch to gravity.
The way you've split the branch, one side contains compression wood while the other side contains tension wood. That means there's a lot of internal forces in the wood. Not good! This wood will warp quickly. Furthermore, the physical properties of the left side and right side of each split are different. Density and stiffness for instance. That means the limb of the bow will not be not symmetrical. The rings may also run 'weird' across the limb which makes for difficult tillering. Worst case scenario for now: this bow does not want to be straight at any point. It may warp during drying, it may twist during tillering and it may flip backwards if reflexed.
Long story short: you want either the upper side of a branch, OR the lower side. Only then you'll have wood which is uniform and symmetrical within the stave.

BTw, this accounts for all woods, not just yew.

[Jodocus]

yeah, I suspected something like this. It is really a branch and not a log (3 cm thick), so when I split it, I hoped to get enough wood for a flatter belly that way. I only realised what the structure of the wood was like afterwards.

So from what you write, if I had slpit it the right way (and provided there is enough wood on it), Ione would prefer the upper half of the branch?

[randman]

It's worth a try to see what you get anyway, now that it's done. What have you got to loose. Let it season and see what you get out of it. A learning experience anyway.

[Del the cat]

I had a log like that and made 3 bows great from it, the wood was particularly tight grained and dark, but you don't get owt for nowt.
I got 2 ELBs from the tight end of mine but each had weird grain going on, and one from the other end.
I sawed off the coarse end first and then sawed the remainder the same way as you have.

No good worrying about how you cut it, and it depends how big it was and a load of other factors,
I don't think there is really such a thing as 'wrong' .. just call it 'non ideal' there are often so many ways to get so many different bows from any one bit log. Someimes there is just one bow in there, and that's the fun of it.
I hate the term 'expert' but if you have to use it I define it as the man who can put right his own mistakes! ('Cos we all make 'em)

Just go with the flow. Yew is great stuff but you have to work with what you have.
Let it season and then just make the best bow you can from it. Yew can accomodate some grain run off and weird stuff, you just have to let it do it's funky thing and tease the bow out of it 
Del
PS Have a look at my website, theres a pic of across section of log just like that on the Yew Longbows page. Google 'Delsbows' to find it.
My Bowyers Diary shows the build along of all my Yew bows warts and all
http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/recalcitrant-yew.html
The above link shows some pics where you can see the grain running off centre along the belly of the bow and there are even some cracks! Look at the next few posts and you'll see it turns into one of the prettiest bows you'll see.

[Buckeye Guy]

Good answer Dell !!

I often prefer to do things the non ideal way it kinda seems to fit me better !

I have never worked with Yew so I leave those ? to you you that have !

Have fun !
Guy

[Jodocus]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. The piece was drying now for about 3 month and it has bent some, but not much, to the side with wider rings. I'll let it sit another season or so and of course I'll post the bow when it is done. I have not worked with yew yet. There is TONS of it downtown in peoples gardens. Really nice stuff.           Out in the woods I am yet to find some. There shoukld be, but it sure hides well.

[Weylin]

Here's a bow that I made from the side of a branch. I had to use that part because of some serious checking and sapwood decay on the 'top' of the branch. I was nervous for all of the above reasons that Darksoul mentioned but in the end it turned out fine. I'm not saying you won't run inot any of those problems but like Del said, if you don't try to make a bow out of it you definitely wont get a bow out of it.

[JW_Halverson]

...you don't get owt for nowt.

I hate the term 'expert' but if you have to use it I define it as the man who can put right his own mistakes!

Just go with the flow. Yew is great stuff but you have to work with what you have.

Yew can accomodate some grain run off and weird stuff, you just have to let it do it's funky thing and tease the bow out of it 
Del

Del is not only an honest-to-goodness expert (i.e. puts right his own mistakes) with yew, but he's a heck of a philosopher, as evidenced by the excerpts from his postings.  Or maybe he's just had a few pints. 

Short of finding the bowyer's version of the Philosopher's stone, you gotta work with whatcha got.  I know I have learned more from failed attempts than from easy jobs.  And that goes for bows, babes, and beer brewing.   

Good luck!

[DarkSoul]

Here's a bow that I made from the side of a branch. I had to use that part because of some serious checking and sapwood decay on the 'top' of the branch. I was nervous for all of the above reasons that Darksoul mentioned but in the end it turned out fine. I'm not saying you won't run inot any of those problems but like Del said, if you don't try to make a bow out of it you definitely wont get a bow out of it.

Maybe I came across too negative in my previous post. I meant to say: if given the choice, cut a branch 'the other way around'. But I would certainly work with such a piece of wood! You've made a very valid point that an excellent bow can be made from off-centered wood. The wood just behaves differently in many aspects, but it doesn't make firewood per se. You just have to realize that this piece of wood might make some unpredictable moves that are counter intuitive. It makes for a more difficult stave,  but not an impossible one