Yem material question

[freke]

Hi,
The material is my concern, it is European jew and was taken down end 2014 from a local forest, left on the ground to early autumn 2015, and shows grayish miss colors in the sap wood randomly all over the billets toticed after I cut it into two billets. I took pictures on the billet before I seal the ends and it is actually visible already then but didn't pay attention.

Please check the pictures,  is the odd color normal, or if it is as I fear fungus and in that case how sever is it? The wood feels fresh except for the color differences.

It will be my first jew bow and I have no experience with this wood at all so It will be the piece I learn all from:), anyway I have some more stave's so it is not end of world if it fails but jew is *** hard to get here so I hope to get positive answers or constructive walk around.

Many thanks,
Jonas

[WillS]

I don't want to be negative, but be really careful.  All the experience I've had with European Yew that was left on the ground is bad. 

I had 14 stunning European Yew staves cut from a single tree that had been left unsealed on the ground for only a few months and even though you can't see any rot or odd colours, all the wood is useless.  No strength or elasticity in the sapwood, and the heartwood is dry and brittle and snaps between your fingers.

The only way to test is to cut a long strip of sapwood and bend it in half when it's been seasoned.  If it bends in half and doesn't break thats the best outcome.  If it breaks but has long fibres that's good but you can't make bows over 50-60lb with it, and if it snaps into short, sharp fibres it's useless and will break at full draw.

American Yew is the exception, and even really odd looking stuff with rot and black lines will make good bows but European Yew is fussy when it gets left unsealed and personally with that much discolouration I wouldn't have much hope.

Yew can have that grey line or even black lines through it when it's growing and it will be fine - you can make Yew bows that are full of rot and spalting and visible holes if that's how it was before it was cut, but once it shows up after being on the ground it's probably unsafe.

[Lumberman]

Looks like the early onset if fungal growth but I doubt it'll be severe enough to affect the structural integrity of the wood, so as long as it gets dried down (being split already it is drying quickly) should be good. Or it could be deoxidization stain since you said it was randomly throughout. In the pic it looks to be going inward from the end, either way should be good though you won't be able to get that white sapwood color back. My hardwoods 2 cents

[freke]

To my defens I didn't left it in the forests for too long - I didn't find it in time:(

Another picture from the top en of the billets, the front billet and to left was a bigger colord area and I have take down until I see whiter wood , so it is local also in the section.

How big should test pieces be?

[wizardgoat]

Yew heartwood is very rot resistant, the sapwood is not.
The grey ish discolouration shows it was starting to go, and I wouldn't trust it
I come across these sometimes and always remove the sapwood for a backed bow, sinew or rawhide.

[WillS]

To test the sapwood, cut a strip about 14" long and maybe 1/2" thick.  Just take a drawknife to the sapwood and rip off a nice long run, and see how it bends.

[freke]

Thanks for all answers sounds my worries come true, although all hope is not gone yet (I hope), it has to dry some more anyhow and then I will test it. Well, it sounds the best chance is focus on hardwood with backing.

/Thanks Jonas

[WillS]

Stripping off all the sapwood is a good move - take the staves down to flat planed heartwood and glue on a thin strip of hickory or elm and you've got a bow stave that with a bit of care can give you a 130lb longbow if you wanted.

Just make sure the heartwood is also not affected!

[Lucasade]

Presumably you could get a nice bit of sapwood from another tree with rubbish heartwood and use that to back it?