I had a lad from Ireland order a custom bow as a gift for his lassie. I wanted to make a special bow for this lady, so I dug up a pair of glued up billets marked "Ulrich 1978?" I got these in a batch deal with Dave Doran of Archery Past. Ulrich yew or not, they were surely well seasoned and clearly sister billets with fine grain and matching humps 2/3 of the way out. The one thing of the billets was that the sapwood had been planed flat and nearly taken all off in one spot. This custom bow was slated for a pair of salmon skin backing, so it seemed a perfect match. It was a pleasure working the older yew. The odor of the well aged wood is distinct and pleasant and it works beautifully under a draw-knife. I failed to record the exact length in my notes, but it was shortish at ~62".
I was aiming for 35-40 # at 27". I hit 35# and was satisfied to be within the requested range, then I added the salmon skins and to my surprise, they added nearly five pounds of draw weight to the bow. I might have adjusted the calibration of my scale during this time, but that could only account for 1, 2 at most, of the gained weight. I suppose salmon skin backing would have a proportionately greater weight increase on a lighter bow. Anyway, it came within target range, though the bow is mis-marked at 35#...one of the drawbacks of a wood-burner. It casts a light arrow with great speed and I think the new owner will appreciate that.
Abalone inlay strikeplate
Salmon skin backing with hideglue and silk wraps
Finished with shellac then linseed oil, beeswax, and several top coats of tung oil
Pictures aren't the best...too sunny. Thanks for looking!
