yew longbow making question

[lub0]

I've always wondered just which part of the yew tree is supposed to be taken in order to make a longbow with outside sap wood and the inside being the heartwood. I'd guess it would have to be the trunk itself? But then, how would you know when the sapwood ends and the heartwood begins?
I've also wondered if yew tree branches can be made in to longbows or is it just the trunk part that can be used?

 

[wattsy]

the best staves come from slow grown yew trunks with really tight grain, no knots etc. you can make a bow out of the branches but they're never as good i sort of know why but i can't explain it without sounding like a pillock .
also the sapwood is white and the heartwood is orange so you can tell pretty easily which is which.
hope this helps

 

[lub0]

ok so to get a yew stave with half sapwood half heartwood, the trunk must be cut in such a way as to attain this combination? are there any diagrams online about where to cut a yew trunk for bow stave?

 

[Everything Mac]

imagine a tree cut through the middle so you can see its growth rings.

a yew tree has a sap wood and a heart wood - the sap wood consists of the outer (younger) few rings of the tree - the older heart wood is in the middle.

it is a bit like an archery target - with concentric rings.
http://grandpacliff.com/Trees/Img-Trees/heartwood&knots.jpg

I made my bow from a 3" thick branch that was cut about 2 years before I worked it into a bow.

yes the best bows come from the main trunk of the tree but unless you own the tree you are going to cut down the you should be seeking permission.

a good thick straight branch will make a good bow with no major long term damage to the tree which means you can go back to it in a year or so for more branches

the sap wood should be on the outer edge of the bow - facing away from you. the orange heart wood faces you.

for the best bow you have to take things slowly and "chase the grain" - ie the outer most piece of wood should all be from one growth ring of the tree. - the same goes for the back of the bow.

the longer the bow the better. I suggest you do a bit more research before you start cutting anything down. you should ideally avoid knots - but a good bow can still be produced if the wood is knotted. - I know a chap who made a very nice little bow out of a 3 foot section cut in half lengthways and glued together - it had knots and some wood worm - but still shot well.

atb
Andy

 

[durulz]

How timely!
Only yesterday I cut myself a yew stave to make a bow!
As has been said, the wood should come from the trunk. But that involves felling a whole tree just for one stave. Not really a good idea.
What I did was take a thick (6" diameter) branch and then split that.
This gives you a good distinction between heartwood and sapwood.
Truth is, in the UK it's hard to get decent yew without too many knots and imperfections. So some compromise will have to be made.
I have already shaved down most of the stave into a rough shape. I'm now going to let it dry and see if it twists and bends whilst drying before starting the job proper.
You don't really need diagrams for cutting the stave - just remember that the heartwood is going to be the belly (the side that faces you) and the sapwood will be the back (the side away from you). When cutting and trimming the bark off try not to cut away too much (or, indeed, ANY) of the sapwood.

 

[Bardster]

How timely!
Only yesterday I cut myself a yew stave to make a bow!
As has been said, the wood should come from the trunk. But that involves felling a whole tree just for one stave. Not really a good idea.
What I did was take a thick (6" diameter) branch and then split that.
This gives you a good distinction between heartwood and sapwood.
Truth is, in the UK it's hard to get decent yew without too many knots and imperfections. So some compromise will have to be made.
I have already shaved down most of the stave into a rough shape. I'm now going to let it dry and see if it twists and bends whilst drying before starting the job proper.
You don't really need diagrams for cutting the stave - just remember that the heartwood is going to be the belly (the side that faces you) and the sapwood will be the back (the side away from you). When cutting and trimming the bark off try not to cut away too much (or, indeed, ANY) of the sapwood.

Thats sounds good mate, You should bring it down to the farm over easter and have a play. We are going to be processing some more Ash if you want a stave?

 

[durulz]

Thats sounds good mate, You should bring it down to the farm over easter and have a play. We are going to be processing some more Ash if you want a stave?

You know what, I think I may take you up on that.
I got a drawknife and spoke shave from Ashford market on Saturday and knew I had to do something with them.
What are the plans for this Easter weekend?

 

[wattsy]

you can import yew staves the best ones come from spain and italy. there are hardly any decent yews for bows left in britain they were mostly cut down during the hundred years war

 

[BushEd]

isn't Ash a fairly decent alternative if the yew in this country is so damaged and thinned out...

that said theres an absolutely enormous yew in my local churchyard...

 

[Bardster]

You know what, I think I may take you up on that.
I got a drawknife and spoke shave from Ashford market on Saturday and knew I had to do something with them.
What are the plans for this Easter weekend?

I am hoping to be down there a couple of days, and I know others like Mad Mike will be coming down. Hope to get some more work done on the site ready for the Mayday meet. Keep an eye on the bushcraft magazine forum for more details.

 

[addo]

Good luck with the bows chaps, im finishing my yew one off this year, soon as ive knocked up a shave horse. The draw knife is ready to go!

 

[leaf man]

morning fellas
I found a wind blown ash tree on one of my walks the other and thoughts came to mind about bow making. will have to keep in touch and swap notes periodically as novices and give each other tips. how does that sound?

 

[Bardster]

Sounds like an excellent idea! I have made plenty of bows from ash boards but only one or two from greenwood so its still a learning experience for me too.

 

[lub0]

Hai all, just got myself a yew branch and I'd like to know if it looks suitible turning in to a longbow?

it's about 10' in length being quite thick at the base end and slender at the other.
it has a large off-shoot about one quarter the way as shown at the right-side of the first pic below and also on the left most side of the second picture. two or three knots are present across the branch.

 

[Bardster]

I really dont think thats thick enough for a bow.. Others may correct me but I would look to be using something twice as thick as that. The side branches will also cause you lots of problems.

 

[wattsy]

yeah not enough heartood for me

 

[lub0]

really? Oh feck! I've been heartilly de-barking and tillering most of the day before I read this.
Is it a complete no-no or will it just be a case of a low draw-weight sub 30lbs maybe?

If theres any chance of geting a half decent bow out of it I will continue but if you guys think it's a total waste of time then please say!

here's what I've done to it today. I cut the large side branch joint off and roughly cut away excess wood to make it the same diameter all the way along the stave...

 

[Everything Mac]

really? Oh feck! I've been heartilly de-barking and tillering most of the day before I read this.
Is it a complete no-no or will it just be a case of a low draw-weight sub 30lbs maybe?

If theres any chance of geting a half decent bow out of it I will continue but if you guys think it's a total waste of time then please say!

well - I'm no expert but I don't see why you couldn't get a little plinker bow out of it. - you need to leave it to dry for a year or so anyway.

I'd say give it a go - if nothing else it will be a good learning experience.

as far as the knots go - they present a bit of an issue but simply because they are present does not mean you can't get a bow out of it.
I believe it was some of the bows from the Mary Rose which had knots in them. - you just need to work around them and leave a good bit of material there - try not to cut through them.

My own bow has a big knot in it but it shoots fine.

I think I said further down the thread that I know a bloke who made a bow from a bit of yew which had wood work - knots by the dozen AND it wasn't even one piece of wood - he had a log that was too short - cut it length ways and glued the two halves together.

I don't know what the pull on it was but he was shooting very well with it.

so don't let imperfections get in the way of a usable bow.

think of it this way - back in the day not EVERY length of wood was going to be perfect - bowyers would of had to work around knots to keep up with demand.

atb
Andy

 

[lub0]

Thank goodness the only knot really was the side branch but I have nicely cut that off and shaved it down smooth with a file. You wouldn't of known it was there - take a look at the pics above!

Do you think I should steam bend it? My mate told me I would need a cast iron pipe long enought the accomadate it, fill it with water and leave a small gas escape opening, then throw the whole thing on an open fire.

Sounds good but fat chance getting hold of a cast iron tube that long!

Is there any such commercial service for steam bending wood?

should I even bother to steam bend my yew branch? It is relatively straight as far as branches go, but has wobbly bends throughout it's length.

I wanna get a finished product out of it akin to this yew bow which looks like it was made from a branch also...

 

[BushEd]

go for it man. let us know how it goes as well

at worst, you'll learn what not to do next time..