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Next problem stave

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SimonUK:
The grey end is straight, the wavy end is slightly reflexed.  I think that wavy end will give me problems - trying to get it bending evenly without breaking.  My last bow from this log snapped during tillering, so I don't hold out much hope.

Yeomanbowman:
As Steve says it's not a problem, wood turner love it and call it spalting.  Was the wood kept damp for a while?  I've made heavy bows from yew like yours that was cut and left out for nearly a year.

Hartung:
Yes, it’s called spalted wood. That means that one or several fungus has/have infected the wood. Without going into details, the growth of that fungus can be stopped by drying the wood before the action the fungus has become fatal to the wood. Your wood looks quite good, but, in general, that kind of (infected) wood is only used for purposes where the wood is not put under stress conditions (bowls and furniture for example).

People that have used that wood successfully for making bows (me included) are lucky that the fungus’s action had not been fatal to the wood. But it’s a game of “give and take”. If you’re lucky, the bow wont break   ;D

Good luck to you.

SimonUK:
Exactly the same Jeremy. It was cut and left outside for a year, then it's been inside for 2 years. Let's see how it goes.

Badger:
Any spalting I have ever seen meant disaster for a bow. Sap rot may not be the same as spalting not sure. I have seen plenty of gray stained wood from storage that was fine but true spalting eats the cells of the wood. Steve

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