Main Discussion Area > English Warbow
Good time to cut wood?
stuckinthemud:
Think you might only need to tidy up that top ring, hopefully one of the experienced warbow guys will chip in but the sapwood looks good as is for a big war-bow
Ruddy Darter:
Thanks stuckinthemud, yes I'd like to just clean it up and do minimal although the rings look well defined and easy to chase down to a single ring, one of the pics gives an idea of ring count and I'm just going work it to dimensions and whatever weight it comes out at, I'm not chasing a draw weight as such and no more than 140 draw, anyone have ideas on it's full potential out of interest? Or what would be an ideal weight best suited for this stave?
And can I work it down to near dimensions (going to let it acclimatise for a week or so) or best leave as is while I let it season for a few months? Thanks
R.D.
FilipT:
How much did it cost?
Ruddy Darter:
$$$ too much for me :D, I'm not too comfortable admitting I've paid for wood let alone a fair amount, but this is a one off that I can't really afford but hopefully give me the chance to make a good yew bow for myself, :)
R.D.
WillS:
I'd take the sapwood down a lot, personally.
A lot of people are still making "warbows" with thick (1/4" or more) sapwood and Victorian style nocks. When you look at the original military weight yew bows the sapwood is almost non-existent. Ian Sturgess' recent video is an excellent example of how it should be done and how far you can take the sapwood down. If the cross section is correct and is a fat galleon section, you should ideally be able to see the heartwood on both sides as you look directly at the back of the bow. It needs about 3 or 4mm sapwood maximum, but pacific yew can definitely take that.
European Yew is different, and some needs to be thicker, but that stave you've got is beautiful, and just needs a whisker-thin backing of sapwood. It's the heartwood that gives the power, so have as much as possible!
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