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Roughing out help!

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WillS:
Oh, and just shift your red line to the left a bit, so it's more centered.  The tips don't matter, but you want the middle of the bow to be more or less in the middle of the stave.

apg:
Okay, thanks everyone, and @WillS I'm taking your advice.

I've got two more questions.

The knots on the bow (see photos), I should make a wider berth around those on the edge of the bow right?

And, looking at roughly the shape I'm going to have with a 1.25" wide bow, I've got SO MUCH extra wood. Do you guys think I should just measure and cut with a hand saw, or use the draw knife to slowly work it back.

Any advice appreciated!

mikekeswick:
Follow the crown...and don't ignore the knots.
It is very easy to straighten yew and a valid technique to learn as we all know that truly straight wood is a rare thing indeed.
Thicker wood is stiffer than a thinner spot ...right?? Think what a meandering crown will do to the stress in the limb....as it is thicker on one side than the other if you don't follow the crown.
I'm sorry Will but yew isn't magical wood. You can break these 'rules' with other woods too. However it still isn't a good idea and never will be regardless of how many times you do it ;)

Del the cat:
Leave extra width round the knots... you can always remove it later!
Knots on the belly (if sound) are not a problem. Knots on the back have no strength what so ever, and if you look at it as a missing 1/4" of sapwood then the extra width replaces that (and follows the flow of the fibres) without making it too stiff.
The mistake I often see is people leaving a bulge on the back where there is a knot AND a bulge on the belly, this just creates a rigid area which may not appear to be a problem, but it creates a weak point either side. Often you'll see two knots treated like that with a thin point between them which is asking to become a hinge.
Try to get smooth even continuous sapwood on the back.

Like a lot of things in bow making, you can make compromises. I've laid out bows on the diagonal with a stave like that, but as Mike points out, that gives problems of one edge being lower that the other which is tricky to tiller. If it's just slightly out it's not too much of a problem, you can use heat to correct the twist, but then you can use heat to correct the sideways bowing!
It's all about compromise and making the least bad choice! You can't always tell which way is best, and both ways may well make a fine bow.
Often the solution is a little of A and a little of B.
I've found that correcting twist is relatively easy, whereas a big bend at the grip is harder to do...
This is why you need the pencil... keep drawing lines until you think you've got the best compromise.
Del
PS in your last pic, there is a dip either side of that knot, just let the side of the bow swell out gently round that as you may need to allow for that dip. Like I said when in doubt leave extra, it can be taken off later, but it's harder to put it back on.

FilipT:
Interesting thread, first time I am hearing about yew being very impervious to design mess up or things like that and also being perfect for beginners. Always regarded it as wood you can't touch before you have years of experience. Probably having to do with yew being rare here so I regard it as some kind of "magical" tree I will never have access to.

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