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Roughing out help!

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WillS:
It's not "magic" by any means, as Mike said.  It's just incredibly forgiving.  It will tolerate really bad tillering without chrysalling or breaking, and most of the time you can ignore all the flaws you'd need to be careful with when using other woods.  I've made really heavy bows from terrible yew, full of sliced knots, rot, violations... You name it.  It doesn't need heat treating, it doesn't need a perfect back, it doesn't even need sealing from moisture.

It's actually one of my least favourite bow woods, as it's so boring to work with.  What you mentioned about it being hard to find is definitely the reason it's become so hyped up, but as soon as you find a reliable source for it, you very quickly realise just how easy it is to get a bow from. 

It's long been my opinion that one of the main reasons it was used so much for mass produced military bows is simply because you can make it into a heavy bow in about an hour.  You don't need to follow growth rings on the back unlike almost every other wood, and if your tapers are good you'll have a bow after the first bracing.  It's no better than other woods (in fact I think average elm and ash will outshoot average yew almost consistently) it's just much quicker to use.

If you're an idiot it will go pop of course, but with a stave like the one posted here, it shouldn't take more than a few hours at most to be shooting, with a bit of experience.

Del the cat:
Yes, well....
I've made 300# Warbows from old packing cases in 30 minutes whilst blindfolded using only a chainsaw... ::)
Del

WillS:
Have you got a link to your blog for those?

Del the cat:

--- Quote from: WillS on August 23, 2017, 04:30:56 am ---Have you got a link to your blog for those?

--- End quote ---
LOL  ;D
Del

willie:

--- Quote ---It's just incredibly forgiving
--- End quote ---
I have no doubts about your assertation, Will, but I have to ask if forgiveness, as a working quality, is a relative thing? It's quite logical to say that Yew is a more forgiving wood to work with, than say, Oak. The implication being, that it is easier to execute a given design using Yew.

But to me, this indicates that yew is a superior wood for bowmaking, and therefore is capable of
of being well utilized in a more highly strained designs. Said another way, with the care and attention needed to craft a bow from a "lesser" wood, with equal effort, could not a superior bow can be had from yew?

It almost sounds like you are advocating sloppy workmanship is acceptable, but I have seen in other threads where you have made strong recommendation to a neophyte, to accept nothing less than the best tiller possible, even if the bow comes in way under design weight.

I admire your work that you have posted, and know you are meticulous about your own workmanship, so some of the advice you have presented in this thread seems confusing.

Perhaps I have made a poor assumption about the capabilities of yew? As much as I have always wanted to work with yew, I do not have the luxury of obtaining it locally at a reasonable expense, and maybe I should not bother, if it is not usable for an exceptional  bow?

with respect,
willie

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