Main Discussion Area > English Warbow
Yew self-bow (not a war bow) in the cold?
willie:
--- Quote from: Mikkolaht on January 27, 2020, 11:22:09 pm --- humidity is important.
When it gets to below freezing, the humidity drops down.
Junipers become brittle when the air is dry, so do white woods.
--- End quote ---
yes, and observing the draw weight increases can give you a heads up if a bow is heading for an explosion. yew does not like being too dry on the back caution is needed in winter, as would being in a desert
badger has worked quite a bit with the mass principle and could advise if the bow is too light or too heavy for the tiller and drawweight. this might make for an interesting topic in the general bow section
bownarra:
Humidity combined with the temperature is the cause. The bow is drying out and becoming stiffer, this is what breaks bows.
Bryce:
I’ve shot many a yew bow in below freezing and below 0 temps.. never seen one break. I’m sure it was just another excuse told by archers and bowyers to play off a poorly made bow
Strelets:
Yew bows certainly gain weight in cold weather. The following measurements were all made on the same equipment, for a longbow of English yew (Taxus baccata) drawn to 27":
67 lb at 10 C
64 lb at 19 C
60 lb at 27 C.
The differences were not due to the bow becoming weaker with age; after a warm summer the bow went right back to its "winter weight" of the previous year. I have two yew bows that I use regularly, a "summer bow" and "winter bow". The difference can also be measured with bows made of hardwoods, but is less than for yew.
willie:
--- Quote from: Strelets on February 09, 2020, 12:25:34 pm ---Yew bows certainly gain weight in cold weather. The following measurements were all made on the same equipment, for a longbow of English yew (Taxus baccata) drawn to 27":
67 lb at 10 C
64 lb at 19 C
60 lb at 27 C.
The differences were not due to the bow becoming weaker with age; after a warm summer the bow went right back to its "winter weight" of the previous year. I have two yew bows that I use regularly, a "summer bow" and "winter bow". The difference can also be measured with bows made of hardwoods, but is less than for yew.
--- End quote ---
interesting data. How much time was there between measurements, and did you do the colder measurement first?
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