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Advice on some twisty undulating yew
Alex C:
Thanks for the advice guys! I'll l eave the sapwood fully intact for now until I can see what everything looks like once the bow is laid out. In regards to backing, I read somewhere that sinew can pull yew sapwood away from the heartwood - anyone ever seen that?
superdav95:
I have also heard this too but I have yet to try it myself. I’ve backed them with rawhide or the like but I know Gordon on here has done one that I know of that turned out very well. He posted a build along years ago. It is possible to do from what others have said. It’s on my list of things to try also. If and when I do try this I will keep the sinew amount to about 60-70 grams for standard 64” bow. My think here is the hopefully avoid lifting or delaminating the sapwood.
Del the cat:
I know I say don't worry about following the grain... but I just came across this post from my blog which shows there are limits!
https://bowyersdiary.blogspot.com/2016/09/exploding-bows.html
Del
Alex C:
--- Quote from: Del the cat on March 16, 2023, 04:41:02 am ---I know I say don't worry about following the grain... but I just came across this post from my blog which shows there are limits!
https://bowyersdiary.blogspot.com/2016/09/exploding-bows.html
Del
--- End quote ---
Thanks Del, that's EXACTLY what I'm worried about here! It looks like the grain actually follows those ridges on the back, but it's hard to be sure. The majority of the working limb is pretty straight, so I think I have a small bit of safety net there. I'll just keep the tips REALLY wide, like no taper at all, until I can be sure of what the grain is doing under those ridges. That way I can do the taper with the grain afterwards if that makes sense.
simk:
These ridges clearly indicate spiral growth. So first mistake was selecting this tree for harvest. Can't follow the grain now and gotta live with an increased risk of failure. Jm2c
Edit: Backing it with rawhide/sinew/linnen will bring you back to the safe side.
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