Gordon Fertlitsch of Tigard Oregon Wins Self Bow of the Month With His Yew Flatbow!
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,23732.0.html
From Gordon:
Last fall I was hunting with Keenan in Central Oregon. On the last evening I went into my tipi and was surprised to find a bow stave laying across my sleeping bag. It was yew wood and judging from the tight growth rings it had been harvested at high elevation. But unfortunately it had several inches of natural deflex and some really gnarly looking knots and bumps. I grabbed the stave and wandered to the campfire where Keenan was sitting. We sat quietly for a while and finally I looked at Keenan and asked him if he really expected me to make a bow from this stave. Keenan reached over and handed me the most drop dead gorgeous yew bow I had ever set eyes upon. I held the bow and then looked at Keenan and asked him where it came from. He was quiet for a moment, then a sly smile came across his face and he said that it came from a sister of the stave that I was holding. Well obviously that changed everything and I would have to somehow make a bow out of this rather homely stave.
The bow that I made is 60” ntn and pulls 55# @ 27”. I took out some of the deflex near the handle and flipped the tips to give it more of an r/d profile. I left the limbs a bit wide (1.5”) and made the belly just slightly elliptical to prevent as much set as possible. The tip overlays are black wood and the handle area is built up with yew and blood wood laminations. The handle is dyed elk-hide with a Strunk style wrap. Total mass is 18.5 ounces. It turns out that Keenan was right - don't pass up staves just because they are deflexed. There are some good bows in that wood!
Praise:
"now that is a work of art... and a bom winner !!" -ken75
"Um... WOW?!!" -Cameroo
"Gordon, I am speechless, You had the harder of the two staves, and you pulled off an even more beautiful bow, with a masters touch. I think I could gaze at those pictures for hours and I can't wait to see it in person. Your skills as a master bowyer are evident in every detail of that challenging and incredible bow. The finish and profile came out excellent, and the full draw is sheer beauty. I absolutely love the side view of those bumps. I knew I handed that to the right person for the job. Well done my friend." -keenan
"Every bow you put on here, you seem to outdo yourself. Thats a true work of art. " -bigcountry
"My heart started beating faster when i saw that bow, that's beautiful " -youngbowyer33