Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: PEARL DRUMS on August 18, 2012, 01:15:42 pm
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Chris gave me a yew limb form his stash last July :-\. I just got to cutting staves out of it. I planned on one and got two. One is over 85 long and the other is about 62. Both are very clean. I have never touched the stuff until today so Im a tad gun shy about tearing into it. The longer one is evenly reflexed about 1 1/2" already. Great looking piece as far as I know? Im going to build my ol' standby flatbow unless somebody can convince me an ELB style would be a better yew hunting bow. I plan on 55 @ 28 and somehwere in the 64" ntn range. Enlighten me as you see fit, Im ignorant in the yew world.
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Use the longer one for a warbow! ;D
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go ahead and make a flat bow from the shorter one, but please don't do that to a piece of yew over 85 inches :'(....it was born to be a elb/warbow :'( :'( :'(
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:-X ain't sayin a word n biting my tongue :P :laugh:
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Yup, it's already been said, you don't often see a stave that long.
It would be criminal to saw 1/3 of it off.
Another reason is an ELB is slim so you may even get 2 out of it. One from each end overlapping in the middle. Don't risk spoiling it by being greedy, but if you lay out your first ELB carefully you may get a second or a kids bow out of the waste.
(I allow about 30mm x 30 mm at the grip and 20x20 at the tips when roughing out, but that's cutting outside the line)
OK. maybe make the one on the right bigger and the one on the left a kids bow... but it depends how big your hands are ::)
Del
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I have no problems cutting it to my usbale length. Hunting is number one for me. I do not do reinactments nor do I have 200 yard fields to watch an arrow sail. A warbow would never leave my rack Im afraid. I see the same thing you have drawn out Del. As you said I dont want to waste the whole stave trying to get two when I know it has one perfect stave in it. Im happy to have got two as I only expected one from the start. The other 62" piece will be a static recurve later this winter.
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Thats awesome Pd! I would love to get my hands on some yew. Im anxious to see what you think of it compared to other woods. At your pace I figure you should have those two bows finished up in an hour or two, hehehe. I have thought of makin a warbow myself, but like you Im pretty sure it would do nothing but hang on the rack and I have enough bows doing that already.
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I have thought of makin a warbow myself, but like you Im pretty sure it would do nothing but hang on the rack and I have enough bows doing that already.
thats why once yu make it you send it to someone who could use it ::) ;)
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Its an American Longbow. Just roughed it out. 67" ttt, 1 1/2" wide. I figure and ALB is somehwere between an ELB and a flatbow. Narrow with a formed grip.
Oh yah, if all I had was yew to work on my osage muscles would dwindle away. It doesnt even start to slow my saw or arms down. It seems very, very soft. I may gain some weight with this build ;D
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That's some really pretty wood you got there Squirrel Drums. If my climate weren't so dry that yew can't survive bending, I would be tempted to tell you that you don't deserve that wood and you should send it to me.
I really look forward to seeing that ALB in all stages of development. Get out the camera, buddy! Please!
You gonna sinew back it? Sturgeon skins? Sasquatch toenail clippings for tip overlays? I can't wait to see!
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Rawhide backed and buff horn tip overlays J-Dub. Probably skins to camo the rawhide as Im a hunter, its what I do and the only reason I build bows. Im afraid my passion to build would fall away fast if I couldnt hunt. Its all I think about 365 days a year.
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I read through a lot of posts just to find the stuff JW writes. Keeps me smilin'. Good luck with those staves. I've never worked with Yew either. Definitely on my bucket list. Pretty high up.
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WOW :o this stuff works like cookie dough. It practically falls off. The bow is floor tillered and ready to be reflexed and braced. I went with more of a rounded belly bow, about 1 3/8" wide now. Tips are fat still.....
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Sweeet. I will be watching this one.
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Looks good Drums... got to watch out with Yew or it will disappear right under your tools :)
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careful, I've heard that people that work mostly with osage have a tendency to make their first yew bows too light because they take too much off. It takes more yew to make a bow than osage. I recommend following John Strunk's chapter in TBB1 about the yew long bow. I have made two bows following that design and I'm really happy with them. Definitely huntable.
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yew rule Chris.keep those pics coming.looking forward to this one.
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dang that thing looks so perfectly straight it looks like a board....dang,give that thing back to me >:D
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i think he should finish it,then give it back to you Blackhawk.that would be the right thing to do. ;)
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i think he should finish it,then give it back to you Blackhawk.that would be the right thing to do. ;)
;D
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Watching too! That is some good looking wood, can't wait to see it done. I'm sure you'll end up with something real nice with your build'n
skills.
Greg
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Well its reflexed 3" now. I have read many times over that yew tends to spring back. I got lucky because this one stuck like glue, it may have popped back 15% or so. Pretty cool deal. Im thinking about backing out of the rawhide idea and just laying some timber rattler over the back. Its a 62" snake and plenty thick. I dont have more than two hours into this thing, amazingly easy wood to work.
And all you ya-hoo's thinking its going back to Chris' place when Im done can give up already. He has his own pile of yew, a touch of skill, and some good tools to make his own stinkin' bow!
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Nice! Please post dimensions when you get done. I am venturing into yew territory soon as well. Josh
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Yes Sir,
I'll be watching...
-gus
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I am just in the middle of a shortish yew snakey and an elb.
I have to keep telling my self to put down the sharp tools as yew tends to pull up grain like no other wood its soo soft.
The yew snakey i am doing also kicks like a mule which i have never had in a bow before. Will have to post it up to get some extra eyes on it.
Looking good PD ;)
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My Shinto is invalubale.................again. Not one tiny splinter pulled up and Im 75% tillered. I love that tool and plan to buy many more.
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Here is wher I am now. What a perfect piece of wood.
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Looking like a timeless classic in the making there pal.... ;).....can't wait for it to show up at my door >:D
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Dream on Chickenhawk, or whatever your name is....
Gotta have buff horn on yew bows right? Here is my bottom tip. I ended up chasing a micro sapwood ring with my scrapers and got a sweety back, no rawhide.
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If anyone was
stupid enough skilled enough to chase a micro ring on yew sapwood, it would be yew, Pearl Bum.
Just remember to handle this bow like it is the finest cut crystal champagne flute. Without a doubt, yew will scratch and get dings just by looking ar it hard!
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Pearlie, this bow is coming along very nice. You will love the way yew shoots and it is so light in the hand its like you are holding nothing at all. ;)
Don't let these bozos rib ya too much. They are all invious! ;D
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Elb's are nice to have...they are excelent for filling up cabinets and empty space;-)
I for one is glad to see you make a hunting flat from that piece...chances are it will go though ALOT more arrows than if you had made an Elb:-).
And this one have the looks of an awsome bow...cant wait to see it finished;-)
Cheers
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Elb's are nice to have...they are excelent for filling up cabinets and empty space;-)
I for one is glad to see you make a hunting flat from that piece...chances are it will go though ALOT more arrows than if you had made an Elb:-).
And this one have the looks of an awsome bow...cant wait to see it finished;-)
Cheers
Grrrr Fttzzzz hisssss mrowwwww
Del
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Elb's are nice to have...they are excelent for filling up cabinets and empty space;-)
I for one is glad to see you make a hunting flat from that piece...chances are it will go though ALOT more arrows than if you had made an Elb:-).
And this one have the looks of an awsome bow...cant wait to see it finished;-)
Cheers
Grrrr Fttzzzz hisssss mrowwwww
Del
Sorry Del....I know im borderlining a ban with that post;-). I dont hate Elb's.......much......I just like flatbows.....ALOT.
Cheers
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Elb's are nice to have...they are excelent for filling up cabinets and empty space;-)
I for one is glad to see you make a hunting flat from that piece...chances are it will go though ALOT more arrows than if you had made an Elb:-).
And this one have the looks of an awsome bow...cant wait to see it finished;-)
Cheers
Grrrr Fttzzzz hisssss mrowwwww
Del
im with you on that one
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If anyone was stupid enough skilled enough to chase a micro ring on yew sapwood, it would be yew, Pearl Bum.
I aint met a ring I cant chase if I have to. HHB, hackberry, ash, osage, locust, mulberry and yew have all succombed to my drawknife and/or scrapers. This yew was surely the thinnest of them all. I just didnt want to add any physical weight to it with rawhide.
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Bottom left, upper right. At first brace I can see the upper is tad stiff midway, other than that I like it. Its pulled to 20" now. In true ELB fashion I made my bottom limb 1" shorter. Thats something I never, ever do.
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That is looking real nice.
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Lookin sweet, so far, PD!! :)
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I just didnt want to add any physical weight to it with rawhide.
He's got the greed. The greed for speed!
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Beautiful so far. cant wait to see what it becomes
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Looking very good.Looking forward to seeing her all dolled and and ready for the big dance. :)
Pappy
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PD this is looking really nice. how you liking yew?
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Man Drums I'm liking this one!!!
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I like how it works, very soft and easily removed. I think I had about 45 minutes from the saw to a floor tillered blank. Crazy soft wood.
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I like how it works, very soft and easily removed. I think I had about 45 minutes from the saw to a floor tillered blank. Crazy soft wood.
just wait till shes ready to shoot. light and fast ;D
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Its low ring count stuff, which doesnt mean much to me. Not sure how important that is in regards to performance?
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with that weight bow ring count doesn't matter that much, if it were a warbow that would be a different story
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Pearl
Looking good. I really like that Yew wood. Haven't had a-lot of it to work with but got a couple from CMB that are still wet. This winter I may push them a little. Put a pair of rattlesnake skins on it and it will be a looker for sure. Dean
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Its low ring count stuff, which doesnt mean much to me. Not sure how important that is in regards to performance?
IMO, I notice a difference between a bow with 15 RPI and one thats Like 50 RPI. but if the 15 is heat treated then its a different story. both would be good hard hitting/shooting bows.
but if it shoots good then i really dont care as long as it puts food on the table, or puts a smile on a friends face. ;D
cant wait to see how this comes out. already looking really good!
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Drums: Just got back from a NASCAR weekend. Great catching up on PA with this post. For myself, I found that final tillering yew with sandpaper is all you need. I put down the files and scrapers at this stage.
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I figurted that out Matt. It amazes me what 80 grit on a block will do, even very lightly worked. I love it! However I cant wrap my osage/whitewood brain around soft equaling strong.....a few days from now when its ready to be final tillered and shot I will have my answer.
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Looking good so far...
I've got piles of yew sitting around here...must make some spare time to get stuck into it!
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I figurted that out Matt. It amazes me what 80 grit on a block will do, even very lightly worked. I love it! However I cant wrap my osage/whitewood brain around soft equaling strong.....a few days from now when its ready to be final tillered and shot I will have my answer.
Hehe....yeah, Im freaked out when working yew too. Its soft, and once it goes it really explodes....but man it is wicked bow wood. I wish I had more...only a few billets are left in my stash, cramped in behind heaps of wych elm:-/.
I see suggestion of giving her snake skins...not a bad idea. But, once buffed up the sapwood has the most amazing cream colour and I think you will lose some of the contrast that characterise a yew sap/heartwood bow with skins. If you decide not to back it, then keep in mind that it dents easily....it being soft and all.
Looking forward to the results:-)
Cheers
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looking great. I was working on half a stave today trying to remake a limb that a "friend" shattered when he took it to the range without asking me.
I think you should still put thin rawhide on it as it would look more classic than snakeskins but give you some more durability for your hunting.
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looking great. I was working on half a stave today trying to remake a limb that a "friend" shattered when he took it to the range without asking me.
I think you should still put thin rawhide on it as it would look more classic than snakeskins but give you some more durability for your hunting.
I may still back it Randy. Im one picky sumgun about my bows and if they arent just perfect I wont add anymore to them whatsoever. If it shoots well and I can hunt with it I will rawhide back it.
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Where is this bow pearl? Did I miss something while off chasing elk? Have you just been busy off terrifying whitetails?
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Bad news happend :(
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,34517.0.html
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I really didn't see that coming.