Author Topic: First Yew Bowing coming up - boo backed Yew.  (Read 3636 times)

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Offline Prarie Bowyer

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First Yew Bowing coming up - boo backed Yew.
« on: March 05, 2015, 04:47:04 pm »
Finishing up my first Yew bow.  Love how springy the wood is but I'm surprised at how soft it feels in general.?  ???

Took more string follow than I expected.   

I glued in about 1.5 or so each limb of Reflex when laminating the bamboo. 

then With the long string I only drew it a few inches and evened it out.
then drew it and exercised it down another 2 inches adjusting each time the one stiff limb till it was right.  That was still super shallow draw.  Then I began to work it down to 29"  in 2" increments and adjusting that one limb if it looked stiff at deeper draw lengths.

Over all took nearly 5" ? ?

Looks nice and feels smooth to draw.   Uncertain of the weight.  I was aiming for even bending and high as possible  given I'd never worked with the wood before.

Offline adams89

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Re: First Yew Bowing coming up - boo backed Yew.
« Reply #1 on: March 05, 2015, 06:08:56 pm »
how long is your bow?
and did you recurve it?
« Last Edit: March 05, 2015, 06:14:26 pm by adams89 »

Offline Del the cat

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Re: First Yew Bowing coming up - boo backed Yew.
« Reply #2 on: March 05, 2015, 06:16:19 pm »
Was it well seasoned? Was the boo V thick?
I've occasionally had Yew that was sort of alternate heart and sapwood, neither really one or the other, which was a bit puddingy rather than springy.
Heat treated Yew with boo backing is a great combo.
Del
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Offline Marc St Louis

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Re: First Yew Bowing coming up - boo backed Yew.
« Reply #3 on: March 05, 2015, 06:49:02 pm »
Are you sure it's Yew?
Home of heat-treating, Corbeil, On.  Canada

Marc@Ironwoodbowyer.com

Offline Prarie Bowyer

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Re: First Yew Bowing coming up - boo backed Yew.
« Reply #4 on: March 06, 2015, 02:10:07 pm »
looks and smells like yew.
 :-\

It isn't the dark variety.  I think the tone of he wood may be a male female tree issue?

Offline Carson (CMB)

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Re: First Yew Bowing coming up - boo backed Yew.
« Reply #5 on: March 07, 2015, 02:17:06 pm »
Like Del said, the soft yew loves a good heat-treating. I love to generously coat the belly with 1/2 pound cut of shellac before heat treating. The shellac/soft yew combo responds really well to heat tempering.

"The bow is the old first lyre,
the mono chord, the initial rune of fine art
The humanities grew out from archery as a flower from a seed
No sooner did the soft, sweet note of the bow-string charm the ear of genius than music was born, and from music came poetry and painting and..." Maurice Thompso

Offline danny f

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Re: First Yew Bowing coming up - boo backed Yew.
« Reply #6 on: March 07, 2015, 02:19:59 pm »
teh yew bow i made felt  abit spongy, when drawn.a good heat treating stiffened it right up and made a big difference.

Offline Prarie Bowyer

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Re: First Yew Bowing coming up - boo backed Yew.
« Reply #7 on: March 08, 2015, 10:38:34 am »




No f/d pic yet.  But i'm happy with it.  the amount of string follow is disappointing.  I'm wondering if that is the Bamboo over stressing the belly?  next time I'll try soft maple and raw hide.


Offline Prarie Bowyer

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Re: First Yew Bowing coming up - boo backed Yew.
« Reply #8 on: March 08, 2015, 10:39:37 am »
Pretty zippy bow to shoot even with the string follow.  About 55# but haven't weighed it yet.

Offline rockrush69

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Re: First Yew Bowing coming up - boo backed Yew.
« Reply #9 on: March 08, 2015, 02:36:33 pm »
Yew does that man . It usually takes some set . No biggie though .... good job man !!!!'
JESSE "HALF CHEROKEE" RUSH
The rabbit lost his tail cause the fox tricked him and told him to stick it thru the ice to catch fish he became stuck and the bear snatched him out by his ears leaving his bushy tail behind and streching his long ears... Cherokee story "how the rabbit lost his tail" :)