yew takedown

[Richard B]

I have recently acquired a pair of yew billets and am hoping to make a sleeve type takedown longbow from them. My previous experience of bow making is limited and I appreciate that this is quite an ambitious project. I am hoping that by going slowly and carefully I can make it work. Time will tell!

The billets are just about 1 year old and I have just finished removing the bark with a knife and scraper to reveal a nice, defect free back on both staves (allowing for a few small pin knots).

The sapwood is a bit thicker on one billet, however, tapering from about 5/16” down to ¼” compared to the other which tapers from just under 1/4 “ to just over 1/8”.
I guess I could thin out the thicker one a bit, but it seems a shame to depart from the nice surface I got after debarking and risk losing my way chasing a ring.

[burchett.donald]

Beautiful billets...Good luck and keep us posted...And welcome to PA

[bow101]

Welcome RB.  Nice looking yew, looking forward to your build.

[Carson (CMB)]

Personally, I wouldn't worry about removing sapwood.  I would work with them as they are now.  Nice billets. 

[Hamish]

If the billets were cut only a year ago I would let them sit another year, especially if you want to attach them to sleeves. Not a good idea to have the wood shrink in the cross section after it has been glued.

If you haven't made at least 2 decent bows yet you should get some experience with some cheaper wood before attempting yew. Yew is not necessarily any more difficult to work than other woods, but its not the kind of wood to use when learning because it takes so long to grow. Make a mistake and it really is a waste.
Get some skills in tillering, make mistakes if your going to with some less valuable stuff, by that time your yew will be properly seasoned and you will be confident to do it justice.

[Richard B]

Many thanks for the comments. To be honest, have been feeling a bit nervous about diving into those nice yew billets. I think I will take Hamish's advice and have a go with some wood that I can be more relaxed about while the yew drys out a little more.

[adb]

Good idea. Those are gorgeous yew billets and it would be a shame to ruin them due to inexperience. Get your hands on some inexpensive maple or hickory boards and have at it. Walk, then run. 

[Gordon]

I think that is wise. Those are some prime yew billets you have there - it would be a shame to mess those up.

[Carson (CMB)]

Now I recognize those billets   Glad you found your way here to PA Richard.  Great advice given above.  It might be a good idea to seal the backs lightly as well.  Look forward to seeing what you end up once you do get to these. 

[Richard B]

Thanks Carson, I'll put some polyurethane on the backs when i get home at the weekend. They are in a cool room inside and I think the humidity is quite high with all the rain we have been having so hopefully they should be OK.

[dmenzies1950]

I wouldn't worry about taking off sapwood. I personally think that a year is plenty of time to dry those out, but that's just me. I fear that at my age I can't afford to wait too long or I'll be dead! I usually rough the bow out right away secure it to a 2x6 and put it a warm place for two or three months and I'm ready to finish it off. It works for me, but I know plenty of the guys will disagree. For what it's worth.                 Dale

[Richard B]

Starting to work on fitting the sleeves. Working down the section of one of the billets, two knots that were tiny pins on the belly, have been growing as I get closer to the depth of the sleeve. One (smaller) will be right on the sleeve boundary and the other (larger one) will be in the fade area (see picture below).

The back of the bow is clean (i.e. both knots are grown over at some depth).
I guess that knots around the sleeve boundary are not a good idea, even if they are in compression.

At the moment, the billet is just under 38 inches long, so I could remove a couple of inches and still have a 72" bow. This would get rid of the smaller knot and bury the bigger one inside the sleeve. What do you think?

[wizardgoat]

Nice billets. Even with yew I had that was 4 years old and up, after I roughed them out and weighed them they still lost some weight for another month. If you don't have a scale, I'd rough them out with some extra meat, then stash them under my bed for another month or 2.

[Richard B]

Thanks for the advice wizardgoat. The staves have been indoors over a hot and dry summer (by English standards!) and don't seem to have lost any weight in the last few months. I agree, though ,that reducing their thickness, exposing some of the inner wood and seeing how they go for a time might be a good idea.

[Carson (CMB)]

Richard, I think the knots will be fine. I would try to avoid leaving them exposed along the edge there, but it doesn't look like that is an issue from where they lie.  The thing you will need to avoid in order to have a durable long-lasting take-down is the stepped shoulder going into the sleeves.  It needs to be a smooth gradual reduction in width down into the sleeves.  Don't leave any shoulder, not even butting up to the brass.  This is tempting to do in an effort to make the surfaces of the brass and billet smooth, but it is better to leave the edge of the ferrules proud and smoothly run the wood into the sleeve.  I have seen a couple of yew take-downs develop lifted splinters when shouldering the joint.