Make bow out of yew wood?

[MichelD]

Ever since I was a kid I wanted to make a yew wood bow, but never did.

Have any of you tried it?

Cycling through Stanley Park yesterday, next to a fallen down hemlock was the stump of a big western yew. No sign of it having blown down, it was cut down. Maybe it had shattered half way up, I don't know, it was gone.

No other branches or wood from the fallen hemlock was missing, but someone took the yew log, which was over a foot across at the stump.

There were still some four-inch thick limbs from the yew there.

Could you make a bow out of that?

[Bow Walker]

I think you need very straight-grain, clear wood to do the job. But there are better minds than mine who know what to do. Hang in there, they'll be on here soon.

[Tack]

Hi,
My ancestors in the middle ages kept the French at bay for two hundred years using bows made from yew.
The timber must be clear, staight grained and free from defects and the slower the growth of the yew, the better. There must be both sapwood and heartwood in the stave. It is this combination of sapwood on the outside of the bow, and heartwood on the inside which allows the bow to act like a spring.
Finding the right timber may be difficult but making the stave into an effective bow is very hard. To begin with the staves must be seasoned for between 3 and 5 years. Then the maker must use great skill and experience to remove just the right amount of wood to make the limbs curve evenly along their length.
Not an easy project for a novice.
There are however how-to books available, not to mention traditional bow makers who would be prepared to help.
If you are interested in the history and construction of the long bow get a copy of "Longbow" by Robert Hardy. Its a great read, if a little scholarly.
Regards
Tack

[Ddog]

i have made 2 long bows now and have a beautiful piece of yew to make a bow, it doesnt need to be seasoned between 3-5 years,(unless it is huge) if you keep your piece at room temperature and a pretty constant humidity it should be done in around a year, you must glue the ends of your piece to keep it from checking when it dries, a good wood glue will do the trick. While you have it drying go to home depot and buy a piece of red oak 1"x3"x8' . you can make a very decent bow out of that and you can start right away. this will give you the knowledge needed to start a yew bow. Your piece of wood that you select doesnt need to be defect free, however, the clearer the wood the better. there is lots more involved than simply just cutting and trimming it takes a long time between each step involved in making your bow.
feel free to PM me and i can send you some information that i have obtained over the last while.
cheers......ddog

[Chuck]

Get this book "Bows & Arrows of the Native Americans" by Jim Hamm ($22). Lyons & Burford - Publishers. ISBN # 1-55821-168-3. Yes, the 4" limb may not be thick enough, or clear enough, nor tight enough, nor long enough, nor straight enough to make a bow. This is a good read and will really open your eyes to just how complex this skill is.

[Ddog]

It is really not that hard or complex as some may think, it does however take time. the first bow i made hit my mark 72" bow 55# @ 28". it just takes some practice, thats why i suggested the red oak board from home depot. The price has gone from about $8 to $15 in the last year tho.
cheers.....ddog

[5/10/85]

I made a long bow out of birch - the secret is to use the outside of the tree (minus the bark) for the front face of the bow - if you used milled lumber, the chance of the bow breaking is greater because almost always milled lumber is cut across the grain, making the bow weaker. If you do go that route though, pick a flatsawn piece rather than quartersawn (a very straight / tight grained piece is usually quartersawn or cut across the grain whereas a flatsawn piece is cut with the grain). Don't buy from home depot unless you have to - go to a wholesale hardwood store and buy from their shorts stack, you'll pay at least a half. If you use you own log (much preffered), cut it into 25% longer than you'll need, and about a 3"x2" blank (KEEPING THE OUTSIDE OF THE TREE AS THE FACE - the straighter the log the better - avoid knots at all costs), and paint the ends with any spray paint - this allows the wood to loose moisture more slowly, preventing splitting. Let it sit a year, on top of some small 1/4" strips of wood - somewhere where temperature is relatively constant. Then get a plan off the internet somewhere and GO! The great thing is you can make a bow out of vitually any hardwood (deciduous tree - leafy) - birch, alder (is weaker), cottonwood maple and oak can all be found locally - take yer chainsaw out, and find a recently downed hardwood (shouldn't be a problem with all those wind storms out there) and get cracking. The 4" yew is certainly not big enough. Good luck!

[rollingrock]

But what type of tools do you use to make a bow?

[Chuck]

If you want to make an authentic bow, I suppose the authentic tools would be various pieces of sharp rocks. Otherwise - a hand saw, a hand axe, a small hand plane, a draw knife, a rasp, scrapers (or pieces of broken window glass), straight edge, markers and measurers.

[sealevel]

Just remember yew wood is protected you need a licence to cut . you can only get it off a proposed cut block.