Yew drying

[TheFatboy]

I plan to make a simple yew selfbow. Nothing special, really, very simple. Just for fun! All I wish to ask, is... how long should I let the wood dry, before it's perfectly safe to work and shoot with?

Will let you know, that we've have had a very hot and sunny May this year, with a stormy June so far, followed by a minor rainflood last week, in case that affects...

[Pat B]

High humidity will slow down the drying time. The stave can be reduced to floor tiller stage(about 4" of tip movement)without stressing the wood. It will dry quicker in that state. If you have air conditioning in your home, it will dry quicker also. You can weight the stave and when it stops loosing weight for 3 or 4 days, it has hit an equilibrium with the air. Depending on the humidity, that could be dry enough...or not.
   Be sure the ends of your stave are sealed and the back if the bark was removed.

[TheFatboy]

No longer? Sounds great!

Gonna need a little explanation on the sealing part though, if you don't mind...

[Pat B]

When you cut wood it dries at different rates along its length and at the ends. You want moisture to leave the wood but only alone the belly side of the stave. To prevent checking(drying cracks) on the back side of your stave or the ends you "seal" the wood to prevent moisture from escaping the wood there. You can use shellac, carpenters glue(like Tite-Bond, Elmers; in America) or melted wax, etc. to seal the wood. Any moisture barrier will work.
   If done properly, the longer you can "cure"(or season) wood the better it is for bows. You can make a good bow with "dry" wood but a better bow with cured or seasoned wood. But...under the right conditions, you can have a serviceable bow within a month or two of cutting the wood.

[TheFatboy]

Thanks Pat  

[dutchwarbow]

notice he said : when it stops loosing weight, it'll be dry in a couple of days.

it can take anywhere between 5 and 500days untill the wood stops loosing weight, depending on the size. For simple whitewood bows it's advicable to rough it out immediately, floortiller it, so it'll be dry within 2 weeks.

for a yew stave, with the bark on, it might take a year to season. I however wouldn't use yew for my first couple of bows, it's a pity to waste this wood. you don't wanna ruin a 'once in a lifetime' stave by making some random beginner's mistakes. And you might want to change your style later, aswell.

Nick

[TheFatboy]

Hey Nick,

this is just a fun project. The 'stave' is just a branch from a yew tree. Noticed it on a tree a few days ago, and sawed it off today. Instantly removed the bark (it was like peeling a banana), and then smoothened it out with some sandpaper. Applied a moisture barrier, and left it to dry about 6 hours ago. Should I be working it into shape before I leave it to dry?

[dutchwarbow]

I'd suggest you do so Fatboy, since a thin stave is less likely to create (deep) cracks.

Nick

[TheFatboy]

I'll follow your advice then. Even though this won't be used to kill anything, I'm dying to see if the finished product is any good.

Saw some of the bows you and your buddies crafted, and I was - least to say - extremely impressed. If I had the talent and the time, I'd aim to make something similar