Yew Stave question

[Pete W]

I was fortunate to receive a couple Yew staves, and I have a lot to learn about using yew. Is it better to just clean up the back like a whitewood bow, or to chase it to a ring like an Osage bow?
 Pete

[Osagetree]

Never worked yew myself but understand you just peel the bark off. The sap wood is the backing.

[Pat B]

Pete, yew is the only bow wood I know of that you can violate the sapwood back and not get in trouble. You don't want to violate down into the heartwood around knots though. Ideally you want about 1/4"(mol) of sapwood and you want that to follow the contours of the wood when reducing the sapwood.
  Yew is one of the best bow woods out there. It is a soft wood so it shouldn't be handles as roughly as osage can but with the yew bows I have built I haven't changed the way I handle my yew bows over other bow woods.
  Yew reacts very well to heat manipulation whether it be to bend or straighten.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Pete I just did my first yew bow this weekend. I used a scraper to get to one ring. I have about 5-6 small spots that went through to the next. I used an 80 grit sanding block and lightly blended the whole back together. It looks great and solid. Im covering mine with a large adult canebrake which is quite thick. That should help shore it up some more. Be careful, it works VERY easily and wood pratically falls off. Go slow if your used to hardwoods and osage. Tip overlays have to happen for sure. I used Asiatic water buff horn. Tough stuff.

[blacktailchaser]

every thing that pat said...i have made a few yew bows and i have never chased a ring.just take both layers of bark off down to the white sap..and lay out the bow...i will say if you are a osage bowyer take your time with the yew..some osage bowyers blow way past there bow weight...john

[coaster500]

Pete I don't have Chris's eyes to chase a ring with Yew. I've built two bows with it and both are holdin up well with ring violations. One was 53@28 the other lighter. Ring count of the stave may play into this i don't know but mine were very high ring count.

This is the back of the 53# bow....  no ring chasing here. I had to remove some of the sap wood or the bow would have been sapwood... I left about 1/4"


   
   

[rmorris]

Kip, that is a great looking bow! BTW you cant see it that picture but the string is nearly work out...

[Pat B]

This is a yew selfbow I built quite a few years ago but still shoot it regularly. It even went on my first elk hunt as back-up. It is finished only with hand rubbed bear grease and pulls 47#@26"
   

   

   

   

   

[coaster500]

I like that one Pat....  How does the bear grease feel after its been on the bow a while?

[Pat B]

Kip, the bow is 7 or 8 years old and I've rubbed it down twice with bear grease. It repels water when needed and had a nice soft finish. I'd say it works pretty well.

[Pete W]

Thanks for all the great tips and advice. Hunting season is here now so I will be a while before I start , unless I bring a stave to camp?? for mid day recreation and tinder for firemaking. Hmmmm
 I have been meaning to make a hitch mount for the Bow Vice. we shall see.

[coaster500]

Pat it sure brings out a nice honey color on that Yew