Winter selfbow what would you do

[TomKatt]

  Yew stave cut split and sealed 9/2001 it is 67 x 3  it is a little short for my draw of 26.5 so I will sinew back it and try for 50# long bow.  any thoughts on this should I try this or move on to a different piece of wood ?  Thanks Tom

[TattooDave]

Just my opinion but a 67" stave is more then long enough for your draw length, even with a stiff handle/riser. No need to sinew back it.

Tattoo Dave

[Roy from Pa]

Yup, 67 is plenty long enough for your draw length.

It could handle a 30 inch draw..

[TomKatt]

Thanks the stave is straight and pretty flat with just a little propeller and 3/8- 1/4 in sap wood , was thinking the sinew would pull just a little bit of back set in it and insurance for the back . need to scrape the bark off and see what I have .

[Pat B]

Sinew backing a 67" bow will just add excess physical weight without any performance If you want a sinew backed bow for a 26" draw make no more than 60" and less would be better. You can add reflex with heat once you get the bow at least to floor tiller stage.

[fujimo]

i agree with Pat, sinew for insurance purposes alone, will add excessive weight, and a lot of time and maybe expense- unless you already have the sinew.
for sinew to offer its maximum potential, it really needs to be brought under tension, on that long a bow and at that draw length, it wont really be working at all.
Yew , with a good , sound sap wood layer should need no backing for insurance, but if i was inclined to do so, i would use  nice thin rawhide- ( goat or sitka blacktail from the PNW ) or even silk.
Like Pat said, sinew works best on quite short bows. 60 and under for sure.

as to design, i really love bend thru the handle bows with flipped tips, both of those design features will allow you to create a much shorter bow.
but if you want to retain  the length of the stave, a beautiful ELB, or flat bow would both create a beautiful arc.
In reality, the ELB design is way under engineered for what the yew can handle, yew does shine as nice tight recurves and shorter bows!!

but whatever you do have fun and enjoy the outcome!!

[TomKatt]

 bark cleaned up nice and easy compared to osage, now to rough it out and see were the pins are a problem and what ones will come out

[George Tsoukalas]

That's a good length for your draw. The only reason to back would be inexperience or an imperfection in the back.
Jawge

[TomKatt]

there are several areas that could be a problem but I will just have to work around them the best that I can. This is my first yew bow  but have made other self bows some good some bad, thanks for the pointers

[Roy from Pa]

Yew wood is pretty forgiving about small pin knots, etc.

[Pat B]

Show us pics of the back and the "problems".  Yew can be very forgiving like Roy said. You could probably take the sapwood down a bit, 1/4" or a little less. Try your best to keep the back one growth ring but with yew it isn't necessary like with other woods. If the stave is straight you may be able to split or saw it in two. 1 3/8" to 1 1/2" should be plenty wide enough for a 67" yew bow for a 26" draw length....but don't take chances or get greedy. One bow is better than none.

[KellyG]

I say start longer it is easy to pike one down. I just made a bow for my brother in law. The plan was to have an American longbow as tall as he was. So I started at 75". I had it shaped and slightly bending. When the light hit the back just right and I noticed the ring was compromised. After chasing a new back the bow came in at 50lb at 28" and total length was around 64". It also ended up being more of a flat bow. I never narrowed the tips as I piked it.