Yew vs Osage

[Ari]

In your opinion which makes the best limb core and why?

[John Kennedy]

I like the cast that the osage can deliver, and after it ages, it is just beautiful wood.

[Tom Leemans]

You will hear arguments for both. However, to quote an ol' Greek Bowyer who was commenting on "the best" bow woods... "Pretty much yew and osage, and screw the rest."
 

[Spinealigner]

I love that honey-brown osage after it ages.  Not sure if one is better than the other.

[BobW]

so, yew cores with osage veneers.....  

[BowZen]

I am told, yew is excellent for long bows but not as good for recurves.

[Zradix]

Yew is a bit poisonous.
Might make a difference to you.

[royking]

does osage make a good riser

[2treks]

Osage will make a fine riser if your piece is clear.

[Blackhawk]

I know Steve Gorr of Cascade Archery is a big fan of yew which is his favorite for his short recurve limbs.  He is not too big a fan of osage, believing it a bit too heavy (and slow) for limbs and not as good looking as yew.

However, I recall Ken Beck stating that osage limbs were some of the fastest that Black Widow made.

Personally, I like them both...in looks and performance.

[RAU]

Ive only made osage self bows. Never had the priviledge to work yew. I'll bet that if you made 2 identicle bows with glass backs and bellys and spray painted them flat black so only you knew which was which and i didnt, (like a blind taste test) I wouldnt be able to tell the difference. Other more refined shooters could probably tell the differnce but not me.

[giff]

the glass will do most of the work anyway

[Ari]

I doubt that since yew and Osage was working long before glass was even imagined.

[Gil]

Ari, yew and osage have been made into very nice bows before glass, that was with self bows.in glass laminated bows,the performance does not rely entirely on the wood core.Take a look at the high end limbs nowadays and they are made of foam and carbon cores and glass .the foam cores work with laminated bows but i doubt if they can be made into self bows.talking about yew and osage for use in self bows is one thing,yew and osage for laminated glass bows,they are entirely different beings altogether.

[Steelhead]

In a deep cored longbow with narrow limbs and glass I think your gonna see more influence of the corewood chosen.Or even a narrow limbed deep cored recurve.

Yew is a light and snappy wood and produces a sweet shooting bow.

Osage is tough and strong with more mass weight and makes for a stable limb with a different feel in my experience.Some may like it.Some may not.

I have had some very good shooting all osage limbed laminated bows and Yew as well.

[Ari]

Are you sure foam core limbs even perform better than wood core? Just because high end bow makes use foam core or bamboo doesn't mean its better... usually the majority is wrong.

In my understanding they perform pretty much the same, and then it just comes down to which one will last the longest.

[RAU]

I dont know Ari, i think theres definitely a performance advantage to using those foam cored limbs. Ive never shot them but some guys who know way more than me love em!