Just got my yew staves, now what?? Pictures included.

[rascal]

Well I just got a pair of Yew staves today and I called the guy I got them from just to let him know they had arrived.  Now he told me to let them season a bit more to acclimate to the weather here in Iowa versus the West Coast area.  Ive never heard of that but figured maybe you guys had and could confirm this.

Anyhow on to some stats and pictures.  The first and smaller of the two staves is 74" long, 2" wide at both ends, 2 1/2" deep at both ends.  It has a bow in it (no pun) the ends bend toward what will be the belly of the bow, I think they call that follow in a finished bow.  Its 3/4" bend on one end and 1 1/2" bend on the other and that kinda worries me.  Also it has a pretty good knot on the side of the stave about 33 1/2" from one end. Here are some pics.


 


 

 

 


The second and larger of the two staves is 74" long2 1/2" wide and 2" deep at one end, 3 1/2" wide and 2 1/2" deep at the other end.  it appears very straight no bow to this one but it has a crumbly looking knot in one side in the heart wood that I think might cause an issue.  Again here are some pics.

 

 

 

 


I guess really my questions are pretty simple so far.  Do I need to let this wood acclimate to my state and if so how long?  Is that knot in the side of the smaller stave gonna be a big problem?  How much of a problem is that bow in the smaller stave gonna be?  On the larger stave  what do I need to do for that big knot?

I want to make a rigid handle longbow (think Glen St. Charles style) that will be used for hunting, target shooting, stumping, etc.  Im trying for 55-60 pounds and both of them will be shot by persons about 5' 6" tall.  That brings up another question I guess how long should the bow itself be if the shooter is 66" tall?  both bows will be comfortable drawn to 28 - 28.5 inches draw length.

[rascal]

Oh and here is one more picture to show that bow in a larger view on the smaller of the two pieces.

 

Hopefully I can get lucky, or maybe Ill just have the right combination of skill and patience to make two bows out of these staves...  Who am I kidding Ill hope for luck.

[the Ferret]

Here's a yew buid along from my website that may help. Click on the thumbnail to enlarge the pictures and read text use the drop down box for pages 2 & 3.

  http://groups.msn.com/ferretsarcherywebpage/buildingayewflatbow.msnw  

Be sure and use a respirator, yew dust can be highly toxic.

[rascal]

Doesnt look like I have a lot of sapwood to work with so from what Ive read I should probably just clean it up rather than try to take much off.

[the Ferret]

Yes the sapwood on yours looks fine as is. Debark and start building.

[Bill Shepard]

I never even thought of Yew being toxic.  I just built my first selfbow and did all the shaving and sanding without any protective gear.  

Looks like I'll add a respirator to my tool list.   :eek:

[KENDALL TECHAU]

yew wood makes a great flatbow.1 3/4" wide to mid limb,down to 5/8" tips. for a 28" draw i would make the bow 64" tip to tip.keep just alittle radius to the belly. back with goat rawhide from tandy leather.you can put snakeskins over the rawhide if you like. just another option to consider.

[rascal]

Hadn't considered backing the bow to be honest, do I have to back it?  Ill probably let the staves rest a bit since it cant hurt at any rate.  Ill work off some of the sap wood soon though.  More pictures will surely follow as I procede.

[KENDALL TECHAU]

if your shooting for 55#-60# i would highly recommend backing it with rawhide.

[rascal]

Well I took the bark off the smaller of the two staves tonight since the fella I purchased them from said that would be alright.  I used a draw knife turned upside down and a couple of pieces of glass that I cut as a scrapers.  Couple of very small mixing spatulas out of my tool box took care of the stuff I couldnt get with the larger tools.  Im pretty happy with the results and will post more pictures tomorrow, probably some as it is now and after I do layout marks.

I noticed Im not gonna be so lucky on my second stave it has a couple of cracks in it that go through the bark and into the sap wood.  Gonna have to chase a deeper ring on that one, Oh well its all good experience right?

Kendall .. I guess Ill have to check into backing it then.  Do I need to make any special considerations while making the bow if I back it versus not backing it or is it just an additional step after completion.  I guess if I gotta back it then I would rather see snake skin if I cant have the wood showing.  BTW where from in N.E. Iowa, close to Fort Dodge at all?

[Linc]

Shad, Do the cracks go length wise or across? Don't worry about length wise cracks.They won't be a problem unless they run off the side once your bow is layed out.
 
Back your staves once you get them to floor tiller.I am by know means an expert with yew so I won't even try to comment on the know in the second stave. But the knot on the first stave should be OK if you leave that area a little stiff.

[Hillbilly Bowyer]

Amen on what Micky says. I finished a boo backed yew bow a few months ago and didn't heed the warnings. After sanding I spent a couple of days feeling really bad!!!!

[the Ferret]

Rawhide gets added after bow shaping and prior to finish tillering.

If you use thin rawhide..clarified calfskin or doe skin rawhide from near the belly, it is hardly visible on the sapwood and really protects the soft yew wood back.

I have made them both ways, with and without backing. The one in my yew build along is without, but on my wife's elb I backed it with doeskin rawhide.

HB..only a couple of days? You got lucky. After finishing the 2 bows mentioned above I was REALLY SICK for almost 2 months.

[NorthShoreLB]

You can back them with silk also,...can find great patterns that will help cover the whiteness of the sapwood for hunting porpuses.

[Hillbilly Bowyer]

I was down right nausious(sp) for a couple of days.

A month or so ago, I decided to clean up the wood shop-Vacked out the mountain of shavins and dust from under my jointer and again, sick as heck for a few days. Took me a couple of days to figure out what was hitting me. I guess the shop vac was kicken out fine dust from the exhaust.

I have two more staves of the stuff and I'm gonna be xtra careful the next go around.

And come to think of it, I haven't been feeling all that well since-Thought maybe I was just allergic to work or nagging    

[rascal]

OK as promised here are some more pics of that debarked stave and after layout lines were drawn (if they dont show well enough I may draw them with marker).  I decided to lay this out a little on the long side (72" long, 1" wide at the handle, 1 1/8" wide at the fade out and 5/8" wide at the tips.  As mentioned earlier Im going to try for 55-60# @ 28" longbow with rigid handle of about 12 ".  Im sure that will all change a bit after final shaping.
 
Think I may have a little twist in the stave.  It shows a bit in this one.
 

That pesky knot isnt going to be a problem now that I see the lay out lines are quite far in from it.  Although Im kinda nervous about that bend in the stave.
 

If these layout lines dont show up well enough Ill hit em with a fine marker.
 

Linc I dont think any of the cracks go off the side on the other stave Ill know more when I get the bark off.  Its a relief to know that I didnt get a junk stave.

Ill make sure to pick up a few dust masks at the store for sure after hearing the stories here.

I guess Ill need to start looking for backing material, Id rather be safe than sorry.  Any good sources for the raw hide backing?

[Eric Garza]

Are you trying to finish this bow for this coming season?  If not, I'd suggest setting the yew staves aside and working on another less costly stave first.  

In my experience (been building about six years) new bowyers usually ruin at least their first couple staves before they get something that can stand up to long-term use without being backed.  The exception to this is if you're lucky enough to have an experienced bowyer who can personally mentor you and be around when you're working to remind you to SLOW DOWN.  

Please don't think I'm trying to put you down or anything.  I'd just hate to have you ruin these staves as I'm sure you paid a pretty penny for each.  Money doesn't grow on trees, at least not for most of us...;-)

[rascal]

I dont have a time table for completion actually, Ill finish when Im done I suppose.  As far as the expense of the staves and my patience I am well aware of the cost and Im not gonna hurry this at all.  Ive spent about 6 hours doing what little you see done right now.  Although I do appreciate the reminder all the same.
Im pretty set on using the staves Ive got right now, Ive got my brother (lucky to have a brother whos a tree trimmer) getting me some black locust logs for next year.

[the Ferret]

Aree you sure you want a 12" rigid handle?That's A LOT of non bending wood.

A 4 inch handle and (2) 2" fades totals 8". Where is the other 4" of rigidity coming from?

[rascal]

I was going by some measurements out of Billets to Bows by Glenn St. Charles, 4 inch handle with 4 inches either side of handle for fades for a total of 12 inches.  I would think the length I planned on would be plenty for that sort of handle.  Is there a reason you go with 2 inch fades Ferret?  Im no bowyer by any stretch of my imagination so if you can tell me a better way or tell me why one is better than the next way Ill be happy to listen.