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Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: carver on February 18, 2010, 03:32:00 PM

Title: english yew wonky bow
Post by: carver on February 18, 2010, 03:32:00 PM

hey guys

Here is a yew bow i've made this last week, taxus baccata cut from a nearby graveyard in york, england.  

It is damn strange, a weirdly-shaped branch with tons of reflex and wiggle to it.  It developed a series of belly-cracks (longitudinal), for which i wrapped it with twisted cotton twine.  More pics of that when it dries.

 (http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk314/NomadArchery/English%20Yew/Picture048-1.jpg)

 (http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk314/NomadArchery/English%20Yew/Picture051-1.jpg)

 (http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk314/NomadArchery/English%20Yew/Picture047-1.jpg)

I used side nocks on alternating sides...

 (http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk314/NomadArchery/English%20Yew/Picture053-1.jpg)

 (http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk314/NomadArchery/English%20Yew/Picture054.jpg)

 (http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk314/NomadArchery/English%20Yew/Picture050-1.jpg)

The draw weight is pretty low, maybe 30# at 25".  Hard to say, it's all hand tillered, no tillering tree, no scale...just roughing out the curve.  But i don't mind the low weight, it's for my mother in law.  She actually came to the graveyard with me to collect the yew, and the one i recently tried to make for her broke.  

Hope you like it...i've made several bows of pacific yew in the past, but this is my first successful bow of english yew.

Title: Re: english yew wonky bow
Post by: John Scifres on February 18, 2010, 10:30:00 PM

Cool.

Title: Re: english yew wonky bow
Post by: carver on February 19, 2010, 04:20:00 AM

(http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk314/NomadArchery/English%20Yew/Picture057.jpg)

 (http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk314/NomadArchery/English%20Yew/Picture058-1.jpg)

 (http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk314/NomadArchery/English%20Yew/Picture062-1.jpg)


So...it's not quite done yet.  Epoxied the wrappings last night, waiting for that to fully set.  Need to scrape off the little globs and stuff.  But she shoots and don't break, so that's just about got 'er.  Thanks for looking.

Title: Re: english yew wonky bow
Post by: George Tsoukalas on February 19, 2010, 10:05:00 PM

That is quite a character bow. Did you cut the back at the nocks? Jawge

Title: Re: english yew wonky bow
Post by: carver on February 19, 2010, 11:34:00 PM

Hey Jawge,

You doing alright?  I heard on PA that you were not feeling well.

As for cutting the back:  no, these are just side nocks, one groove at each end.  And yeah, this is the most oddly-shaped stick i ever turned into a bow.  Also, the first bow i ever roughed out using a hatchet.  Lotsa fun!  

I find though that the epoxy is even still a tad sticky, even though it has been about 30 hours since applying it.  ah well...at least it's cool.   :D