What's your opinion of Pacific Yew limb cores?

[longbow fanatic 1]

I was wondering if any of you own bows with yew cores or have shot them? I'm considering the purchase of a bow with these cores, but I'm not sure how they perform. Some bowyers have said that on bows with glass limbs overlays, the performance comes from the glass and not really from the cores. So, maybe the limb cores don't matter much.

I've shot bamboo and maple cores with glass overlays and like those cores fine. How do Yew cores compare?

[tecum-tha]

I got a Morrison Dakota with yew lams and the same bow with bamboo lams and the yew lams always feel harsher on the draw than the bamboo limbs do, even though the yew lam bow is 2" longer than the bamboo limb bow.
I stay away from yew unless it would be a traditional English wooden longbow.

[monterey]

The bowyer's who are telling you there is no difference are being straight up honest with you.

Doesn't mean that there is absolutely no difference, but detecting any difference is not going to be easy to do.  Two "identical" bows can have slight differences in performance due to barely noticeable differences in the completed bow.

If you decide to purchase a bow just like your maple cored bow, the advantage you find in the yew cores will most likely be in a direct and linear relationship to the additional cost of the bow.  

[Danny Rowan]

Yew is a proven core wood. Has been used for decades. The core is much different than laminations, laminations are there for looks only the core wood is the working part of the limb. I beg to differ that the fiber glass laminations are the working part of the limb, they may help performance but that is all they do, the core is the base of the limb. Now as to yew, I have owned bows with yew core, bamboo core, maple core, actionwood core and wenge vertical stacked core and a combination of wenge/walnut vertical stacked core and I can tell you the wenge/walnut was the best performer I have ever shot next to the wenge vertical stacked. Not going to find that though as Bill Howland was the only person I know of that made his own core woods vertically stacked. Just my opinion.

[Orion]

I dunno.  I've owned a few yew core bows, and they shot just fine.  I agree that most of a bow's performance is a result of design and glass or carbon, but core material also plays a role.

Just isn't that much difference among core materials though. Bamboo is my  favorite, followed by juniper and yew.  In the hardwoods, I like elm and maple.  Bamboo, juniper and yew are all generally lighter than the hardwoods.  Lighter limb increases performance.  Perhaps not as much so most folks would notice.

[McDave]

Danny, what does "vertically stacked" mean?  (Other than possibly a description of some actress)?

[MnFn]

Talk to Allen Boice at Liberty bows. He uses yew often I think.

[1/4 away]

So does Leon Stewart. My 3 piece Slammer has yew core and it's extremely smooth drawing and has good cast and speed.

[J. Holden]

Whatcha' buyin'?  Huh, huh????

-Jeremy

[longbow fanatic 1]

Originally posted by J. Holden:
Whatcha' buyin'?  Huh, huh????

-Jeremy

Gett'in twitchy, Jeremy.I've got a short list of some big hitters I'd like to own.    

[ChuckC]

My new Jet is a yew core bow.  I'm not good enough to compare it to bamboo and others except to say it seems to send the arrow just as fast, it is quiet, and with green back glass it is gorgeous.

[monterey]

The core is much different than laminations, laminations are there for looks only the core wood is the working part of the limb.

How would you describe the distinction(s) between cores and laminations?

[ChuckC]

I am guessing Danny is speaking of the first layer back and belly, the pretty ones (if clear glass is used), as the laminations.  The rest is the core.

Also, vertcally stacked might refer to cut and glued strips, as you would get using flooring or by using strips cut from bamboo boards.  You can buy it or make it yourself.

[ChuckC]

At Kalamazoo i watched a talk by Jaap Koppedrayer (?) about processing bamboo.  Very interesting.  One of the ways he makes "laminations is by cutting three sided strips, triangles, and gluing them into laminations.  Anybody ever use sonething like that ?

[Sam McMichael]

I have a Northern Mist Shelton with yew lams. I think Steve uses Pacific Yew. It is the smoothest of my Hill style bows, and I have 5 HHA bows and another Shelton with bamboo core. I really like it a lot.

[Trenton G.]

I have an Abbott with yew laminations. The bow is super smooth and the draw feels a lot lighter than it really is. Haven't really gotten to much of a chance to compare it to others though, so I don't know what the differences are.

[LBR]

Depends.  I have a bow with all yew lams, and have shot others of the same model with other woods.  The yew is noticeably smoother, lighter, less shock.

If the bowyer recommends it, then most likely he/she has experience with it and knows how to exploit the benefits.  If they don't, I'd stay away.  The properties of yew appear to be very similar to bamboo, with yew being more durable.

[Big Ed]

Yew is my preferred longbow core and limb material. Just seems smoother to me.

I have always had a couple of yew bows, when yew is right yew is really right.  I gave one to a friend that fit him and not me, to use until he got his own bow.  Three years later he bought his own bow, the one I borrowed to him. He told me that was the only way he could keep me from taking it away from him and shooting it, he was serious he won't let me shoot it anymore.

[Kudu Kid]

I've got two identical bow, except for the core material.  One is yew, the other bamboo.  I cannot tell a difference in shooting.  The exposed yew laminations along the limb edges maybe slightly softer, the bow seems to have a few more dings.