I found this and a couple others among a bunch of old billets. The stuff was given to my in laws before an old bowyer died years ago. The Osage billets are marked cut in 1956 in Dallas, Texas. This 2”x2”x30” block was among this stuff. Along with two 40” billets that have no knots. Is it yew? Never worked with it before. Whatever it is, it’s gonna be the handle block to the boo backed Osage I’m making out of one of those old billets. By the way, I ripped a little off it with the table saw to see what it looked like.

You gonna try for a bow? Keep us in the loop!

Yes, that's Yew. Nice find.

Yew can work for an added on handle piece on a bamboo backed bow, but thought should be given to the best choice of the piece used. In other words, don't use a piece with knots, cracks, bark inclusions, swirly grain, growth ring runout, and such. Thought and care should also be given to design in that area, how it's tillered, glue, surface prep, gluing techniques, etc..

Yew is a good bow wood, but it's not osage. I'm not saying it won't work, just that they're different enough that I'd be more apt to put an osage handle/fade piece on a yew bow, than a yew handle/fade on an osage bow.

Thanks for the advice Jeff. I may just re saw this knotty piece for veneers to use on one of turkey fan boards. I have more Osage for the handle.

With that said, I do have two more straight grain yew billets. Wondering how they would fare for another boo backed bow? I’ll use super old Osage but not sure how good yew stands the test of time? Where the Osage is still extremely heavy, the yew is really lightweight.

Yew is really pricey

Just my 2 cent and I’m not a selfbow guy,,,but maybe it’s worth swap’n someone that’ll cut it down into lam sheets etc and get the most out of a good piece of rarer yew Just thinking if you were going to use it for handle wood maybe someone will swap ya a prettier piece of leapord wood or bociote etc and use the yew in a working part of a bow and get the most out of it I’m a ASL shooter and enjoy my Yew,Bamboo limb combos,,,and I think you’d do good in a swap I know if you want yew lams the price goes up I bet Bodymanbowyer or Steve Turay would have a good wood choice they’d swap ya for it Just a thought

Yew wood is definitely lighter weight than osage.

Bamboo backed yew bows are lively and awesome! A bamboo backed yew bow can outperform a glass bow of the same specs... outperform a bamboo backed osage bow as well.

If the 40" pieces are good clear, old, well-seasoned yew wood with rings as tight as the piece pictured above, I certainly would NOT sell or trade them away to be put into a glass bow... or anything else for that matter. I would cling to them like a new bear trap. How soon do you think something like that will come along again? Ever? Leave the veneer business to the exotic and figured stuff. Good, clear, thin-ringed yew should be used to make a bow of its own.

If I were you, I'd make at least one bamboo backed yew trilam in a deflex/recurve shape. They're especially nice. I'm set up to cut and grind accurate lams for almost any type of bow, so let me know if I can help.

I have to agree with Jeff. A well built boo backed yew bow will be the nicest bow you ever shoot or handle. Id highly suggest trying one.

Looks like I’m making a boo backed yew next! Those 40” are super clean. Maybe two or three bows out of em.

HH, will post pic of hedge this evening.

The Osage billets. Some marked January 58’. Found another short piece of yew too.

WOW

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Bundles of good mojo there.

I’ve built a couple selfbows out of this stuff and it’s hard as it gets! I picked two that were knot free, straight, but really thin ringed and planed a flat edge then ripped em into slats. Gonna use them for boo backed reflex deflex bow.

Just trying to figure out how to glue the deflex in to a slat that is spliced? I guess I could glue the splice in to a small amount of deflex but then I’d need a straight lined, kinda pointed back on the riser block. Still thinking that one over.

Yeah, you could do it that way. But I've treated my normal Z- splices like a solid piece of wood, and deflexed them while gluing on the bamboo backing... both with a solid one piece core, and with trilams. Then just add the handle piece on and shape like normal.

On splices, I don't get real crazy with the amount of delfex, but it's certainly noticeable and worthwhile. I've only had two that cracked a wee bit along the outside edge when I pushed them too far. Damage was minimal, and both were salvageable.

If you deflex the splice, get them close to the thickness you need... don't make them any thicker than they have to be.

Thanks again Jeff.

Right now the slats are 1/2”. Thinking on keeping the center probably 7/16” and taper to a 1/4”. That’s tapering the side the bamboo is going to glue to.

I just got my Massaranduba/ bamboo glued up and realized I left that thing too thick. Either that or that wood is extremely stiff! Anyway, all wood laminate bows are new to me. I’m sure I’ll destroy some really pretty wood learning! Gonna save the yew till I get it down.

Boo backed yew as a r/d longbow is about as sweet shooting as it gets. Fast as glass and selfbow quiet. I had a boo backed yew Strunk I sold in a fit of mental illness LOL, what a bow.

Ok so figured on starting on the bamboo/yew bow. So I took one of the billets and put in my homemade milling jig for my table saw. Found was I was afraid of. Pin knots! Like I said, haven’t worked with yew. Is this thing doomed under bamboo? I don’t think it’ll work. In fact, I think it’ll fail at the knots. Then again, never used this wood before. So what I want to do......

68” nock to nock reflex/deflex longbow. 50# @ 29”. Will the boo hold it together? I have another billet that may be better if not. Thanks.

Yew tends to have more pin knots and clusters of them than other woods, but I've found it to be surprisingly forgiving of its knots, pins and even bigger. In other words, when other bow woods would often, or surely fail because of them, yew somehow isn't bothered by them. I wouldn't say never, but let's just say it's much more forgiving.

Without going to any extreme measures, try to orient them in the glue-up and bow layout to keep them away from the edge of the limb if possible, and just go for it. That's still a very clean piece of yew. I have some that's a lot more 'messy' than that, and I'll still use it, either as the center lam of a trilam with a clearer piece on the belly, or under glass. Yours is fine, still a great looking piece. Use it. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Jeff, as always, very informative. Thank you so much for that. I’m gonna give her a go! Anyone have any tips with protective equipment for working this stuff. I already ripped it three times on a table saw with the dust just spraying in my face. Then I start reading about it’s toxicity. From what I gather, a regular dust mask may not be enough?

Some folks have issues with it right away, some folks don't. I haven't yet, but began to wear a dust mask anyway because 'allergies' to wood dusts and chemicals can be cumulative... only begin after repeated exposure.

Yew lams also look lovely under clear glass. I have had two of them from Howard Hill Archery, the Redman model. One is my everyday shooter. I get a lot of compliments on its beauty even from non-archers. I credit it with being even a bit sweeter shooting than bamboo in a 70" bow. I favor the low mass of both yew and bamboo in long limbs. - lbg

My Ole Three Toes bow I got from Howard Hill Archery was Bamboo backed Yew, Nice

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here