If you were having a new longbow (or recurve for that matter-) built, between Bamboo or Yew, which would be your go to wood - and why?

Lamination---Boo. lighter and works very well. Self bow Yew,nothing better for a good old longbow. >>>>-----> Ken

If it's a recurve it makes no difference at all. If it's a thick limbed longbow then I like Yew.

I like bamboo. Because its a grass with fibers it absorbs vibrations better than yew, and makes a longbow or recurve a little less loud and reduces hand shock, in my opinion.

I like Larry's opinion. >>>>-----> Ken

My longbow is yew and my limbs for my t/d are carbon with bamboo core. I love both of them and see no difference in performance but the yew is prettier.

My longbow is yew and my limbs for my t/d are carbon with bamboo core. I love both of them and see no difference in performance but the yew is prettier.

I've always felt that bamboo was better for an ASL type longbow, but I picked up a Jet longbow with all yew laminations a while back that shoots every bit as good as my bamboo longbows. I don't have a chrono, but pound for pound, this one seems faster. That may not always be the case, of course.

Regardless, in an ASL, I don't think you can go wrong with either.

The glass does almost all the work. If you had two identical bows, except the cores, I doubt you could tell which one was yew and which was boo.

Yew. It's infinitely nicer to look at. Life's too short to shoot a blech-bow.

It could be made with bamboo core lams and yew lams or veneers under the clear glass. But yew is actually a good limb wood too, so all yew lams do just fine.

I actually prefer yew selfbows over ANYthing with glass on it.

Zebrawood, birdseye maple, elm and walnut all make excellent and attractive cores for glassed bows. Bamboo backed yew like a Howard Hill Halfbreed makes a fine weapon. All my favorite bows have bamboo cores its just a great consistent material.

My all time favorite "deep cored" longbow was a 68" Redman (all Yew) that Craig made for me. I let Dick Wightman talk it out of it.

I have bows with bamboo, maple, and yew cores. Frankly, I can't tell the difference in smoothness of draw or performance between them. I think the design of the bow is a bigger factor.

For a laminate under clear fiberglass, yew is the pretty stuff. I took some pictures just for you. Here is a picture of a bamboo, glass, and bubinga Kanati next to a yew and clear glass Fox Triple Crown. The Kanati uses a manufactured bamboo material so the nodes are distributed, actually a flooring material. Both limbs have a finish applied to them.

Here are the same two bows. I'm a lucky archer, I just wish that I could hit better and do justice to the Triple Crown.

Goose that Triple Crown looks familiar, did I sell that one to you? Can't remember.

If yew and bamboo are your only considerations I think Yew under clear glass looks classy but I'd rather have it used as a veneer with a bamboo core.

Otherwise, at least for me, I choose maple as my favorite core wood for recurves and longbows.

Yew especially under glass is beautiful. I had a bow with smoked bamboo limbs was the most beautiful bow I ever owned. “ I wish I had never sold It..”

I don't know why I would have just two choices though. ;)).. English Yew, as used in the old bows, is not the same as Pacific Yew, or so I've been told. Eastern Red Cedar is also beautiful, but frankly I would take bamboo out of the two you mentioned. I'm not into pretty versus function. One of the nicest shooting bows I had was a Big 5 with bamboo lams. Don't think it matters in recurve bows.

love the feel of draw with boo.

If you take a dozen bows, with a dozen different core materials, paint them all the same color and let 100 archers shoot each one, 99 will never be able to tell the difference in any of them.

Could be, but is that speaking more about the bows, or the archers? Most folks can't tell if a bow's limbs are balanced by drawing them either.

My very favorite? Foam/Carbon! ;^)

The smoothest draw bow I own is a HH Big 5 with bamboo lams.

Never used Yew, but boo works well, and so does the standard of the industry for years which is rock Maple. Amber boo under clear glass makes a pretty looking bow.

Yew over boo. Really like osage for lams also. Either also works in combo with boo

Under clear class, YEW, one of my Wes Wallace recurves has yew under clear and it's beautiful. If the bow will have colored glass, then toss a coin - I doubt you could measure the performance difference between yew and bamboo.

Actually, some of my favorite non-glass bows have been bamboo backed yew d/r longbows and deflex/semi-recurves, as both solid yew cores and trilams. Light, lively, great cast, and as sweet to shoot as to look at. I'm due to make another soon.

I recently acquired a Pristine Robertson Purist Longbow. 5 Lams of bamboo core, crowned in a D profile from back to belly, with bocote backs, Very smooth combination. Very little bump at the shot with a proper arrow, if any. I have always ordered customs with bamboo cores if possible, due to smoothness, and cast. Larry Hatfield stated it well. Bamboo is a "fibrous grass lending to smoothness, absorbing vibration." Had another Hybrid longbow with yew/bamboo cores under clear glass, and could never get it quiet.

When yew is right, yew is really right. I think the best shooting longbow that ever, is my yew/bamboo of my own tiller. My son thinks that the yew longbow of my own tiller is best shooting longbow ever. Some misinformed people think that ash maybe the best, others elm, i think that there is more to it than simply what the core is made from.

In American longbows risers tend to be short and limbs long. It makes sense that a lighter core material should be best. Bamboo and yew are very light. I have used both and they seem equal in my 70" longbows. My last two have been yew and I really liked their performance but that might have been influenced by their beauty. I better get another bamboo one to check further.

In recurves it doesn't seem to matter. I have owned many 70" target recurves with maple cores and maple is a heavy wood. I prefer maple to carbon lams; it feels sweeter shooting in my hands. - lbg

Looks-yew. For shooting-bamboo.

Have bows made from boo and yew, ...really can’t tell the difference.

For a Long Bow, I prefer Bamboo back - Bamboo core - Yew on the Belly. Pretty combination. Bob

Neither. Laminations are for looks. Core wood/material is what makes the limb

The core wood on a glass laminated bow is typically made of laminations. They can serve the purpose of both looks, and performance.

Limb venerrs are dor looks.

Maple is heavier than bamboo, yew, walnut, elm and most common limb materials except hickory and osage. - lbg

Sassafras and mulberry are also light and better looking than maple or bamboo in a glass bow.

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