How rare is yew?

[gwynn]

Yew is not at all uncommon in this country - however 'good' yew is.
I have two self (English) yew bows and they were great to shoot and as they get older they turn a beautiful golden colour but they are both showpieces now. They have lots of little knots (pins?) that can lead to fractures. Yew grown abroad in warmer, more stable, climes have better growth rings and are much better, this was known back in Ascham's day when English yew was much cheaper than the superior Spanish or Venetian yew, hence the law that made the importer add so many yew staves to whatever he was bringing into the country.
However, I have my eye on a great big yew tree, (and an axe in my hand) in a location known to me, the branches not at all wind twisted and just waiting for a bowyer and I wouldn't say no to another English yew bow.........

[gino]

I've heard about that stave tax, brilliant idea! we should continue it to this day methinks.

[cliveanne]

Originally Posted by gino

Now I'm jealous, a yew tree and an owl!

Grow your own bow & farm your own flights...nice one

[Flying Whale]

Originally Posted by cliveanne

Grow your own bow & farm your own flights...nice one

Now you've got me wondering what the properties of owl feathers are like for fletching...?

Given the fact that they are designed to make the owl almost silent in flight, could produce a very quiet arrow!

[cliveanne]

True, quiet arrows, but as I undersand it, the all need to be from the same wing (Maybe not the same bird though)

[grantwomack]

[offtopic]Owls are quiet for a few reasons, but not a great deal to do with their feathers. Try this link to explain part of it. The trailing feathers of the wing are tattered to reduce noise as they fly at the speed they do. Unfortunately, this also creates a fair bit of drag, which would most likely make owl wing feathers unsuitable as fletchings.[/offtopic]

Back on topic, I was under the impression that good quality yew comes from young trees, not old ones. The older a yew tree gets, the more twisted the wood becomes. Also, once yew gets to a certain age, it simply stops growing. The heartwood can die and be completely removed by fungus or boring insects. So the older a tree is (from a point) the less desirable it becomes.

That said, yew has to be old enough to be large enough to make into a bow, and I would imagine this will take at least 40-50 years worth of growth. And the calmer the weather, the straighter the tree will grow. Unfortunately, most trees that get enough sunlight to grow will be exposed to a lot of wind as well!

[Yew Selfbow]

We have Barn Owls living in our stables, They occasionally drop feathers that go onto my flight arrows... they are absolutly stunning...

[Flying Whale]

Originally Posted by Yew Selfbow

We have Barn Owls living in our stables, They occasionally drop feathers that go onto my flight arrows... they are absolutly stunning...

Lucky people!

[provins]

I wonder if duck feathers would be good for shooting in the rain.

[alanesq]

I was considering having a Yew warbow made but apart from the price, I was wondering about the ethical side of this?

i.e. Is yew for bows produced from sustainable sources etc. or are we wiping out all the old yew trees in other countries with our demand for it ?