stuckinthemud

Ash and hazel make excellent bows. I think hazel is better, and it is much nicer to work with, but ash is more recognised as it's a 'proper' timber, so gets a better price. Elm, especially Wych elm (Wych translates as bendy) makes an outstanding bow and in the early medieval, the Welsh used Wych elm in preference to yew.

Give me a shout if you need any help on getting started

Cleanest length, stem not branch, if you only want to make one or two, but thick straight branches yield compression wood, and that makes very interesting bows. I would try to stockpile it as seasoned long bow staves are rare and valuable Derek Hutchinson is one of the best in the business and has a you tube Channel and blog. Also known as del the Cat and Bowyer's Diary. The boys and girls of the primitive archer forum enjoy walking novices through their apprenticeships in the dark and addictive world of bow building, it's how I started out and I continue to go to for help/advice/encouragement

Thanks all, that’s been really helpful.

I have a good quality and very sharp pruning saw, not quite a Silky but very nearly. I’ll be looking at 4 or 5” diameter cuts

Sorry but I am not able to supply a photo as next time I visit will be to cut.

I am probably getting permission to cut a limb or two and possibly a stem from a yew tree. How close to the stem should I cut off the branches? Flush to the stem? Will cutting a stem damage the tree? I know nipping out the growing stem in some trees will damage growth but is it the same for yew?

Been back. Some photos of the bench. Just love the bat though

Anyone know who did the carvings in Bryn Bach Park? These are just some of them, there’s a lovely owl and fox bench as well but I didn’t manage to get a photo (yet)

I've made a couple, mostly been on crossbows over the past few years, made a lovely longbow from hazel, no photo though. This is a short bow experiment in scotch broom I haven't finished tinkering with yet.

If you go with a kit, splash a little extra cash on a really good quality shooting glove or finger tab.

Go to your nearest archery club. You'll get to try lots of different types of bow. Don't buy anything until you've found out what style of archery (field/target/3-D) and types of bow you like (there are at least 11 main types of bow). Archery can be dirt cheap or mega expensive. I think I've spent about £50 over the last 6 years, but I make all my own kit (its not cos I'm tight, no really, its not...). You can spend £50 on an arrow if you're so inclined. Check Archery GB, English Field Archery Association and National Field Archery Society for clubs nearby.

Next time I'm up north I'll be round

Nice. You need a board with few knots and no large knots, sawn in such a way you can get an inch of heartwood with grain in the same plane as the waney edge. The waney edge needs to be free from ripples , try to work out how much twist there was in the tree. There's normally twist but you can unwind that with heat. There's a narrow board in the center that looks quarter sawn you might get a pair of bows out of.

Finding yew is really difficult. I found the couple of bits I have by driving round then knocking on doors. Literally. I found some in a copse that no-one claimed to own, I did a proper search and it does seem to be an abandoned scrap of land. The other time, I was coming home from holiday and saw a yew copse. I emailed the owner and got permission, but from a dozen trees, only one stem was any good. If you see a good piece, knock the door, be polite, chatty and be willing to show photos of what you do. 9 times out if 10 you'll get permission to cut, even if the door belongs to the church vicar. Councils sometimes thin yews, contact the parks team arboricultural officer to see if anything is scheduled.