I've started on a warbow using the Yew harvested in July last year, the ring count is as low as 3 or 4 rings per inch in places. It's often stated that fast grown Yew is "unsuitable"for bows, but I'm of the opinion that there is a huge variation in Yew that can't be directly attributed to where it was grown, altitude it was grown at, ring count, colour appearance of the bark or age of the tree.I've had good Yew and poorer Yew in all shades and from all sorts of places.
This Yew certainly disproves any idea that fast grown lowland Yew is pale with poor heartwood/sapwood definition. I have 3 billets, so I roughed them all down and picked the best two to splice into a warbow, (I don't feel the world is ready for the three limbed warbow, but I expect some wag has made a 3 limbed bow!) I'm aiming for a fairly modest 100# at 31".
You'll see there is a nice waggle in the further limb.
I've also been sorting out my old arrows and making some new ones. The old ones have been mended so many times and I had more with broken off point than whole ones. I've turned all the old ones into a set of slightly shorter arrows and won't bother to repair any further breakages.
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