Timber ID help please

[stuckinthemud]

This one is a bit different. This is a crossbow, its 600 years old and was pulled from a castle moat near Malmo in Sweden. Everything in me is screaming yew. Having been buried in mud, using colour as an ID tool might not be appropriate but the grain, knots and bark all look right for yew to me. I would be very grateful for your thoughts, especially if you think I'm wrong!

 

[stuckinthemud]

I posted the images elsewhere and someone familiar with the bow confirmed it is yew, but thanks for looking

 

[Orraloon]

Yes yew was the bow wood of choice. I have made a couple of longbows from it. The best yew for bows came from the mountains of Spain and Italy. Something about the slower growing being better. I daresay Nordic yew would be similar. I used yew from Oregon USA (yew is as rare as rocking horse poo in Australia) and while the bow I kept shot beautifully for a few years one day at the range it just went bang and became a dozen splinters. You feel a bit of a fool standing there with a string in your hand and 2 small bits of wood hanging in the breeze.
Regards
John

 

[stuckinthemud]

The last yew bow I made went “bang” just as I was nearly done tillering. Heartwood and sapwood separated, bow blew up into 3 pieces. Most likely a fungus moving through one or two rings

 

[Orraloon]

The last yew bow I made went “bang” just as I was nearly done tillering. Heartwood and sapwood separated, bow blew up into 3 pieces. Most likely a fungus moving through one or two rings

Yes making self bows has quite a failure rate. If any woodworkers are looking for a challenge there it is. Take a bit of wood to the brink of destruction without crossing the line. Great feeling when it works out.
Regards
John