In my last post, Munzly has raised an interesting query which I hope to answer.
The reason for the yew tree producing so few bows is because each bow requires a layer of heartwood. When you take a cross-section of a yew tree branch there is sapwood, which is elastic and good in tension and heartwood, which is great for compression, this is what gives the bow its strength.
Bow makers would cut the yew wood so the sapwood formed the back of the bow (outside) and the heartwood formed the belly (inside). So when the bow was pulled the heartwood would resist compression and the sapwood would help the bow spring back quickly from being bent.
The reason why Britain had the longbow during the medieval period (and not a short bow) is that bowmakers only had access to one type of material that was the best at stretching - yew wood.
In the East they used sinew (material made from animal bone) which allowed them to make short bows backed with thin sections of wood or bone wth sinew pasted onto it. By making the longbow they could store more energy than a short one without it snapping.
Believe me no-one wants to be shooting a bow to have it break and splinter on them!!
This is a picture of the ancient yew at Much Marcle, Herefordshire.
