[Tex-Shooter]

Well I roughed out my Yew wood in slingshots and found out that I am allergic to the Yew dust! I will wait a couple of days and sand them and then wait a couple of more days and route them. I will then wait a few more days and finish them. – Tex

 

[NaturalFork]

Yew better take it easy.

 

[USASlingshot]

not good. they look like i nice slingshot, great job

 

[Martin]

They will look great when they are finished and polished up.
Martin

 

[A+ Slingshots]

Those look like they are going to be great!!!!

 

[Frodo]

Very good looking wood and good looking pattern! I can imagen how great they will look in 3x couple of days!

Friedrich

 

[fish]

get a mask on we cant wait!

 

[ZDP-189]

Oh dear. I hope you're better soon.

 

[Tex-Shooter]

I was using a mask and I still had trouble. I used the mask and a little wind to help finished the cutting, routing and sanding of the slingshots today. I already have two coats of lacquer on them and will finish sanding them a little more tomorrow and put two more coats of lacquer on them. I did not sand these as much as I normally do because of my extreme allergy to the Yew dust. I made these a little shorter than I usually make, just to see if I liked them that way. As far as the wood is concerned, it is not very hard and tries to chip when routing. Because of the cost of it here in the states and also it’s not all that strong, I would not recommend it for slingshots. Also if I were making a bow I personally would use Osage orange instead of Yew. I will post a picture of them when they are finished. I have heard so much about Yew, I just had to try some. My favorite wood for slingshots is Hard Rock Maple. -- Tex

 

[Dayhiker]

Tex, is that Pacific or English yew?

 

[Tex-Shooter]

I don't know, I bought it from a bow maker. -- Tex

 

[Martin]

It will probably be pacific, English Yew is not often used any more. Its very hard to find suitable timber, most of the stuff we have growing over here is the wrong species with almost no straight growth, its OK for carving or turning. When a stave does come up it goes for silly money, a lot of the bowyers over here use timber imported from Italy.

Martin

 

[Tex-Shooter]

I would say that you are probably right since it is a USA bow maker. I know that the stuff is expensive. They are going to be pretty though. -- Tex

 

[Martin]

Apart from the toxic dust its a nice wood to work with, and it looks beautiful whatever finish you choose.
Martin.

 

[Performance Catapults]

Looking forward to seeing those Bill. It's always great to see your work. Cocobolo does me the same way. I start sneezing frantically when I route and sand it.

 

[Tex-Shooter]

Well here is the finished forks. I have used this basic pattern since 2001 with slight variations and it is still my favorite. In the picture it looks like there are some voids that need filling, but there isn’t. The wood is smooth, but it did not finish out by the knot, because of the grain in that area. In person it is hardly noticeable. The drill plugs have no finish on them. The 1/2 inch steel balls are what I shoot most of the time. I used Cristal Clear on these because it soaks in about 1/64 of an inch deep and dries hard giving the extreme fiber more strength on this softer wood. That makes the forks somewhat stronger. I also pot my logo in a different place this time and that helps me remember when I make a fork. – Tex

 

[A+ Slingshots]

Nice Tex.... It has an interesting look.

 

[USASlingshot]

they look completly different than when you started, did you stain them?

 

[Tex-Shooter]

No, it just 4 coats of lacquer, lightly sanded between the third and forth coats and then hand rubbed. -- Tex