The Maker

Christopher Applewhaite, traditional bowyer on Salt Spring Island

Christopher Applewhaite is a traditional bowyer, on Salt Spring Island, building wooden bows entirely with hand tools. His craft has become more than a hobby but is always for enjoyment and not a full time profession.  He is a traditional bow hunter, and every bow that leaves the workshop is a fully functional weapon, built to be drawn, shot and hunted with rather than hung on a wall.

What began as a boyhood interest in bows and archery is now a workshop and a quiet practice that sets me apart from the noise of daily life. I take my time with every stage, from finding the wood through to the last coat of finish.


Christopher Applewhaite, traditional bowyer, at work on Salt Spring Island

Why it matters

Built by a traditional bow hunter and archer

Christopher hunts with the bows he makes. He also shoots for the pleasure of it, and to pass the craft on to others. Whether a bow is carried into the field, drawn at the range, or set on a wall, it is built to be enjoyed. 



The wood

Why Pacific yew?

Pacific yew a slow-growing, dense and elastic in a way almost no other wood is. The sapwood and heart wood act as a natural laminate. Sapwood stong in tension and heartwood strong in compression.  

It is also increasingly scarce. The US Forest Service species record for Taxus brevifolia describes a tree that grows in the understory at a few millimetres a year and was heavily cut in the 1990s for taxol. Yew does not grow in dense stands, and only about one in twenty is suitable for making a bow. Current logging practices do not readily allow yew to regenerate or mature. Most of the wood I work with was salvaged ahead of logging, where it would have been left behind and burned while the more valuable timber was removed.

Plenty of other woods make excellent bows. Ocean spray, plum, locust, maple: each has its own characteristics, and I work them all. But none, in my opinion, matches the beauty and performance of Pacific yew.

Before you ask

Common questions about the bows

How long does a bow take to make?
Days of active work spread over weeks, on top of the years a stave spends seasoning first. 
Are these bows meant to be shot, or hung on a wall?
Ever bow made is fully functional piece meant to be used and enjoyed. 
Can I visit the workshop on Salt Spring Island?
Yes, by arrangement. Most people who end up with a bow have stood in the shop first and drawn a few, which is the only reliable way to find the draw weight that suits you. The bows currently on the rack are all in the shop.