How are wooden bows so flexible without breaking while the same type of wood used to make a table (for example) would break if you flexed it that far?

Question

How are wooden bows so flexible without breaking while the same type of wood used to make a table (for example) would break if you flexed it that far?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

Good bows are made so that they run with the grain of the wood. This gives a lot of flexibility without sacrificing strength, but does waste more wood than cutting planks out if a tree.

Tables are thicker overall, assuming they’re actual wood and not some laminate. They also don’t run with the grain for more cost effectiveness, but you lose flexibility. But who wants a table that bends?

Next is the finish and curing. Tables are dried wood, sometimes they’re treated during the drying. I don’t know what happens to a piece of yew between chopping and shaping, but it’s not going to be the same process.