Twin Oaks Fever is my first self-bow and the result of a fever caught last spring at my first Twin Oaks Classic. I owe both the bow making opportunity and a fine result to friends, Mark (Pappy) and Greg (GregB).
The bow was made from some snaky Twin Oaks Osage cut two years ago and diamond-back skins from Gary Davis. The tip to tip length is 66” and it has a 50 lb pull at 28” draw. The mid-limb width is 1-5/8” that tapers to ˝” width at the string notch. The tips are layered Zebrawood from Greg and cow horn from Pappy with a couple of Zebrawood beads at the grip. The grip is piece of packaged Tandy Industries hide, that was applied and laced wet. The tips and skins were glued with waterproof Franklin International Tightbond III. It was finished with ten coats of hand rubbed Birchwood Casey Tru-oil and shoots quite and sweet.
It started with Greg’s selection of two Twin Oak Osage staves. One very snaky and one less snaky. This bow came from the less snaky stave. The larger snaky stave was the beginning of a plan for Greg, Pappy, and Anthony (BigA), to make three matching bows. Although the less snaky stave was chosen as more forgiving for a first bow, removal of the bark and sapwood revealed a plague of worm holes. Two were deep, persistent, and unavoidable on opposite limbs on each side of the centerline. The grain was chased what seemed countless times before reaching worm free wood. Not only was it frustrating, the stave was nearly consumed with the wood removal to the point where it was beginning to risk the development of a bow from the stave. It gave me considerable “chasing the grain” experience and echoed Greg’s advice, “remove everything that does not look like a bow.” Greg’s son, Jamison, drew the nice “Twin Oaks” trees below the grip.
Thanks to all for your help and encouragement and the introduction to primitive archery
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