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selfbow questions

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medicinewheel:
hi everybody!  -  i started an ash selfbow from a stave i had for more than a year; the good thing is it's from a big tree and the back will be flat, the bad thing is it has 12-14 rings per inch. besides that, the wood seems perfect. i worked down one ring since i couldn't take off the bark without ring violation.

does that sound good enough for a bow 68" ntn with a 29" pull?

i plan on using try heat for reflexing it and steam for light recurves; how much reflex should i work into it??

maybe i violated the ring at one little spot, i'll check by daylight tomorrow; should i sinew that spot or is it good enough to use a rawhide backing, which i wanted to do anyway???

any help is welcome!

frank



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Pat B:
Frank, With a raw hide backing you shouldn't have to worry about a slight violation of the grain. I haven't worked much with ash with the proper width and length(68" should be fine) thinner rings should be OK. Keep the belly flat. 2" to 3" of reflex should be enough for a flat or slightly reflexed finished bow. With the recurved tips you don't want to stress the belly too much with too much reflex.
Maybe someone that knows something about ash will chine in. ;D     Pat

Justin Snyder:

--- Quote from: medicinewheel on May 24, 2007, 04:53:05 pm ---
 should i sinew that spot or is it good enough to use a rawhide backing, which i wanted to do anyway???

frank



--- End quote ---
I hope you didn't mean sinew in just that spot.  either sinew the entire thing or none.  It would create a stiff spot that would be a tillering nightmare. I don't think that is what you meant, but if I don't make sure I will feel real bad if that is what you meant and I didn't say something.  Justin

medicinewheel:

thanks pat! - that sounds pretty much how i imagined i could go...

thanks justin! - yes i DID think of just that one spot, but it's totally logical what you are saying....it's simply the best place to collect important info fast!!!

frank

SimonUK:
Or you could take off another ring, it's not too difficult with ash. It wasn't easy to see which was the violation in the photo. If you've cut into the white layer slightly, I wouldn't worry - the white layers are the tough ones.

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