Main Discussion Area > HowTo's and Build-a-longs
Building the Vine Maple Bow - Finished
Gordon:
Service berry would fall between Osage and vine maple. Cascara would be similar to yew.
Gordon:
One of the risks of working with vine maple is that it will pull into even more reflex as you remove wood. Since working down the belly the stave has taken on an additional 2" or so of reflex. With all that reflex this bow is going to be a challenge to bring to brace.
I continue removing wood from the belly using the micro-plane all the while making sure that I maintain a thickness taper for each of the limbs. After 5-6 wood removal sessions the limbs begin to bend.
Gordon:
The handle is quite a bit off center and normally I wait until I get the bow braced before I start making alignment adjustments. But leaving the handle off center will make tillering this high reflex bow even more difficult. So I'm going to correct the alignment now.
I begin by making a mark down the center of the handle. I then fasten a chalk line to the center of the tip and make a straight line through the center of the handle. I repeat the process for the other limb. These lines will be my reference marks when I bend the handle to align the tips.
I make a mark on the side of the handle I need to apply pressure to and then I steam the handle for about 45 minutes.
Gordon:
After streaming I quickly move the bow to my handle press and begin bending the handle using a pipe clamp. This will cause the tips to move in the opposite direction.
Using a straight edge as a reference I keep bending the handle until the chalk lines align with each other. Then I bend the handle a little more because the handle will come back a bit when it is removed from the press.
I leave the bow in the press for about 24 hours to make sure the bend will stay.
Next up - getting the bow to brace.
missilemaster:
Great build so far Gordon. I completely agree with what you said about thickness taper. My thumb and forefinger are my most used tools!
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