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Hibernating

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FilipT:
November to March is hibernating time for me not only for bows, but to all things I can make outside. With november it comes ridiculously cold and it lasts through march. Actually its even colder in my "workplace" than the outside. I cannot wait until late February / March to start making swords and bows.

Lucasade:
My wife runs a chocolate shop so November to Christmas is nuts for us, added to five year old son, I'm self employed and an on call firefighter. Not enough hours in the day! I did make a string a week or so ago though and I'm figuring out how to get my hazel warbow attached to the horn Del sent me so I can finish tillering it.

PS Congratulations on the baby Will!

WillS:
Drill a hole in it :)

You can do the whole thing with a good sharp knife if you don't have specific drill bits, from boring the centre out to shaping and polishing.  I was visited by a friend from Finland last year who's a magician when it comes to all things primitive, and he got a beautiful medieval sidenock done using just an old fairly dull knife in crazy quick time. 

Interestingly, if you use a knife to bore out the hole you end with a spot on shape match to the MR bow tips ;)

Failing that, scrap the horn entirely.  Unless it's over about 130lb hazel doesn't need horn (especially not to finish tillering) - just a nice small sidenock cut into the wood.  Make sure you thicken up the string loops and you'll be good to go. 

Lucasade:
It's for temporary sidenocks while tillering - I was using self nocks but the string split one and I don't want to take any more chances.

That's a good tip for using a knife to shape the final nocks though - I don't have a grinder to start remaking flat bits!

WillS:
Self nocks tend to split when the string is too thin.  Remember we're sort of emulating medieval stuff here, so when they use self nocks they're pairing them with slightly thicker linen or hemp strings.  A FF string made to suit the same poundage will be thinner and more aggressive on the wood, so it needs to be served or thickened somehow.

Or you cut 'em wrong and it's all your fault :D

For the drill bit issue - before I got a grinder I used a cheap engineers file to shape mine.  You can pick them up for a couple of quid (you've probably already got one!) and with some elbow grease and patience they do a fine job.

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