Author Topic: Fixed elm flatbow  (Read 3655 times)

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Offline leonwood

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    • Leonwood Bows
Fixed elm flatbow
« on: January 12, 2019, 05:02:43 am »

This elm was cut in the fall of last winter in a small forest nearby. I roughed it out the same day for quick drying and started working on it a few months later in the summer.
Tillered it to 55@20 with a goal of about 60@28. Usually when I am at this stage I glue on some tip overlays and start narrowing the tips.

The stave had pretty bad prop twist and the limbs come out of the handle uneven so I started correcting it with some heat. Got most of the twist out but made a mistake when tryin to fix the alignment and one tip cracked on the side. Too much sideways clamping pressure in a short area. Threw it in the corner of shame and left it there for a while.

A few months later I stumbled upon this thing when sorting through some staves and decided I should try to save it by adding some leftover bamboo over the crack on the belly. Used an offcut from a bamboo backing to make two strips and glued them on the belly of the tips using the same form I used when flipping the tips with heat. Used titebond 3 for this.
This actually was so much easier then I thought it would be! So I decided to share the "failed" bow here so the new guys can see that some mistakes can be fixed without to much trouble!

Since the stave was cut in winter there still was some leftover cambium on the bow. I actually like the look of that and accentuated it a bit using some water based stain.

// specs:
Wood: elm
Length: 66 ntn
Draw weight: 50@28
Max Width: 1.75 inches
Handle wrap: leather cord and leather strip
Finish: water based stain, spray on poly
String: 8 strand fast flight

// profiles





// braced




// details





// reinforced tip


// fd

Offline Swampman

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Re: Fixed elm flatbow
« Reply #1 on: January 12, 2019, 05:39:20 am »
Wow, another absolutely beautiful bow with perfect tiller.  Great job on the pictures too.  What a great bow. 

Offline BowEd

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Re: Fixed elm flatbow
« Reply #2 on: January 12, 2019, 06:04:04 am »
Good fix Leon.The fix blends in well.Nice work and I like the color of the back and the sleek look on that one.It's funny how a little time goes by and a plan evolves to fix it.
« Last Edit: January 12, 2019, 06:13:43 am by BowEd »
BowEd
You got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.
Ed

Offline hoosierf

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Re: Fixed elm flatbow
« Reply #3 on: January 12, 2019, 07:24:15 am »
I really like that one. She’s a beauty and I love how elm shoots. Masterful.

Offline Sidewinder

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Re: Fixed elm flatbow
« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2019, 07:32:24 am »
Man you really killed that one dude. Excellent job and even better story on your journey to a solution. Well done.   Danny
"You know a tree by the fruit it bears"   God

Offline txdm

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Re: Fixed elm flatbow
« Reply #5 on: January 12, 2019, 09:07:49 am »
Beautiful bow!

Offline M2A

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Re: Fixed elm flatbow
« Reply #6 on: January 12, 2019, 09:22:31 am »
Very nice all around! Elm has caused me problems every attempt so far. Great save, that's a dandy bow.
Mike     

Offline DC

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Re: Fixed elm flatbow
« Reply #7 on: January 12, 2019, 09:44:36 am »
Very nice! Is it a bit hollow limb?

Offline upstatenybowyer

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Re: Fixed elm flatbow
« Reply #8 on: January 12, 2019, 10:00:44 am »
Wow that's beautiful Leon. Nice save!
"Even as the archer loves the arrow that flies, so too he loves the bow that remains constant in his hands."

Nigerian Proverb

Offline PaSteve

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Re: Fixed elm flatbow
« Reply #9 on: January 12, 2019, 04:41:13 pm »
Great job. Great execution on the "save". Blends in perfectly.
"It seems so much more obvious with bows than with other matters, that we are the guardians of the prize we seek." Dean Torges

Offline Badger

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Re: Fixed elm flatbow
« Reply #10 on: January 12, 2019, 05:00:33 pm »
   Good save, that came out great!

Offline Little John

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Re: Fixed elm flatbow
« Reply #11 on: January 12, 2019, 05:37:27 pm »
Very nice bow, nice save and love the handle
May all of your moments afield with bow in hand please and satisfy you.            G. Fred Asbell

Offline backtowood B2W

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Re: Fixed elm flatbow
« Reply #12 on: January 13, 2019, 12:00:44 am »
Very great fix up! Did it stiffen the tips more? How long is the static part of the tips?
Thank you for showing us!
Cheers B2TW

Offline bjrogg

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Re: Fixed elm flatbow
« Reply #13 on: January 13, 2019, 05:31:02 am »
Nice bow Leonwood. That one certainly doesn't belong in the corner of shame. Glad you rescued it.
Bjrogg
A hot cup of coffee and a beautiful sunrise

Offline Bowman

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Re: Fixed elm flatbow
« Reply #14 on: January 13, 2019, 06:10:49 am »
Great bow. :-)
"for veik var kongens bue......."