Author Topic: Firehawk Duplicate  (Read 8642 times)

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radius

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Firehawk Duplicate
« on: April 18, 2008, 02:30:31 pm »
Having had such great success with my firehawk bow, I decided to make a 2nd one, only stronger.  50# at 28" is my goal.  I glued it all up and roughed out the shape and tillered it down to 50# at 17" (with a tight string) and this happened:



I wasnt' very happy, I can tell you!

So,I loaded that gap with a ton of epoxy and set 'er to cure for a day and a half.

I sided it with tape to act as a bulkhead, since I could reach into the tiniest part of the gap



Next day I saw that alot of the epoxy had run out anyway.  I used a hell of a lot, hoping to force it into the smallest areas.



Today I flowed a little 5 minute stuff into the edges along the tips of the fades.





So today's goal with this bow is to clean the gook off of there, and then narrow the limbs until the bending happens only in the limbs and not the handle.  I know my error:  it was in trying to run a too-thick core of osage across the back of the setback handle.  My successful firehawk bow used two strips in the core...so will all my bows from now on.  Hey, if it works, don't fix it.


radius

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Re: Firehawk Duplicate
« Reply #1 on: April 18, 2008, 08:06:43 pm »
Okay!  Great!  I tillered it down to 60# at 28", and not a peep from the handle area.  I love that G2 epoxy.   Following are a few pictures of the bow at different brace heights.  I found that as the bow got gradually thinner, I could increase the brace height, but that reduced the distance I could draw the thing for a certain weight.  Because I adjusted the brace height several times at around 20 " of draw, it seemed like I was drawing 55 # at 22-24 inches forever!  But I got 'er !

Here it is at just a couple inches...first brace with the new glue on.







Here are the trim pieces:



Right now the first handle overlay piece and the tip overlays are being attached with 5 minute epoxy.  By the time I hit enter, they should be good to go.

radius

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Re: Firehawk Duplicate
« Reply #2 on: April 19, 2008, 02:27:52 pm »
This is my favourite tillering tool.  It has a 6 inch flexible head which follows contours perfectly.  You can take off minimal amounts of wood by selecting low speed, or more on higher speed.  I use 80 grit, so that it's still pretty smooth.  When I reach final tiller, I can immediately step up to hand-sanding with 100 grit, and on up from there.  This thing is awesome:  a rasp and smooth file and scraper all in one. 



With this 2nd firehawk bow, I used a new method of tillering which some people may think is pretty strange:  I removed wood from the back!  My  hickory backing strip was 3/16 thick.  I wanted to keep as much osage as possible on the bow.  Also, i get tired of taking the string off all the time.  So i would check the tiller, decide where wood was to come off, then take it from the back.  Once I reached the good bending shape I wanted, I simply removed wood from the entire back, by marking it with pencil from fades to the inboard side of the recurve, and sanding until the pencil was gone, with the sander on half-speed. 
This meant I never had to take the string off, and could simply lay the belly of the bow on those two 2x4's i have sticking out from my bench top, the string underneath.

Once I reached a brace height where I could sand the belly without removing the string, i did so.  There were a couple small knots in the osage that were causing stiff spots. 

I reached tiller on this thing in a few hours of careful work.  60# at 28".

radius

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Re: Firehawk Duplicate
« Reply #3 on: May 10, 2008, 05:52:34 pm »






Love this bow!

Offline El Destructo

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Re: Firehawk Duplicate
« Reply #4 on: May 10, 2008, 06:08:14 pm »
Hey.....I have never been much for a Laminated Bow at all.....but the More I look at these Bows of Yours....the More I am learning to appreciate them!!! You are ruining Me.....Dude!!!!     8)
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Offline huntertrapper

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Re: Firehawk Duplicate
« Reply #5 on: May 10, 2008, 07:37:24 pm »
looks better good fix ;)
Modern Day Tramp

radius

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Re: Firehawk Duplicate
« Reply #6 on: May 10, 2008, 09:18:13 pm »
gotta love that G2 epoxy!!!!

E.D....glad to have corrupted you, amigo!