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Let’s build something crazy! Ash Wing Bow (EXPLODED)
RyanY:
Driving back from the classic, sleep deprived and hypnotized by the road, I was contemplating future bows to be made. Thinking to myself, what would be a more interesting shape for a paddle bow, I see a raptor fly over head. I get a crazy idea, "what if I made a bow limb in the shape of a wing?" Could it work? Thinking to my limited bow wood supply I recalled a piece of ash I had not used for backing strips due to the curving of the grain that could be a perfect fit. Over the last few days I got started on what will hopefully become a bow with limbs shaped like wings!
Please let me know if you think it'll work, won't work, how poorly it'll perform, what problems I'll face, and if you think I'm downright crazy. ;D
I started by planing the ash to make sure the grain was straight and luckily it was. I was also surprised to see some beautiful fine figure which will hopefully not cause any issues. I then drew out the shape on paper that I taped to the board. I drew out the handle and centerline of the limb and approximated the shape of a wing. Osprey seem to have some cool looking wings and a google search resulted in lots of inspiration. I started out with a bow 66" ntn but felt the proportions of the limb were a bit too stretched out.
RyanY:
Decided to shorten it to 62" ntn. The widest portions of the limb are around 3" wide but with the "feathers" carved in it'll be a bit narrower. I am considering the working portions of the limb to be at the narrowest spots. The handle is 4" long with 3" "fades" that will widen to the wider portion of the limb. I cut out the template and draw the profile onto the board.
RyanY:
Cut it out on the bandsaw. No going back now! :o Got a bit worried because this ash felt a bit light for some reason. Did I mention this is my first time working ash? After looking through some maple boards at the big box store for a different project the ash felt a bit heavier. This board was acquired from a saw mill, rough sawn, so it is a bit over 1" thick which is great.
I use a spoke shave for bring the profile to the line.
RyanY:
With the spokeshave I use it at an angle to get to the line on the face of the board. I then flatten it out a bit on that side and then do the same to the other side creating a crown/ridge that can be removed more easily than taking full passes on the flat edge. For the spots I can't reach with the spokeshave I use my very handy drum sander.
RyanY:
I draw some lines for thickness along the edge. Starting about 1/2" at the end of the fade tapering to 7/16" around mid limb till 3/4 of the way from the fade and then back to 1/2" at the tip. I knew from other bows that this would be a good starting thickness. I increased the thickness toward the tip as I will be adding some reflex at the tips for the wing effect.
I cut the limb thickness on the band saw making sure to angle the board so that the blade doesn't wander into the belly. Initial floor tiller right off the band saw looks okay. Bending a bit more in the inner limb than I like to start.
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