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Author Topic: Juniper/elk sinew/bullsnake 40#@27"  (Read 486 times)

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Offline WhistlingBadger

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Juniper/elk sinew/bullsnake 40#@27"
« on: May 09, 2025, 11:01:29 pm »
This was the most complicated bow I’ve ever made, and the most pleasing to my eye. Got lots of good advice from a lot of you guys.  Much appreciated!
Locally harvested Rocky Mountain juniper, backed with elk sinew, covered in a bull snake skin.
All done with hand tools.
Steam bent tips.
Elk hoof tip overlays.
Home-tanned elk leather handle wrap, sewn with sinew.
Decorated with mineral pigment egg tempera.
Finished with lard/beeswax/pine pitch varnish.
Pulls 40 lb at 27”.
I’m not completely thrilled with the handle wrap, and disappointed with the low draw weight (I was going for 55#), but she’s fun to shoot and rather easy on the eyes, if I may say so.






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Thomas
Lander, Wyoming
"The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail.
Travel too fast, and you miss all you are traveling for."
~Louis L'Amour

Offline WhistlingBadger

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Re: Juniper/elk sinew/bullsnake 40#@27"
« Reply #1 on: May 09, 2025, 11:03:30 pm »




Ignore the goofy lookin' guy.  This is about the bow.
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Thomas
Lander, Wyoming
"The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail.
Travel too fast, and you miss all you are traveling for."
~Louis L'Amour

Offline WhistlingBadger

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Re: Juniper/elk sinew/bullsnake 40#@27"
« Reply #2 on: May 09, 2025, 11:24:23 pm »
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Thomas
Lander, Wyoming
"The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail.
Travel too fast, and you miss all you are traveling for."
~Louis L'Amour

Offline mmattockx

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Re: Juniper/elk sinew/bullsnake 40#@27"
« Reply #3 on: May 10, 2025, 12:36:03 pm »
Very nice, tiller looks excellent. Juniper sure is a beautiful wood.


Mark
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Offline WhistlingBadger

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Re: Juniper/elk sinew/bullsnake 40#@27"
« Reply #4 on: May 10, 2025, 01:13:19 pm »
Thanks, Mark!  I'm very happy with it, overall.  Juniper is beautiful stuff for sure.  Already have another piece of heartwood in the pipeline...
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Thomas
Lander, Wyoming
"The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail.
Travel too fast, and you miss all you are traveling for."
~Louis L'Amour

Offline Pat B

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Re: Juniper/elk sinew/bullsnake 40#@27"
« Reply #5 on: Today at 10:27:25 am »
Sweet looking bow. I've found tillering to your ultimate weight then adding the sinew will help achieve the weight you are shooting for. You can always drop the weight easily enough with a little scraping after when sinew dries. How long has the sinew been drying?
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline WhistlingBadger

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Re: Juniper/elk sinew/bullsnake 40#@27"
« Reply #6 on: Today at 11:59:46 am »
Quote from: Pat B on Today at 10:27:25 am
Sweet looking bow. I've found tillering to your ultimate weight then adding the sinew will help achieve the weight you are shooting for. You can always drop the weight easily enough with a little scraping after when sinew dries. How long has the sinew been drying?

Thanks, Pat!

The trouble with tillering first then adding sinew is that juniper doesn't work well by itself--it is really weak in flexion.  So I'd be afraid to bend it much without the sinew.  I think the back would break.  Does that make sense?

I let the sinew dry for three weeks before I started tillering, and it's been a month or so since then.
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Thomas
Lander, Wyoming
"The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail.
Travel too fast, and you miss all you are traveling for."
~Louis L'Amour

Offline Pat B

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Re: Juniper/elk sinew/bullsnake 40#@27"
« Reply #7 on: Today at 06:16:00 pm »
Maybe back it with rawhide while tillering then remove the rawhide and add the sinew. It's only a thought because I've never used western juniper.
As time goes by the sinew will dry more and the weight should go up some.
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Pappy

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Re: Juniper/elk sinew/bullsnake 40#@27"
« Reply #8 on: Today at 06:24:34 pm »
Nice looking bow, should be a sweet shooter. :)
 Pappy
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Offline superdav95

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Re: Juniper/elk sinew/bullsnake 40#@27"
« Reply #9 on: Today at 07:51:41 pm »
Love the look of this bow!  Well done   
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