Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Stickhead on December 14, 2017, 01:20:23 pm

Title: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: Stickhead on December 14, 2017, 01:20:23 pm
Hi, all,

I decided to push the limits on this one and see how much weight I could get out of this 15 year old osage stave without it breaking or taking a lot of set.  It ended up puling a full 75# at 25", which is about maxing out my arm (I actually draw slightly under 25".).  In fact, I'll have to do some upper body work to be comfortable shooting more than a few arrows out of this one.  Maybe I'll use it as a pig-sticker - those critters can be tough to penetrate sometimes.

I finished this one up in October, in between Oktoberfest celebrations.  Since then, I revisited the tiller and refinished it, so I think it's done this time.  Around here, there was an Oktoberfest every weekend all month, and local breweries were all coming up with their own festbiers (Oktoberfest beers).  I wanted to do some sort of dye job, while still using the golden color of the osage.  So after getting inspired over a festbier, I got into the spirit and did a tricolor scheme to match the colors of the German flag.  Hence the bow's name, "Festbow."

It's 59" ntn, tapering evenly from 1-1/2" to 3/8".  After shooting it in, it held a bit of the recurve I had added to the tips, ending up with a slight R-D gull wing profile, with the tips just about even with the back of the handle.  I put on deer antler tips at a pretty aggressive angle, but it held together anyway.  I found some red leather lace in my scraps drawer that matched the color, so I did a simple handle wrap with it.  After some experimenting, I rubbed some string-saver waxy stuff into the wrap to seal it a bit and give it a better feel and appearance.  Shoots well, and definitely with authority.

Thanks for any critique or advice.

...Tom
 
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: Stickhead on December 14, 2017, 01:23:02 pm
More pics...
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: Stick Bender on December 14, 2017, 01:32:40 pm
Thats a beast of a bow at that weight very nice festive look bet it shoots with great cast !
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: DC on December 14, 2017, 01:36:23 pm
I like it! Still haven't figured out how you guys pull these heavy things though.
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: Mo_coon-catcher on December 14, 2017, 01:56:47 pm
Looks awesome! And I love the weight you got out of it. Congrats!

Kyle
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: bradsmith2010 on December 14, 2017, 02:08:32 pm
looks great congrats,,, (SH)
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: Pat B on December 14, 2017, 02:45:23 pm
Looks good but hurts to think about the weight.  :OK
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: George Tsoukalas on December 14, 2017, 03:07:32 pm
Mighty fine. My 75 lbs days are over before they started. :) Jawge
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: joachimM on December 14, 2017, 03:47:54 pm
Not so sure about the color  ;), but that's a mighty fine bow. The tips are coming out nicely!
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: mullet on December 14, 2017, 04:02:57 pm
Very sweet! I love the dye job and like Jawge, my heavy weight days are over, too.
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: Marc St Louis on December 14, 2017, 04:06:07 pm
Really nice Tom.  Very well tillered and 75# @ 25" should make it around 85# @ 28".  Like some of the others, my days of pulling those weights are over.
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: Nidhoggr on December 14, 2017, 05:04:06 pm
My critique:  Worst bow ever.  I'll happily take it off your hands to spare you the shame of owning it.  You pay shipping of course.  >:D

In seriousness that bow is absolutely gorgeous and I want it lol.   That is just beautiful and I love that it's a high draw weight at a small draw length.  I too have a short draw length.  The way the wood fades is insanely nice.
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: selfbow joe on December 14, 2017, 06:29:10 pm
Good looking bow.like the color of the bow.
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: jeffp51 on December 14, 2017, 07:10:25 pm
Ach du Liebe Stockkopf!  Das ist aber ein schöner Bogen--I wish I had thought of those colors.  That's a Bogen des Jahres  for us who are German at heart.  Gut gemacht, Junge!

To all you native Germans out there, sorry for the gemischte Sprachen.  I hope it doesn't hurt zu viel.
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: Badger on December 14, 2017, 07:18:01 pm
   Good job on that bow, I am struggling right now to see if I can build up to the new 70# flight shooting class. So far I am 10# low but have several months to go.
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: loefflerchuck on December 14, 2017, 07:34:06 pm
Beauty. I like the tips.
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: upstatenybowyer on December 14, 2017, 08:07:08 pm
That tiller looks spot on and I really dig the sunburst.  :OK
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: BowEd on December 14, 2017, 09:01:54 pm
Very nice all around work on that bow.
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: leonwood on December 15, 2017, 06:35:02 am
Wow that is a good one! I like the profile, looks both smooth and deadly! Bet that will spit them out with quite some punch!
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: Pappy on December 15, 2017, 06:35:22 am
Beautiful bow, very nice tiller, 75LBs WOW, Wished I could pull that but them days are far behind be. :)
 Pappy
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: Stickhead on December 15, 2017, 06:49:05 am
Thanks for all the kind words, guys!

This one's definitely on the heavy side, but with my stubby arms, I have good reason to strive towards heavier bows.  I figure you gorillas out there drawing 28" or more have about a 22% mechanical advantage over me.  That is, a 55# @ 28" stores around as much energy as a 67# @ 24".  So for me to have a decent casting bow, I gotta do more push-ups and up the weight.
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: Morgan on December 15, 2017, 08:00:43 am
That is very nice. I really like the tips. I have a bucket of antlers that I want to use for tips but can’t work up the nerve to try it
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: Nidhoggr on December 15, 2017, 09:17:13 am
Thanks for all the kind words, guys!

This one's definitely on the heavy side, but with my stubby arms, I have good reason to strive towards heavier bows.  I figure you gorillas out there drawing 28" or more have about a 22% mechanical advantage over me.  That is, a 55# @ 28" stores around as much energy as a 67# @ 24".  So for me to have a decent casting bow, I gotta do more push-ups and up the weight.

I feel your pain there.  I have a 23ish" draw length lol.  About to pursue a 65#@28" 62" recurve so I can get it to shoot 53#@23".
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: Tamish on December 15, 2017, 01:22:18 pm
A nice one :OK
I love the tips
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: simson on December 17, 2017, 02:08:18 am
I was watching the pics first, the wife looked over my shoulder: Wow look someone made the German flag ...

.... Then I read your text. Didn't know you have imported the Oktoberfest,  :laugh:

Nice bow btw. with adecent weight.
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: ohma2 on December 17, 2017, 11:07:15 am
Nice work on that and you seem to handle the weight well judging from the full draw,i mean you dont appear to be grimacing or messing your pants.
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: Parnell on December 17, 2017, 05:16:06 pm
Mighty fine looking bow Stickhead!  Like your color combo.
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: Philipp A on December 23, 2017, 08:32:33 pm
Sieht aber gut aus! Awesome looking bow now you only need to get one of these in front of it  (-_) :)
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: Badger on December 23, 2017, 08:41:12 pm
   These shorter drawing bows are what got me interested in the no set tillering method. I couldn't help but notice how snappy they are in spite of the short draw. The answer was real simple, the wood had not been overstressed.
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: Stickhead on December 24, 2017, 12:48:18 pm
Thanks, guys!

And dankeschön, Simson & Phillipp!

Steve - yeah, I agree about the stress/set issue for shorter draws.  I figure the draw length to bow length ratio is the determining factor on stressing a bow, all other things being equal.

...Tom
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: ntvbowyer1969 on December 25, 2017, 12:27:09 am
Great looking bow! i love all the colors and how they go together. That is one heavy bow. I bet she is a screamer!!!
Title: Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
Post by: vinemaplebows on December 25, 2017, 11:10:57 pm
Well done!