Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: 4est Trekker on October 25, 2010, 12:20:32 am
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Hey, all. Here's a little bow I've been working on. It's not finished yet, but I'd thought I'd show some pictures and share the story nonetheless. It's for my brother-in-law, who's a big hunter, has a generous heart, has given me lots of osage, and is expecting his first son in February. All that combined, I thought he deserved a custom bow for this year's Iowa deer season. Here's what I've come up with:
It's 60" tip to tip, has 5 1/2" ash siyahs attached with Urac and wrapped with a glue-soaked binding , and pulls 48# at 27". It holds 1" of reflex at the tips when static, and just over a 1/4" when first unstrung. I would have like a little less set, but this bugger has very short working limbs and is unbacked to boot. It's quick, smooth drawing, and quiet.
I surprised him tonight by showing him "my new bow" that I needed to shoot in. I shot it a little bit, then asked if he wanted to give it a go. He put about 50 shots through it, grinning the whole time. I asked how he liked it, to which he grinned some more and said it drew smooth and was quick and light in the hand. I said, "Good, because it's yours." Wish I had a picture of his face, but these will have to do. Again, it's a work in progress...
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4344.jpg)
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4347.jpg)
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4341.jpg)
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4349.jpg)
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4350.jpg)
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4338.jpg)
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nice 4est, what did ya wrap the syahs with, silk string?
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Yes, bubby...thick silk thread, and lots of it. :) I tillered it out and shot it in unwrapped at the siyahs just to be safe, then bound them for the last couple hundred shots I'll put through it before finishing it.
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Always enjoy your work , another nice one.
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This is the first time ive seen an osage self bow with siyahs, I love it! it looks great man good job ;D cant wait to see your finished pics too
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Very cool 4est. Tiller is spot on. Did you use a "V" splice for the syiahs? I'd like to try a similar bow with sinew backing and horn belly.
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wow, that is a neat bow. Jim
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Nice to see someone else making this style. If you go a hair longer and heat treat you may be able to lose a bit of set in a finished bow in this stlye.
I especially like how you can lengthen a perfect shorter stave with this technique. A four foot piece of flawless wood starts looking like a good starrt for a normal length bow rather than a shorty or too long billet.
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Cool bow,very nice job on all of it. :)
Pappy
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Way nice, all the way around
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That bow is really cool looking. I bet your friend was supprised.
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Yeah, that is sooo pretty, I'd have loved to have seen his face too.
It must've taken a while for the grin to subside.
Nice to see something a little different too.
Del
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Thanks for the kind replies, folks. Pat, I didn't use a v-splice. I tried that once on a bow and just couldn't get the hang of it, plus I didn't want to back this one (although I still may still with rawhide before all is said an done.) Plus, by angling the mating surface I got a 4" long glue joint and more mating surface area than I would have with a v-splice due to the thickness of the limbs.
Again, thanks for the kind words. I'm looking forward to finishing this one out. My brother-in-law is a very good shot and an excellent hunter, so hopefully we'll have a nice follow-up picture of the end result (and a few backstraps in my freezer :) ).
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by angling the mating surface I got a 4" long glue joint and more mating surface area than I would have with a v-splice due to the thickness of the limbs.
Yeah, I think a V works best if there is a belly lamination of some sort (horn in a classic composite bow) applied after the splice is done that way you get the best of both types of joint (lap and V)... I did one like that using f/glass (spits on floor) belly and back over a maple core. (My excuse is I had the lams left over from many years ago when I was into making crossbows >:D)
Del
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Very nice bow. The profile is great.
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beautiful 4est. makes me envy your attention to detail every time I see your work. I've done a splinter fix on a bamboo backing (about 6inches long) and know how hard it is to wrap something that long and make it look that precise. good job.
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That is a tough looking bow.
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man that is one great looker ,id love to spend a few hours with that one.
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Your siyahs are very nicely done. The shape of the siyahs is great, It looks amazingly good! What glue did you use for the silk wrap?
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now thats nice man
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Very nice bow.
Hope Jonathan Creason see's this and is taking notes ;D
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The siyahs are a great idea for a short bow. Great craftsmanship and innovation. Beautiful bow.
Dan
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That is a beautiful bow... I want one. ;D
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you cut through the back ring to flatten it out for the siyah glue on? how about a brace height pic? i like to see it strung?
i love the bow, they are my favorite!
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Next quality piece of osage I get ahold of ill have to attempt one of these. That is just awesome. Looks like you had some really good thick ringed sage to work with. I dont get much of that quality in my parts, all my stuff is tight ringed. A+ job, cant wait to see some more pictures ::) ;D ;D
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very cool, yet another great piece of work from you.
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Way Cool! how long is the stave before the siyahs? what angle did you mount them?? man i bet that bow would smoke with a nice sinew backing adding a few more inches of reflex. you've given me something to think about.
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Great bow and your brother-in-law is undoubtably thrilled. Nice work. :)
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Beautiful bow.
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Nice job on the bow!
AA
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Thanks, everyone! :) I appreciate the kind comments. I'll post some more pics by week's end (hopefully) as I get it finished out.
Aero: yes, I did have to cut through one growth ring over a long taper to get it flat. However, the 4" long glue joint contains 3" of the back ring. This ring is secure via the lamination created with the siyah and poses no structural problem. Plus, the tips start to thicken immediately where the siyahs begin.
toomanyknots: I used Urac to attach the siyahs. I like it because you can cure it with or without heat.
sulphur: the bow was somewhere around 54" before the siyahs, and without running down to measure it I can't remember the angle I attached them at. I'll have to measure that for you. Yeah, sinew would add some spit and zip, but I haven't the time, patience, or sinew. I prefer an unbacked bow simply because I get impatient ;)
Aries: Yes, the rings on the staves from this tree are nice and thick. Sure makes it easy to chase them on the back, but I get more set than I do with tight-ringed staves.
Again, thanks for looking! :)
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this is an outstanding bow. I am working on my first static re curve and am inspired to try a lamination trick like you did with the ash sihyahs.
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I would love to try this with some of my shorter osage, could you explain how the string works on this bow? Do the ends have big loops?
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rps3: That's exactly right. I made my string with 2" loops on either end. I'm so busy right now I can't even find time to finish the bow or post pics, but I will soon. Then you can see just how the string works/looks at the siyahs. :)
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If you go to www.grozerarchery.com you can see close up photos of bow tips of this style and see how the string loops should fit.
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Thanks, I cant wait to give this a try.
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Here's some finished pictures of the bow. I'll post some finished specs when I have time. Ended up with 1/8" positive tiller, which was just right at full draw (see pic in first post). I made the arrows to get him completely outfitted. They're tipped with 125gr/ Zwickeys. Thanks for looking!
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4469-1.jpg)
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4462-1.jpg)
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4451-1.jpg)
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4449-1.jpg)
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4456-1.jpg)
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4458-1.jpg)
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4460-1.jpg)
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4461-1.jpg)
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A few more pictures:
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4452-1.jpg)
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4453-1.jpg)
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4466.jpg)
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4465.jpg)
(http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae321/isaacscr/Justins%20Custom%20Osage%20Siyahed%20Static%20Recurve/HPIM4463-1.jpg)
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Man, how do you do that caligraphy? Great bow though. Did you know that with the degree of your siyah angle that you wouldn't need bridges, or you just eyeball it? I see your siyahs came out nicely quarter sawn on the bow, were they from a plainsawn board maybe? Ya, I don't know if I could give that one away if I were you!
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That is just absoulutely beautiful. Very very nice. ;D
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Great looking bow. ;)
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4est
Pard, that is some kinda of sweeeeeet! 8)
I can't see one thing bout that weapon that is'nt just plaino beautiful...Hech, even the signature, date, and #age looks like art!
Dang fine job! That soon to be daddy is gonna be puttin some serious meat in the freezer.
On a side note...This is just one of the things I love about the community on PA...People helpin each other...You just can't beat that.
BTW...I'm gonna have twin grandbabies in about 2 months....Does that count?!? ;D ;D ;)
God Bless
Ron
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Absolutely stunning bow. You did a superb job on it. In one word....awesome
Jon
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Thanks for the kind words, all. :)
The calligraphy is done with a feather quill pen and white India ink. I seal the bow first, sign it, then spray the finish over top of that.
toomanyknots:
I did some math to figure out that I wouldn't need string bridges, but I glued on temporary ones with superglue for tillering at a low brace height. These consisted of little more than a 1/4" square piece of wood that I sanded a valley into with a small sanding drum. Once the brace height increased and the string cleared the siyahs, I simply knocked the bridges off.
The siyahs were resawn from a board and are a quartersawn as I could get from the stock.
The siyahs are finished at a 29" angle to the BELLY of the bow. However, the back is angled to increase the surface area of the glue joint and facilitate a smooth transition between the stave and siyah.
okie:
He's raring to go to put some meet in the freezer! Congratulations on those twin grandbabies...I'll see what I can do ;)
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I talked to my brother-in-law last night, and he's been shooting the bow like mad. He's finally got a weekend off and is planning on heading out to the deer woods with it. :) He's shot an osage longbow for fun for about 3 years now and is very good with it, but he's really taken to this bow. He currently shoots a decked-out Matthews compound with a finished price tag of nearly $1200. Yet, I haven't seen him as excited to hunt as he is with this one. We may have a convert in the making ;D
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That is one outstanding bow! Excellent work. Jawge
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very nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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OUTSTANDING!!!! Great looking bow.
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Now that sure is a sweet,sweet lookin' bow very nice -Hammertime