Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: bjrogg on December 26, 2019, 01:04:56 pm
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I've posted the profiles of this bow before. My dad always had rainy day projects for us to do when I was growing up. This tradition has carried on. This spring was long, wet and cold. I kinda ran out of rainy day "work" projects and needed something to take my mind off the rain that was putting me further and further behind. I needed something more. I needed therapy.
I started this one right after The Primitive Archery Meet in Marshall. I had a truck load of billets from Frank. I split a bunch of them and picked out a couple to splice together.
It was my first spliced handle and I wanted to try some deflex in the handle. I cut out my first z splice. Steamed it and glueded it together with TB2. Then it dried up and I got back to my real job. It sat around the shop looking like a turd for quite some time. We went from to wet to to dry. Finally I got another rainy day and I roughed it out and steamed in the recurves. Then another rainy day and I got it tillered. It was starting to look like a real bow. I put some Water Buffalo horn tip overlays on from some horn I got from PA Steve. I got it shooting nice but it's still just a bit on the heavy side. Really have know idea who this bow is even for yet, so might as well error to the side of to heavy. I can always take a little more off.
I got busy with my real job again and it hung from a nail in my shop for awhile. I made a trade with backwoodsguy and got a couple nice copper head skins. It was a good trade thanks backwoodsguy and he threw in a Emu skin and a couple other neat items to. I put on the copper head skins and let it sit again. Then I saw bubby's build along for wrapping a handle. I decided to use the Emu leather and for my first real laced up wrap it came out pretty decent. The brown Emu looks nice with the Osage and copper heads.
So here it is. My rainy day project. Still don't know who it's for. Maybe it'll be my rainy day fund.
Hope you like it. It sure looks better than it did when I first glued up the handle.
62" ntn
58 @ 27"
Bjrogg
Oh and a little muskrat on the arrow shelf and striker
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Some more. The full draw is 26" it'll go a little further
Bjrogg
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nice bend on that one,, congrats
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:D
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Thanks Brad. I was almost thinking it maybe should be bending more out of the handle but really not sure. I can see it bending there and don't want to over do it. Just thought it would look a little different at full draw. Maybe it should? Not sure. It's a hard hitter right now.
Thanks DC
Bjrogg
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Nice one Bj...Love the coppers and the fur arrow rest
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Nice one !
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ThankYou Don it's got a few more bells and whistles than I usually do, but they all go together pretty good.
ThankYou Stick Bender
I guess I forgot about the rainy day I glued a piece of Black Walnut and English Walnut on the belly side of the handle to.
Bjrogg
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I was almost thinking it maybe should be bending more out of the handle but really not sure. I can see it bending there and don't want to over do it. Just thought it would look a little different at full draw. Maybe it should? Not sure. It's a hard hitter right now.
Thanks DC
Bjrogg
Looks great to me, I wouldn't touch it.
Great bow!
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Thanks Airkah. I think I needed to hear somebody else say that. Until it finds its way to someone it's gonna stay just how it is.
Bjrogg
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Looks great...love the coppers.
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Great looking bow! I love the short recurves and your copperhead snakeskin backing is really nice!! Excellent job!
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Thanks Will. It's my first time using copperheads to. They are nice thin skins. I like the way they look on the Osage to. I like short recurves.
Bjrogg
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Nice bow, BJ! those skins look great and you sure got it bending well
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Beautiful bend and a real purty bow, BJ. :OK
You know, you could bring the bend back into the handle but it isn't necessary.
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Nice job finishing up on the rainy days! About 10# heavy and wrong handed (lol) (lol)!
Hawkdancer
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BJ to my limited eye it looks great ! to me beautiful string angle ,I think changing the lowers would effect your string angle , with that beautiful angle you could easely get another 3" of stack free draw length , awsome design !
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Thanks Weylin it's first time for me using copperheads, but I don't think it's the last.
Thanks Pat. That's kinda what I'm thinking to. It shoots really nice like this. If I need to in the future I can go there, but I think I'm going to keep it like this for now.
Thanks Jerry. Maybe I'll have to keep those specs in mind for my next rainy Day project. ;)
Stickbender I think your eye and mine are in agreement.
Bjrogg
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Nice one sir.
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Like Copperheads when I can find enough on hiway. Nice bow
HH~
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Very nice! Heck of a way to make good use of down time.
Mike
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Thanks Slimbob
Thanks HH. Don't find many snakes on the hi way around here. Once and awhile a garner.
Thanks M2A. A lot cheaper than a psychiatrist to
Bjrogg
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Love the pink hue to them. How you like doing splice bow? I have grown to love them after conversations with Gary and building them with Pappy. Some guys just don't want fool with them. I think they are as good or better than a stave bow.
HH~
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I gotta admit HH. I was I bit intimidated at first. It went better than I expected though and I can see how it has some nice advantages. Can influence your unbraced profile considerably. I've got a truck load of billets now so I plan on doing some experimenting,
Bjrogg
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I use to hide the billet joint. But after test shooting all the fella's say " I like looking at the joint you cut at shelf area looks unique". Can put a veneer over sight window if it upsets your sensibilities I guess? Either way I say "don't hide it, divide it" and give em away most times. Would never want to make a job at what I love doing. Tried that and didn't like it, none.
Shawn~
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Another really nice bow! Arvin
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I use to hide the billet joint. But after test shooting all the fella's say " I like looking at the joint you cut at shelf area looks unique". Can put a veneer over sight window if it upsets your sensibilities I guess? Either way I say "don't hide it, divide it" and give em away most times. Would never want to make a job at what I love doing. Tried that and didn't like it, none.
Shawn~
I agree Shawn. I really wasn't trying to hide this one. I thought at first it was going to look terrible but as I shaped it I was as surprised how nice it looked. It wasn't very deep so I put on a thin piece of Black Walnut and English Walnut. I almost didn't put any wrap on. I'm maybe kinda weird but I like a naked handle. I got that piece of Emu with the copperheads and it just looked like it belonged with them. I gotta admit it looks kinda sweet to me now.
Bjrogg
Thanks Arvin
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Excellent Craftsmanship Brian. I love copperheads. John
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Thanks John. I like what I've seen of yours to. You do some really nice stuff.
Bjrogg
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Like it a lot! Splicing opens up a new chapter. Many possibilities and easier to find ( to make) a desired shape than with one piece staves.
If I had a truckload of billets, I would try to make a jig.
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Nice bow man but I think i'd have rounded the backs edges a little more. ;)
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Like it a lot! Splicing opens up a new chapter. Many possibilities and easier to find ( to make) a desired shape than with one piece staves.
If I had a truckload of billets, I would try to make a jig.
Thanks B2W. I think I'm going to have to look up a few more spliced handle builds. Know any good ones? Making jigs? I think I'd like to try something like Marc's R-D. It just seems like a good design for making a fairly short bow that's fast and durable. I know upstate played around with that design a quite a bit.
Bjrogg
Here's some of my billets
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Nice bow man but I think i'd have rounded the backs edges a little more. ;)
Thanks bownarra. I'm guessing your worried about lifting edge grain? I've never had a problem. I rounded the back a bit. The belly a bit more. I usually end up with very little run off. I follow edge grain with my draw knife. I usually don't start narrowing up until somewhere around the last 9".
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Think the flat ones are faster. Most folks just cant stand a flat that looking profile but they will perform.
HH~
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Think the flat one are faster. Most folks just cant stand a flat looking profile but they will perform.
HH~
I think your right Shawn. I don't have a chrono but they always seem like hard hitters. Guess it all just my observations though. Never really did any real testing. I do like the flat backs though.
Bjrogg
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I'm on the other side of that. Give me a rounded Osage back (natural shape) any day. My opinion, but I find they take less set maintaining their profile better. They tend to be thinner rings as well which I prefer.
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I'm on the other side of that. Give me a rounded Osage back (natural shape) any day. My opinion, but I find they take less set maintaining their profile better. They tend to be thinner rings as well which I prefer.
That's interesting Slimbob. I will have to pay more attention in the future and see. I do think some of the bows I've made recently are from flatter back staves. They seem to be performing well, but their designs have been pushing the limits more than my earlier bows. I did pick up a bit more set than I'd like on my 48" ttt bendy but it's really working to hard. It still seems to be shooting good yet but I'm sure it's lost a bit of performance. It has a very flat back. My bow I've been the most impressed with is my "Simply Orange ". It is from a stave much more like your describing. Higher back (natural) and thin rings. That bow isn't stressed quite as much but still is pretty aggressive design. It has taken so little set and been hunted with hard. Not sure if it's design or wood. Got me wondering now
Bjrogg
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This is one of my favorite of yours BJ. I love everything about it. )P(
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Thank You Jeff. I appreciate your reply.
Do you have anything in the works. Looking forward to seeing one or two of yours again.
Have a great 2020
Bjrogg