Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: upstatenybowyer on July 04, 2018, 09:10:00 am
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Well folks, this is my first successful attempt at making a wood backed bow. I couldn't have done it without the help of you all, specifically Marc St. Louis, DC, bubby, Bayou Ben, Springbuck, Stickbender, PatM, Pat B, Glis Glis, Dances with squirrels and many others I'm sure I'm forgetting.
For me, this was not an easy type of bow to make. There is so much preparation and forethought involved. There were many times when I felt like giving up. But I kept pushing on, trying to learn as much as possible from the failures.
This bow shoots in the mid 170s w/ a 520 grain arrow. Next time I'm gonna try gluing in more reflex. Thanks as always for sharing all your experience and checking out this bow. :)
65" ttt
55# @ 27.5"
water buffalo horn tip overlays
paduk underlays
maple and osage handle build up
leather grip
northern water snake skin
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4 more
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Way to hang in there Jeff. I'm sure you learned a bunch from your success to. I'm thinking that's a very smooth shooting 170 fps with those profiles. I'm guessing your right about adding more glued in reflex next time. That full draw doesn't look overly stressed and guessing it could gain a bit more speed and cast. It should however be a long lasting bow and 170 fps is a very nice number. Knew now that school is out we'd be seeing more bows from you.
Bjrogg
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Beauty of a bow Jeff.I like it.
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A bow to be proud of - Way to go - Wish you lots of fun with it!! cheers
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Thanks Ed and simk. :)
She does shoot pretty smooth BJ. So much to learn with this hobby of ours. I like making these bows cause I've still got a long way to go. Makes me really appreciate the ones Marc ends up with.
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Very nice. Great finishing. The Maple backed Yew I made a while back ended up with very close to the same profile and it's my favourite shooter at the moment, nice and smooth. I'm working on a Maple Cascara now. Kind of a cousin :).
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Looks awesome!top notch fit and finish!
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Outstanding job on that one! That style is on my long list of really want to learn to make. Would you be able to glue in that type of profile with a two piece backing strip, ow would it need to be full length?
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Pretty combo buckthorn and maple! Looks like a smooth shooter.
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Great looking bow.the colors of the chosen woods go great together.
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Thanks a bunch DC. Lookin' forward to seeing that maple/Cascara. ;)
Thanks bushy.
Morgan, I'm sure a 2 piece backing would be just fine. Marc and DC use them all the time.
Thank you Leon and ntv, both of your opinions a highly valued.
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Sweet! Noice job!
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Lovely bow. Well done
Buckthorn steam and dry-heat bends extremely well and for backed bows I dry-heat bend the billet/limbs before gluing up to give me a couple inches reflex after they are spliced together
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Yes! Very interesting piece of work and design. Faasst too. Yea you can be proud of that bow. I Royally announce from today forward you be bowyer!
Greg
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Lol, okay Greg I will heed your decree. :D
Thank you Marc. I will most certainly dry-heat bend the next set of billets before the splice. Additionally, I forgot to give you credit for the handle design. I hope you don't mind I copied one you posted a picture of. O:)
Thanks helmet!
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Thank you Marc. I will most certainly dry-heat bend the next set of billets before the splice. Additionally, I forgot to give you credit for the handle design. I hope you don't mind I copied one you posted a picture of. O:)
You just have to pay special attention not to introduce any twist as you reflex the billets, or at least very little. It makes gluing the backing down easier as well since you don't have to fight with it as much as you are adding more reflex. One more benefit is that I find the bow keeps more reflex doing it that way
P.S. I find the looks of Buckthorn quite appealing. It's a lovely wood.
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Do you glue in any reflex at all, Marc?
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Roughly 50% of the reflex is glued in
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Marc, (or anyone else) how do you go about gluing in the reflex? Caul? Reverse brace?
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I use a caul. I've got about five of them. All you need is a 2x4 or 2x6 and a band saw. Takes 10min tops :)
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A caul with rubber bands. Been using this one for almost 20 years. It's simple but works for me
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Marc, do you just use strategically placed blocks to controll the shape? I think i see one in the middle of the limb.
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Nice Upstate!...Nice profile and I like your finish work. That's why I love these designs, so sweet to shoot and always good performance.
My setup is similar to Marc's, various wood blocks for d/r and center post. I use clamps instead of rubber bands though (a lot of them)
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Wow, great to see that pic Marc. Much appreciated. :)
Thanks DC, I think I've got 10 minutes to spare. :D
Thank you Ben, and thanks for all your insight. :OK
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If i want a full bow caul I draw the shape I want on one half. Then cut it neatly on the bandsaw. Then I use the piece I cut off as a pattern to mark out the second half.
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If i want a full bow caul I draw the shape I want on one half. Then cut it neatly on the bandsaw. Then I use the piece I cut off as a pattern to mark out the second half.
That's what I do. The problem I've recently run into is when I've got a shorter bow with sharp static bends at the tips. The caul isn't cut to fit them. I guess I could make a separate caul that does, but I was thinking of going with one more like Marc's with the bow backside up.
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Yeah, that looks kinda good :)
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Marc, do you just use strategically placed blocks to controll the shape? I think i see one in the middle of the limb.
Hard to see them in the pic because of all the rubber bands but yes
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Great work upstate. That one will be performing well for years to come
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Can I get a few measurements Jeff? Width of limb at fades, backing thickness and thickness of the Buckthorn say 8" out from centre of the handle. I'm trying to second guess some Cascara measurements and I've got limited experience with it. Is Buckthorn wood kind of like Yew or Red Cedar in workability?
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Nice work upstate, I’m also working on my first hardbacked bow
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Sharp looking bow well done!
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Thanks Aaron. :)
Happy to Don :), here we go...
-width of limb at fades= 1 5/16"
-backing thickness= 1/8"
-thickness of BT 8" from center of handle= 7/16"
-Buckthorn is more dense than yew and ERC. I'd say it works more like BL, plum or mulberry. It's hard to make comparisons though cause it's kinda got a feel all it's own. I know it sounds weird, but the grain seems fibrous to me, almost like bamboo. :-\
Thanks goat, wishing you all the best with that bow. (-S
Much appreciated Paul. :)
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Beautiful bow nice job
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Hey thanks Joe. Haven't seen ya on here for a bit. Great to hear from ya!
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Hey I been going through alot lately.
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Very nice. Great finishing. The Maple backed Yew I made a while back ended up with very close to the same profile and it's my favourite shooter at the moment, nice and smooth. I'm working on a Maple Cascara now. Kind of a cousin :).
So you are liking Maple now are ya....
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That is a beauty. Well done like all of your bows.
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very very nice bow
if he shoot half good as he looks you have a killer :OK :OK :OK
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Well thanks a bunch guys. This bow actually found its way into the hands of friend. Each time I see him I ask how its performing and so far so good. :)
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Nice work Jeff! I can agree that wood laminate bows are quite difficult to pull off. I have spent the last several years trying to specialize in laminate bows with several dozen failures along the way.
Great job on your first, they will only continue to get better! 170 fps is my bench mark for a high performance longbow and you have achieved it! Nice work.
Cheers, Taylor.
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Stunning! (and I'm talking about the bow).