Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Denisesewa on June 21, 2009, 10:24:57 pm
-
Hi all !
After reading alot on these boards ( and the Magazine) I became inspired to build my own bow , although it cant be compared to most anything here I am kinda proud of it and welcome any criticisms and advice for the next one. I did go against common advice and decided to go for a reflex / deflex rather than a simple longbow which made tillering a chore.
So, I purchased an IPE stave and Hickory backing,( from Whisperbow on ebay), did alot of reading, and put out alot of sweat. My tools consist of an 18" belt sander and a jigsaw and some files and rasp, the bow was built on a table outside our mobilehome in 5 days of several hours a day.
The Specs are -
60" , #35 @ 28" with a 6" brace height and it shoots rather well ( at least as well as my takedown of similar specs and is much more fun cause I built it ;) )
Thanks to all of you who unknowingly offered a female wanna-be bowyer help , insight and inspiration through your writing here.
Denise
[attachment deleted by admin]
-
awesome recurve mam! looks like a hunter for sure
-
Good looking bow a nice piece of work.Ronnie
-
Nicely done! I like the lines and simplicity.
-
Welcome Denise. R/D design is difficult to tiller(for me at least) and you did a very nice job with your first. Looking forward to more bows from you. You know you can't stop with just one! ;)
-
nice to meet ya!
wow!!
very nice lines! great tiller!
to me, the sweet, flowing line of the limbs gets broken up by the angles of the handle. i think being a massage therapist for the last 8 years has warped me- it all has to flow. bows with smooth lines will shoot more smoothly. your bow would be drop dead gorgeous with a riser as smooth as the limbs (don't assume that i know what i'm talking about- i've only been addicted for a year).
please make more- you're gifted!
Rob
-
welcome,nicely done. don't be a stranger and keep them coming
chuck
-
That is one heck of a first... i would have been happy with a first bow that shot personally ;D. great looking lines, dont think i would have done anything differently (except maybe mess up the tiller :P) As others have said, its hard to not make more after the first. enjoy your new addiction.
Dustin D
-
Great first bow,any bow for that matter.Looks good to me .Congrats. :)
Pappy
-
Dang girl......For a first bow? You rock! Really nice job.
-
Sweet bow Denise, for a first you hit a home run, welcome to PA eh :)
-
There's a lot of us here including myself who would be extremely pleased with a bow like yours for our first! Great job! ;)
-
Thanks for the compliments guys !
I do agree the handle doesn't really fit , I'll probably redo it at some point.
I think the next one will be similar to Rodney Wrights Firehawk , I just cant get past the sexy lines of that bow !
[attachment deleted by admin]
-
Very nice limbs. Got your fine weapon bookmarked under June Laminate Bows of the Month.
-
Lot of reading, huh?? - Well, seems like you read the right books than!
Very nice bow!!!
Please give us another picture of the full draw with the whole upper limb visible if you can!
-
Well done, Denise! Very nice bow. Jawge
-
Here is a better pic ( I think) Anyway, I dont shoot with the bow vertical so tiller can look a bit off from the side but its not as far as I can tell.
I also made a new string today from #20 firewire at 12 strands, it seems alot more lively now and is certainly faster , the string is about half the diameter of the first one and the bow is quieter , things just keep getting better ! 8)
The arrows I have been shooting are too stiff so I ordered some lighter spined shafts , once I feather them up I think I'll call this bow done and start planning the next one.
Fun ,fun ,fun !!
"D"
[attachment deleted by admin]
-
Great job, awsome bow and welcome aboard. Looks like a lot of fun to shoot. Kenneth
-
Tiller looks great! Hard to believe it's your first bow!
-
Tiller looks great! Hard to believe it's your first bow!
Well, I suppose it doesnt hurt that I have been shooting on and off for 25 years and knew what I wanted , I've also built a couple of guitars so am familiar with working with wood.
After reading how hard it is to tiller an R/D bow I went into it with the thought that if it takes a month then thats what it takes , I decided to leave it long ( 68") untill I reached full draw , brace height and close to my target weight , I then started using a piece of foam poster board and traced the outline both sitting on the handle and sitting on the string so I could flip it over and check the other limb , I could see there was something wrong on the tillering stick but couldnt determine exactly what it was , the poster board allowed me to see it much better. Then I started to shorten the bow (64") and worked carefully to bring the weight down, when I got to 60" and just under #40 it was then easy to get the 1/8" extra in the top limb while bringing it down to #35 . I found it very important to repeatedly flex the bow ( like 20 times ) and let it sit for a while ( strung ) after each adjustment before continuing .
The most important advice I received by reading these forums and other sources was Patience .
"D"
[attachment deleted by admin]