Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Del the cat on May 14, 2010, 12:40:15 pm
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It's experimental for a few reasons.
Fisrt time I've use Cherry, first time I've backed a bow with Ash, first time I've laminated using hide glue.
The Wood was all cut from local timber, cut so that the grain runs as it would in a longbow.
E.G It's not 1/4 sawn boards. It's more of a 'laminated stave'.
The design is sort of pyramid, with a v short grip and tiny arrow pass as it's ony 50" long.
I'll shut up now and post the pics!
(http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp195/Del_the_Cat/Website%20stills/ACkneel.jpg)
(http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp195/Del_the_Cat/Website%20stills/ACbraced.jpg)
(http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp195/Del_the_Cat/Website%20stills/ACbelly.jpg)
(http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp195/Del_the_Cat/Website%20stills/ACback.jpg)
The backing was cut as close to following a ring as I could manage from the timber I had, some growth rings are showing on the back but look quite nice.
The Cherry was very knotty and I had to drill and fill quite a few, leaving a slight swelling in the width of the limbs in some places giving it a 'character' feel.
On the pic of the back you can see where I had to fill where there was a crack/pith from the centre of the log showing.
I also made a big mess up cutting out the handle, I did it real slap dash as it's just an experimental bow, subsequently I've had to let in a piece of Cherry to keep my hand down below the arrow pass....but hey you can sue me!
I've just put it through the Chrono... 165fps, pretty quick! (shooting a 24" 5/16 shaft with 50grain pile) nearly as fast as my longbow at much less poundage.
50" ntn 55lb draw weight.
Hope you like it... really is 50"ntn this time O:)
Del
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That's gorgeous, I've used Ash backed Cherry before, but mine was from boards. Don't you just love the smell of the cherry when you're cutting it, smells like a sweet :)
Anthony
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That's a looker, bud. The ash and cherry bows I've built were fairly "snappy"....curious as to how your's performs?
Rich
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That's a looker, bud. The ash and cherry bows I've built were fairly "snappy"....curious as to how your's performs?
Rich
165 feet per second.... 112.5 mph through my Chrono, which is almost as quick as my 75lb Longbow.
I'll try it for real at the field shoot on Sunday.
Here's me hunting with it ;) and some more pics, showing the nock and the v small arrow pass.
(http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp195/Del_the_Cat/Website%20stills/Hunter.jpg).
(http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp195/Del_the_Cat/Website%20stills/nock.jpg)
(http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp195/Del_the_Cat/Website%20stills/handle.jpg)
Here's the Ash and Cherry before glue up.
(http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp195/Del_the_Cat/Website%20stills/Ashcherry.jpg)
Del
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Just noticed, in the very first pic of the thread, it looks like my nocking point is a tad low....I shall investigate!
Del
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As the draw is about equal to half the string length I thought I'd construct a circle rather than the usual ellipse to look at the tiller.
(http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp195/Del_the_Cat/Website%20stills/Bowcircle.jpg)
Hmm doesn't look quite circular on the screen here, but near enough.
Wadda ya think of the whole circle vs elipse thing eh? eh?
Del
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Del...you ain't gunna get a circular tiller from a stiff handled Bow.....unless you are really...really good... ;D
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Del...you ain't gunna get a circular tiller from a stiff handled Bow.....unless you are really...really good... ;D
Yeah, I wus just playin around we normally draw ellipses, I just wondered if I could construct the circle.
Out of interest I noticed the right tip didn't seem to be working, I've just looked at the bow and it has a bit of natural recurve there.
I s'pose the tiller has to be judged like a stave bow rather than a laminated bow...in fact I don't quite know what to call it ;D
Del
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lovely bow del the two woods look amazing together great job mate.
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Beautiful little bow Del! Hat's off mate.
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I love it...the back especially! I love the patterns in the ash. I do wonder, though...
(http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp195/Del_the_Cat/Website%20stills/Hunter.jpg)
Center of the stave, just above your hand...is that a crack?
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in fact I don't quite know what to call it
Del
I'd call it often at 165, nice. Sweet Ash Little Bow!! ;D
N2
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NICE Del. Looks like it would make a GREAT turkey blind bow ;)
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pretty respectable FPS there dell, nice work.
i really like your assymetrical front profile grip. it seems more ergonomic. been considering doing that myself. how's it feel in the hand?
i always enjoy that New York back alley styled british wall you always show us :)
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Gorgeous little now indeed!! At 50" and 55# is there much hand shock from such a heavy draw?
As for what to call the type of bow... "lamistave"? :D
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'Lamistave' love it! ;D
Dunno about hand shock, but my tennis elbow doesn't like it....can't wait to have a serious go with it on Sunday.
Del
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pretty respectable FPS there dell, nice work.
i really like your assymetrical front profile grip. it seems more ergonomic. been considering doing that myself. how's it feel in the hand?
i always enjoy that New York back alley styled british wall you always show us :)
The grip is quite comfortable, but it's small and blends into the fade so the lower edge of my big fat hand is almost onto the limb, but that's how I designed it.
There's no Grip-Fade-limb it's one organic shape, it needs a bit of tweaking and my hand tends to encroach onto the arrow pass. Not bad for a first attempt at a minimal grip.
If you look at the 'hunting shot' you can see the extra bit of wood I glued in above my thumb :-[, I might add a bit of leather there too. With grips you need to use 'em until you notice the slight high spots and then tweak 'em very slightly...give it a year, I'll have it right ;).
Del
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I love it...the back especially! I love the patterns in the ash. I do wonder, though...
Center of the stave, just above your hand...is that a crack?
Yeah, that's a crack. ;D
Just below it, the line is a sliver of Cherry I set in where there was the pithy centre of the log (you can see the almost semicircular growth rings) and a crack where it had seasoned, I could have sawn in deeper and filled more of the crack but I felt it would do more harm than good.
I don't think a longitudinal crack, (especially there) is a problem as there isn't any force acting to open it up (I covered it in epoxy and warmed it with a hot air gun to help it soak in to stabilise it).
This is the 'bad half' of my Cherry and experimental anyway, so it's good to have these flaws, it teaches me what I can get away with. On one limb there's a plugged knot which is completely exposed across the corner of the edge and belly, not ideal at all, but it's holding up.
Remember the Bowyers motto, 'The next one will be even better!'
Del
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I'll be curious how the hide glue holds up. :P
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Excellent looking bow Del. Very nice!
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I wouldn't worry too much about the hide glue holding. I've got a laminated bow I've been trying to get apart over the last couple of days. It's been soaking in water and I still can't get it totally dismantled!
I was just wondering...Are you going to eat that deer? It looks a little stringy to me, and it probably has a strong "woodsy" taste to it!
Very nice work, I like to see those short bows being made. They certainly present different challenges than long bows.
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I've moved the nocking point as it was a tad low (about half an arrow width).
I rubbed the bow over lightly with wire wool and gave it another wipe of Danish oil, it's looking much nicer, that first coat soaked into those knots and end grain regions.
Tomorrow I'll give it another light rub down, a wipe with beeswax polish then I'll give it a good shooting!
Thanks for all the comments guys, they mean a lot as they are from folk who understand what it's all about.
Del
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Neat bow. The wood is beautiful, lots of swirly grain in that ash.