Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Gordon on July 01, 2010, 08:29:16 pm
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Here’s a bow that I made from a piece of wood that Keenan gifted to me several years ago at our first meeting. At the time he wasn’t sure what kind of wood it was but thought it might make a good bow. Fast forward to the recent Central Oregon Bowyer’s Gathering where I met a young lady who expressed a desire to build and own a bow like the kind we were making. I remembered Keenan’s stave and thinking it would be ideal, I handed it to her and promptly started her on her way.
I’ve helped many folks build their first bow, but rarely have I seen someone so focused. There was hardly a moment when Mel was not working on her bow and even had to enlist the help of her husband when blisters began to raise on her hands. On the last morning I helped her floor tiller the bow. When I told her it was ready for its first bracing she could hardly contain her excitement knowing that her bow was about to be born in front of her eyes. But alas, one of the limbs was twisted and the string was badly misaligned. I told her that fixing these issues would require tools that we did not have at the gathering. Seeing the disappointment in her face I offered to take the bow home and make the needed corrections.
So here are some pictures of the finished bow. It’s made from a sapling that I determined to be a species of plum. It is 57” ntn, the limbs are 1 3/8” wide at the fades tapering to 3/8” at the tips. The bow pulls 40# @ 25”. The limbs are asymmetrical with the lower limb being almost 3” shorter than the upper limb. This was necessary because of the presence of a large knot that predetermined the position of the handle, and the fact that I did not want to shorten the bow anymore than I did. The tips are overlaid with a tropical hardwood, and the handle is elk hide with a Strunk style wrap. I used dry heat to create the bow’s r/d profile and the belly is heat tempered. The finish is Tru-Oil over a water-based stain.
The first picture is Mel working on her bow. I think she will be pleased with the result.
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Mels%20Bow/MelWorkingonBow.jpg?t=1278024071)
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Mels%20Bow/P1010026.jpg?t=1278024249)
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Mels%20Bow/P1010025.jpg?t=1278024291)
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Mels%20Bow/P1010028.jpg?t=1278024328)
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Mels%20Bow/P1010020_edited-1.jpg?t=1278024373)
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Mels%20Bow/P1010013.jpg?t=1278024412)
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Mels%20Bow/P1010006.jpg?t=1278024448)
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Mels%20Bow/P1010036.jpg?t=1278024480)
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Awesome, Gordon! Great looking bow and tiller. That's the way to pass it on too. Jawge
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Very nice bow.That was a great combination of effort.I like it. God Bless
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Great looking bow, Gordon. That came out nice.
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Sweet Bow...and I bet that She will be proud of it too...knowing all the Work that went into it...and having been part of it....
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holy cow,thats a heck of a stick...i beat she is proud of it..one of these days i want to get a bow from gordon and keenan...its really great to see ladys getting into it and opening new doors in the bow making world..john
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Sweet bow, I would finish the bow for her also :)
JD
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very nice gordan , tiller is beautiful ! as is the bow
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Thank you George. I feel strongly that it's our responsibility to pass our skills on.
Thank you Pete. Building the bow was a collaborative process and I think it is better for it.
Thank you for the compliment Eddie.
Thank you El, I'm sure she will be proud of it given the investment of time she put into it.
Thank you John. I am seeing more and more women getting into building bows.
Thank you JD - I'm sure you would ;D
Thank you for the compliment Ken.
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That's a very beautiful bow, Gordon. Way to go passing it on to a beginner. If this bow doesn't get her hooked, nothing will! She couldn't have had a better teacher either. :)
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Cool little bow, Gordon. 8)
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Gordon that's about what I would like to make with this piece of juniper I have. I know I won't get it to be as Excellent as that Bow but I'm gonna try :)That's a great lookin Bow. :) ;).Phillip
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Gordon, masterful craftsmanship as aways. The tiller on this bow just boggles my mind. Intial glance I saw a well tillered, balance bow with a great arch. Then remembering it was asymetrical, I looked closer at the limbs. And wow. balance and completely different ark with each limb. Truly amasing.
And now a question: I have an osage limb with a pretty big knot, center limb, almost exactly 2/3 out the limb. I know there's going to be stiff spot on that limb. Now if I were to attempt an asymeterical bow, which limb should I put the knot on? My first thought is to use the limb with the knot as the upper limb to allow for more bendable limb area for that limb. Second, thought maybe doing it this way would create added leverage to that limb and over stressing the bottom limb. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Dave
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Thank you Josh. I'm afraid she is already hooked :)
Thank you Pat.
Thank you for the nice compliment Philip. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with that piece of juniper.
Thank you Dave. I like your reasoning for putting the knot on the top limb. It shouldn't overstress the bottom limb as long as you adjust the tiller to compensate.
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Beautiful bow Gordon,sweet all of it ,finish,tiller ,grip. :)
Pappy
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Thanks Gordon for the information.
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Beautiful bow.
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Wow, you got to respect a lady who is so focused. I know my first bow I sat down and worked for 3 days straight to finish it. I swore I would never do it again straight like that. I saw full grown men who quit half way thru. So for the lady to be focused like that, demands respect.
And the bow turned out beautiful.
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Thats a really nice bow Gordon. The tiller looks great. Especially for having asymmetrical limbs. Well done :)
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I always appreciate your kind words Pappy.
Thank you Ranger.
I agree with you completely bigcountry and thank you for the compliment.
Thank you Jesse.
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Wow, that is a sweet looking bow. Plumb is one of my favorites. I imagine a bow like that will get her hooked. Steve
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Steve, I agree that plum is a fine bow wood. I think she is already hooked. Thank you for the compliment.
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Great bow Gordon!
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Very elegent bow.
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Great looking bow I like the colors in that wood and I am going to have to make one of those chairs, looks simple and comfy.
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Great looking bow Gordon. Have you done any steelhead fishing lately? I am getting alittle more time lately it might be time to go skate a fly. Greg
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Hey Frank, it's always good to hear from you. Thank you for the compliment.
Thank you Scowler.
Michael, the chair was made by a good friend as a house warming gift for my new tipi - I really like it!
Thank you Greg. Haven't done much fishing, but Jayne and I will be going to the N. Umqpua the first week of August. I can't wait to put a skater in front of some of those fish. You going to WJAM? It's close to my backyard this this year.
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Bookmarked your lovely weapon for July self BOM! :)
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Naah, this bow can't be on BOM before we have seen a picture of Mel herself pulling it! ;D ;D ;D
Just kidding...
I'm sure the bow will be a front runner on BOM...!
By the way... BOM... ummm...
PS: Hello Josh... I checked 'new replies' before I checked 'new posts'... !
PPS: I actually can't find this bow in the slefbow list.
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Gordon, where is WJAM and what are the dates. Greg
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Greg,
It's this weekend at Chinook Archers in Camas, WA. I'll email you the flyer.
Gordon
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Gordon from all of us to Mel she did a wonderful job! It makes me proud to hear when someone who enjoys doing what they do and to teach others the knowledge to recreate that in this case the art of making a bow! Good work Mel and Gordon! Thanks for sharing! Have a good day.
Russell
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Thank you for the nice compliment Russel.
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Smoking hot Gordon, another heirloom bow to be sure.
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Thank you Lombard, I appreciate the compliment.
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got to see this bow this weekend, Mel was so excited to show it to me. you did a excellent job on that bow. she is so proud of it. I gave her a couple of arrows to shoot, unfortunatley I didnt get to see her shoot it, but she was really happy with how it shot. great job Gordon. hope your gods valley rondy was a success.
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Dave, I'm pleased to know that Mel is enjoying her bow. And thank you for providing her with some arrows. I was concerned she did not have any of the correct spine for her bow. The God's Valley gathering went very well. The weather was perfect, the food and company first rate and story time around the tipi fire was priceless. How was P&Y?
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we had a great time, todd was there and showed me a pic of his new baby. need to make a day or two to do a little scouting. and decide on what dates for our hunt with keenan. he is getting around better than I have seen in a long time.