Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Shooter on October 03, 2010, 09:03:42 pm

Title: Padauk Longbow
Post by: Shooter on October 03, 2010, 09:03:42 pm
Started this bow last week and finished shooting it in today. It's lam-boo backed padauk with wenge and purpleheart overlays. It took 5/8" set and about 3/16" follow which comes back in  20 minutes or so. It's got a hint of stack starting just past 28 inches but it's real quiet and has decent speed.

Unstrung - 72 3/4" o/a, 70 1/2 ntn, 1-3/16" wide
70#@30"

Thanks for looking,
Bruce

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Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: Shooter on October 03, 2010, 09:04:52 pm
full draw

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Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: El Destructo on October 03, 2010, 09:11:05 pm
Hint of Stacking...what could you know about Stacking ....with hams like that for Forearms......... >:D

Very Nice Bow...I really like everythuing about it...
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: youngbowyer33 on October 03, 2010, 09:37:14 pm
oooooooooooooooooooo, THAT'S NICE!
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: FlintWalker on October 03, 2010, 09:57:29 pm
Very nice!  I like the smooth lines and the tiller is great!
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: Lombard on October 03, 2010, 10:00:13 pm
Nice bends.
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: NTD on October 03, 2010, 10:06:48 pm
Gorgeous bow!  Seen that paduak in risers tips etc but it's nice to see it as a core.
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: kerryb on October 03, 2010, 10:16:58 pm
beautiful bow.
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: Ifrit617 on October 03, 2010, 10:28:42 pm
Amazing bow I love the color.....
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: Marc St Louis on October 03, 2010, 11:04:02 pm
Very nice bow.  The small pieces of Padauk I have are so brittle that I wouldn't have thought it would make a bow.  It also has a very nice smell when you work the wood.
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: ken75 on October 03, 2010, 11:14:50 pm
now thats a nice bow !! beautiful tiller !
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: adb on October 04, 2010, 12:43:26 am
Very nice bow!! Clean, simple, elegant lines... just my style. Your tiller is excellent, as well. Beautiful job.
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: Pappy on October 04, 2010, 07:37:08 am
Beautiful bow,very nice work.  :)
   Pappy
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: Del the cat on October 04, 2010, 09:24:55 am
Nice job  ;D
I'll bet that bangs 'em out pretty fast.
Del
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: ohma on October 04, 2010, 10:43:11 am
you got a winner there, and the tip work is first class.
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: swamp yeti on October 04, 2010, 03:39:49 pm
Very nice.
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: Shooter on October 04, 2010, 05:14:45 pm
Thanks, guys. Much appreciated.  8)

Marc, I've had mixed results with padauk. Sometimes insane set and sometimes none. Chrysaling seems to happen with plain-sawn more than rift or quarter. Every time I've tempered reflex into it, it chrysaled. This bow was tempered straight, is quarter-sawn and has perfectly straight grain with big rings. The only draw back with quarter-sawn is the exposed pores which are huge and can fret quite easily.

Padauk is a slow learner but once educated, it never forgets. It does smell nice too. The color runs out of it forever though, and gets on everything. I took some more pics this morning to show how much color runs out after 3 fully 'cured' coats of teak & tung oil. That's what comes off after a quick rub over the entire length of the bow. The color stayed in the grain on the boo even after being 'washed' with solvent.

A fret that popped at a pore - not a big deal since it terminates fairly evenly and can be smoothed out (don't mind the fuzz from the rag). It looks much worse than it really is. I shot the bow all day yesterday without it lifting any further. I've had them much deeper than that and have never had to patch the stuff. Just padauk bein padauk.

The last one shows some figuring.

Not pretending to be an expert or anything. Just thought I'd share what I've been able to learn from trial and lots of error. :)

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Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: PeteC on October 04, 2010, 09:57:09 pm
That's a super bow Shooter,I like it. God Bless
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: medicinewheel on October 05, 2010, 02:49:32 am
Great bow; tiller looks spot on!
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: okiecountryboy on October 05, 2010, 03:54:28 am
Shooter
Well done.
Beauty, simplicity, and power all in one.... Dang Nice Bow!
Great Tiller.

God Bless
Ron
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: gstoneberg on October 05, 2010, 08:15:49 am
Very nice bow!  What glue did you use and what prep on the wood?  I tried to use padauk for a glued up riser back in my glass recurve building days and I could not get glue to stick to it.  I had trouble getting a finish to stick to it as well if I'm remembering right.  Gorgeous wood though I seem to remember ruining shirts working it as the red would not wash out.  Osage does the same thing.

George
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: Steve Milbocker on October 05, 2010, 11:26:45 am
Great job. I really like that wood combo.
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: Shooter on October 05, 2010, 04:40:42 pm
Thanks again, guys. Glad you like it. Ya'll are too kind ;D

Hey, George. I use TBlll. I make sure to toast the side I'm gluing with some quick, close heat. Then a light sanding on any scorched areas, but I try not to scorch any of it. For degreasing, varsol works better than acetone for some reason.

You're right about the color. I use wet/dry sandpaper and have to wash the color out of every piece before using it on anything else. It's real slippery and hard on tools as well. And padauk splinters are no joke. Must have some kinda toxin to hurt like they do.

You're right about the finish too. Danish oil penetrates real good, even though it doesn't really seem like much is happening. Teak-&-tung don't seem to coat all that well. I can't use urethanes and the like so I have no clue how they'd work.

Bruce
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: gstoneberg on October 05, 2010, 09:43:37 pm
That's good info Bruce, thanks.  You made a beautiful bow.

George
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: Josh on October 06, 2010, 01:12:24 pm
What a nice bow... Tiller and finish work look real nice.  I've always wanted to try Padauk as a bow wood but have been scared of it fretting as I have heard it is notorious for.  It is one of my favorite woods to work with though.. I have included it into a bunch of my handle risers and knife scales.  You have inspired me to try it in bending portions of a bow now.  Got this fine weapon bookmarked for October BOM contest.  :)
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: bowmo on October 06, 2010, 01:24:37 pm
Good lookin' bow man! I've heard bad things about padauk as a core wood, only used it sandwiched between bamboo and osage. Nice job, hope that thing hold together. Seems like it could be like bloodwood, get a couple hunderd arrows through it with no negative signs and then BOOM.

dan
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: Shooter on October 09, 2010, 07:07:29 pm
Thanks, Josh, sounds good. Give it a go your own self.

Dan, thanks. It's approaching 500 shots as of today. I'll keep my fingers crossed ;D
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: AncientArcher76 on October 09, 2010, 07:11:12 pm
Smmoth lines great color combo congrats on a fine bow!

AncientArcher
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: Story Teller on October 10, 2010, 01:13:05 am
Wow, Shooter!  Color me green with envy.  Thanks for sharing.  You have provided a wealth of tips from working to gluing to finishing high-oil woods too.  Great!

Story Teller
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: Cameroo on October 10, 2010, 01:46:26 am
I just got a bit of a chubby from looking at that thing.  :o  What a beauty! Those tips look great.
Title: Re: Padauk Longbow
Post by: adb on October 10, 2010, 04:04:23 am
I just got a bit of a chubby from looking at that thing.  :o  What a beauty! Those tips look great.

 :D :D :D