Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: DQ on September 12, 2011, 08:54:31 pm

Title: Finished My Selfbow - Photo Added
Post by: DQ on September 12, 2011, 08:54:31 pm
My goal was a simple, reliable, powerful hunting bow.  I think simple can be elegant.

My Osage selfbow is 64" ntn and 60#@28" with 1/8" of positive tiller.  This bow has been shot over 600 times and still stands straight after unstringing.  I shaped out the arrow rest with glued on leather.  The handle wrap is tanned capybara hide, given to me by a friend after he bowhunted in Argentina.  Capybara are the world's largest rodents, weighing up to 140 pounds.  (It's true, look it up. LOL)  Finish is 3 coats of True Oil and 3 coats of Spar Urethane.  This bow really shoots an arrow!  I plan to start deer hunting with it next week. 

Thanks to everyone, for the information available from friendly and knowledgeable people on this forum.

Darryl
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: osage outlaw on September 12, 2011, 08:56:36 pm
That looks very nice.  Good job.
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: DQ on September 12, 2011, 08:58:12 pm
One more
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: DQ on September 12, 2011, 09:01:21 pm
Oops, sorry.  Don't know how that triple happened.
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: Elktracker on September 12, 2011, 09:02:43 pm
WOW Very nice bow! Well done simple yet affective! ;D

Josh
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: lowell on September 12, 2011, 09:11:21 pm
Looks very good.....and I'm sure capable of getting some meat on the pole!! :)
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: Josh B on September 12, 2011, 09:27:11 pm
Beautifully done, sir!  Beautiful.
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: blackhawk on September 12, 2011, 09:45:48 pm
I think I can see the blood on her already...lol  :laugh:  that bow has hunting written all over it
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: profsaffel on September 12, 2011, 09:50:27 pm
Better than most of mine, for sure. Very nice and I'd take that hunting, better believe it.
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: ErictheViking on September 12, 2011, 09:51:25 pm
very nice work. really like the leather on the grip.
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: WolfPupTee on September 12, 2011, 09:52:49 pm
Very nice! I love simplistic designs.
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: half eye on September 12, 2011, 10:30:29 pm
Now that's a huntin bow....fit's ya, shoots hard... looks like a killer to the old guy.
rich
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: bryan irwin on September 12, 2011, 11:00:53 pm
very nice well done
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: Matt S. on September 12, 2011, 11:05:22 pm
Simple is beautiful!! That's a fantastic looking bow. I especially like how it narrows near the slightly flipped tips. Oh, and cool handle wrap, that's something not many people up here can duplicate!  ;)
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: WolfPupTee on September 12, 2011, 11:13:33 pm
I have to say one more time how awesome that bow is! I'll make one as good as that one day. Excellence.
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: ken75 on September 12, 2011, 11:34:53 pm
very nice , awesome full draw
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: MWirwicki on September 12, 2011, 11:41:17 pm
Very nice bow, Darryl!  I agree, simple is elegant.  That Capybara is definitely cool.  Miss Heather said that she wouldn't want to see a rodent that weighs more than her.  Nice tiller and oughta get some meat on the table this year.  It was great to see you at Elm Hall.   Keep us posted on the harvest!
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: Will H on September 12, 2011, 11:56:30 pm
Nice lookin bow! Tiller looks excellent! Well done.  :) :) :)
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: Ranger B on September 13, 2011, 01:01:10 am
Great looking bow Darryl.  That ought to do the trick.  Yall open up there yet?  Jimmy
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: colt on September 13, 2011, 02:07:42 am
simplicity is the beginning of beauty in my opinion. great bow for sure
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: HighEagle on September 13, 2011, 03:33:09 am
Very keen looking, bow,  super tiller job.

Make meat, Chuck
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: medicinewheel on September 13, 2011, 04:38:00 am
BRAVO!
(saw a roadkill capibara in Brazil that had the size of a M-size hog, glad it was not us who hit it...)
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: Pappy on September 13, 2011, 07:48:08 am
Very nice Darryl, Tiller looks great,simple but effective.  :) Is that the one Gary was telling me about. :) He said you was building one and doing a very good job,I see he was right. :) :) I got a good picture of you and him at ElmHall. :)
   Pappy
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: Dazv on September 13, 2011, 08:10:58 am
very very nice bow thats one to be proud of.
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on September 13, 2011, 10:05:04 am
Easy enough Darryl! I read that Capybara story somewhere? Did Denny shoot it? I love the simple bows that are built well and have NO glue on them! Good job. Looks like you had nice, thick rings on that stave as well.
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: PeteC on September 13, 2011, 10:31:57 am
Great job Darryl,that bow ought to get the coon. God Bless
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: DQ on September 13, 2011, 10:57:21 am
Thank you for the kind replies, everyone.  As a fairly inexperienced selfbow guy, I appreciate all your encouragement.

MWirwicki - I'm sure this bow is better than that broken one that "somebody" embarrassed me with at Elm Hall.

Ranger B - Thanks for your reply.  Our early antlerless season opens Sept. 15th, regular bow season on Oct. 1st.  Hope you have a great season this fall.

Pappy - Thanks, I sure enjoyed your company at Elm Hall.  Oh, by the way, that big chainsaw "Welcome Bear" bear likes it here in MI.  He thinks it would be too hot for him down in TN.  LOL

Pearl - I don't think Denny shot this capybara.  He's having his mounted.  Looked like a 120# guinea-pig!  The leather is cool though.
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: Pat B on September 13, 2011, 11:56:39 am
That is a perfect hunting bow.   IMO a true workhorse you can rely on to make meat!  Well done!!!  8)
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: DQ on September 16, 2011, 03:07:30 pm
I'll try again.
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: DQ on September 16, 2011, 03:13:28 pm
There, got the photo to work.

I don't often post "hero pictures" but I feel like the people on this forum helped me make this bow and I'd like to share my success with them. 

Our early doe season opened this week and I was successful with the Osage selfbow that I finished making last week.  My hunting bow balances perfectly in hand and carries like a dream.  At 60# it casts a heavy arrow with authority.  It shoots so quiet that the buck that was with this doe never even realized what had happened.  Complete passthrough with a Zwicky broadhead and she didn't go far.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my questions and helped with my continuing selfbow education.

Have a great fall season!

Darryl
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow - Photo Added
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on September 16, 2011, 03:40:12 pm
You lucky dog! I havent got close to the woods yet and probably wont until October. Nice deer Darryl
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow
Post by: Dazv on September 16, 2011, 03:59:48 pm
I'll try again.
HELL YHA nice shooting any chance of you making a post on the 2011 hunting section with the story of the hunt??? great job ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow - Photo Added
Post by: gstoneberg on September 16, 2011, 04:12:17 pm
Congrats DQ.  For sure that is a hunting bow.  Nice work and good shooting.

George
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow - Photo Added
Post by: DQ on September 16, 2011, 05:34:15 pm
Dazv - I tried to post on the 2011 page and it told me my file was too large.  Couldn't make it work.  Sorry.
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow - Photo Added
Post by: WolfPupTee on September 17, 2011, 07:52:54 pm
Man thats a great hunting photo! I'm so jealous.
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow - Photo Added
Post by: MWirwicki on September 17, 2011, 09:44:02 pm
Way to go, Darryl!  Nothin' beats the feeling of taking game with a weapon you built yourself.  Nice doe too!  I'm glad for you, Darryl.  I'll likely get into the woods, come October 1.

Thanks for sharing!
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow - Photo Added
Post by: Del the cat on September 18, 2011, 02:56:12 pm
Great looking bow, and it certainly does the job.
Del
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow - Photo Added
Post by: swtchbckshtr on September 18, 2011, 09:00:38 pm
wow, great bow and done killed a deer with it. sweeet, it doesnt get any better then that. congrats!!
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow - Photo Added
Post by: George Tsoukalas on September 18, 2011, 11:45:11 pm
It's a fine bow. Nicely done. Jawge
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow - Photo Added
Post by: mikekeswick on September 19, 2011, 04:12:52 am
Excellent :)
Nothing more to be said!
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow - Photo Added
Post by: Pappy on September 19, 2011, 10:04:21 am
Nice deer, you already know what I think about the bow. ;D ;D
   Pappy
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow - Photo Added
Post by: Wolfgang on January 01, 2012, 07:47:33 pm
Hi You,

what a wonderful and straight forward made bow! I like the pictures to try and make a similar one. From ash tree, as other good wood is not easily available here. These carpenters do not have, what one needs for bow making! Hence, as I haven't got much spare time and as it isn't easy to find good wood over here, I have recently switched to make bows from thin wood boards, cut at right angle to the grain, 0.18-0.22'' thick and 2''mm wide. Two of them gued together with TitebondIII after reflexing them. Of course, the handhold will be 5-6 layers, eventually of layers of different wood. So, this approach is a feasible approach to easily produce bows, to quickly learn about different sorts of wood and their behaviour, and not to have wasted too much time when the bow fails after having made principle mistakes. It is a sort of compromise between traditional, classical composite, local opportunities and the need to learn more about wood behaviour...with the goal to build traditional bows from staves...in a time where our kids learn and know more about an Xbox than about the trees and bushes in our garden.

A happy new year to all of you!

Wolfgang
Title: Re: Finished My Selfbow - Photo Added
Post by: Keenan on January 01, 2012, 11:44:54 pm
That is a great looking bow. Pure clean beauty ;)