Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: ken75 on January 06, 2012, 04:22:05 pm
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well ive been out of bow building for about three months now. thought i would grab a crepe myrtle stave and see if i could remember how to tiller one. here is my attempt at a short ambush bow . Crepe myrtle stave 50 1/2 inches on the nocks, osage overlays and just a plain old stave no heating just scrape the bark off and tiller. finished 46 lbs at 27 inches . 1 1/2 wide at the handle tapering to 3/8th tips . hopefully this will get me back in the swing of building and the next few will get better. enjoy
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couple more
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Nice, Ken. Like riding a bike, right! Sure love the shorties. That Crepe Myrtle is good looking.
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Nice bow ken ;)
Cipriano
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He's baaaaaack!
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Oh that's nice!! :)
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Yup...looks like ya lost it alright ken...try again buddy ;) :laugh:
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Very nice little bow Ken. Glad to have you back building bows again. Full draw couldn't get much better. Well done! 8)
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That is real nice,like em tips too.
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Another great shorty Ken. Your bows are really nice...
Jon
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Yes Sir!
That is Cool as Heck!
-gus
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PS.... Welcome back Elmer.. Hope you stay awhile ;)
Cipriano
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Looks like ya steam bent that around a perfect circle.... 8) very sweet indeed!!!! like the natural back too.
rich
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Yes Sir,
Your Crepe Myrtle bows are beautiful.
They have me eyeing the trees around the parks and houses in my neighborhood... >:D
I cut a buncha Crepe Myrtle with bows in mind, down in South Texas while dove hunting back in October.
Had no idea they were wild down south of Freer.
Did you stain this bow or did it just come out dark?
-gus
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thanks guys for the nice comments . forgot to mention this is ebony stain lightly added
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Beautiful full draw!
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Nice Ken, that's beautiful. Love the brace and full draw pictures. I have a CM stave I need to get after (along with several others). Glad to see you back at it.
George
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Sweet Ken! Tiller is dead on as usual. Isn't Crepe Myrtle nice?
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Lawd have mercy...you have done done it again.
Love your work, do some more.
Lane
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Very nice primitive look to that bow- well done.
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beautiful bow
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thanks gentlemen for the nice comments , CM has become one of my favorite woods . no matter how small diameter the limb is you can make a bow , it will take wide and flat or narrow and deep. once again thanks guys nice to be back to work on them
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good to see you back Ken, sweet job on the bow. beauty of a full draw.
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Man I like that Ken.... sweet little Gobbler Grabber :)
You've got this shortie thing down!!!
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Nice bow! I just cut a couple different kinds of crepe myrtle ranging from 2" diameter to 5" diameter. I left the bark on and sealed the ends. How long do you let crepe myrtle dry before working it?
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thanks guys . cherokee if you split them and reduce a couple to floor tiller you should be able to work on them in a week. go ahead and scrap the bark it will hold moisture. one other thing if u reduce limb width it will warp so keep full width untill dry
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A true beauty :)
I like them simple like that.
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ken you do fantastic work ,your bows are awesome .
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Looking good and I have been missing you.......was wondering where you went. LOL
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i like this. I have always overlooked all of the crepe myrtle growing around here. Bad thing is most of it is growing in the front of other people's yards. Hopefully they wont notice....... ;)
How bad is the string pinch on this 50 inch bow? I think the bend in the handle design compensates some for it, right?
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thanks tom and james . dictionary i dont notice finger pinch on my 50 to 55 inch bend thru the handles i think the design helps and im used to short bows . i usually try to leave tips slightly stiff although thats tough when u full draw one this short . need every inch workin on these. thanks for the comments and watch for cm trees to be trimmed up just before spring . most folks prune them
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thanks tom and james . dictionary i dont notice finger pinch on my 50 to 55 inch bend thru the handles i think the design helps and im used to short bows . i usually try to leave tips slightly stiff although thats tough when u full draw one this short . need every inch workin on these. thanks for the comments and watch for cm trees to be trimmed up just before spring . most folks prune them
Yea i bet, i still cant understand how you got 27 inches out of a 50 incher.
And thanks i'll have to look out for them.
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i still cant understand how you got 27 inches out of a 50 incher.
Great bow wood + bendy handle + flawless tillering = low set in an unbacked short bow. Ken is one of the best at it. Lots of us are trying to emulate him.
George
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Dictionary i think its just pure hardheadedness , i just kept trying to make them shorter. 50 inches is about as short as i can make one and full draw it. good wood helps and tiller has to be right and you cant be afraid to break it. having said that their not for everyone
George your gonna make me blush. thanks though
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Ok ken i have one more question. A common one for a shorty. i hope it hasnt been asked, feeling kind of lazy.
What about stack on this bow? And all of your short ones for that matter. Have you found a way to compensate for that? Because i imagine stack is a prime suspect for deterring accuracy.
Also i got a 53.5 inch sapling here hoping to get 25 inches out of.
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dictinary stack and finger pinch being the same . bout the only thing u can do is leave ur tips slightly stiff. and make sure the handle doesnt bend too much. 25 out of a 53 is doable halfeye has made some 25 and 26 inch draws out of sub50 inch staves. what kind of sapling is it
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That's a whole lot of bend out of that splinter, Ken. One more awesome midget bow in the books.
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thanks big jon , midgets need bows too
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I resemble that remark..... 8)
rich
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dictinary stack and finger pinch being the same . bout the only thing u can do is leave ur tips slightly stiff. and make sure the handle doesnt bend too much. 25 out of a 53 is doable halfeye has made some 25 and 26 inch draws out of sub50 inch staves. what kind of sapling is it
Maple. Not sure what kind of maple down here in GA.
And leaving tips stiff can combat stack? Well i suppose this is due to the string angle theory again. Or is it factual and not just a theory.
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maple in ga is probably sliver (soft) maple unless is north ga im not sure whats up there im in the southwest corner.as far as factual or theory i base my opinion on the work ive done , and while im not an expert i feel comfortable in my experiance . ive built 107 bows with probably 70 percent being shorter than 55 inches. finger pinch and stack are caused by the same thing string angle . circular tiller or stiff tips reflexing or length will open string angle decreasing stack