Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: anasazi on November 08, 2012, 07:40:54 pm
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I am having a hard time figuring this one out the stave is tree of heaven and is 48 3/4 ntn i am getting some bend out of it but need a bit more ( to say the least) it looks to me like the left limb needs to bend a bit more i also think it needs to bend a bit more in the handle a buddy of mine is not really thinking so so i am out for other opinions at the moment hoping to get 50 to 55# out of this one
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Trying to get the pictures to post
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Given the history of this wood, you will be lucky to get a bow of the wood. It loves to break. Make certain you have a good thick ring on the back, and not the crumbly stuff either, the thick dense ring is best.
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Ive never tried it but have heard the same as Sleek
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I second ,...or third or whatever number we're on. very tension week. That is a pretty short length to get a bow from this wood IMHO. You could try backing with linen cloth or the like. If you do heat it for whatever reason, do it in a well ventilated area. Got a little queasy after that attempt.
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Does any one know how the compression wood is. Would rawhide or sinue work to back this wood? I have plenty of both lying around.
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I would say sinew or flax or rawhide, if the compression wood isn't good enough already you could heat treat the belly to make it stronger, i plan on doing that with any compression week woods,(i.e. Red oak, Hickory, ect.) It will not be as natural, but it will probably make a better bow than a natural one would. In my opinion, i like bows that shoot well, are fast, and have low hand shock. if that means backing it and such to get a nice bow and decent performance out of it, then i would do what i need to. I will say though, there is something to be said for those gorgeous self bows that people like druid, blackhawk, and all those others(a lot of them out there just the first two that came to mind) They all make some wonderful bows, but i don't think they use the tree of heaven for it. Most use things like elm, hickory, osage, yew, black locust, hop horn, ect. So as for nice looking ones like those, i would imagine sticking to woods like the ones i mentioned would be best for beautiful looking self bows, other than that, "trouble wood" should be backed and the like to give it some safety and help it become a bow. This is just my opinion, but i think a large number of the bowyers on this forum would agree with me. Oh and i would also make sure that the back of the bow is down to a nice ring anyways just to avoid any problems, even if you back it you could run into a problem so just make sure that there is a nice ring before backing it, also do any heat treating and bending BEFORE you glue any type of backing on. most glues will fail with heat, so its best to go with the heat before the glue. Hope this helps, GL on your bow.
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I would love to try some other woods only problem is sage brush and pine are most of what growes here every once in a while i can find choke cherry or service berry most any thing else has to come from some ones landscaping which gets a little tougher