Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: H Rhodes on April 21, 2014, 04:40:46 pm
-
You always want what you can't have, right? I live where there are great bow woods growing all around me, but there isn't any yellow birch or hard maple. I had a hankering to try both of them. I sent some hickory and osage north and my friend halfeye sent me some fine birch and maple boards south.
I made a kid's bow out of a splinter of the osage that I sent him in trade. Bendy handled static 25# @25". Sweet shooting little bow that I plan to take to the classic with me. I may find a young'un that needs a bow.
I started out with the yellow birch and was not disappointed with it at all. Rich was absolutely right about it being a serious bow wood. Having never tried it before I made a pretty standard bow for me, 68" pyramid, 55lb @ 28". Dead flat after a 100 shots.
My wife looked at me like you look at someone who has fallen off the wagon and returned to their addiction and asked me "why have you gone crazy building bows again"? I told her that we could blame it on the Tennessee Classic. I am so stoked to be attending my first one this year, that I have been like a kid at Christmas. I have to do something with this energy, so I may as well build bows. I knocked both of these out last week. Here's the pics.
-
Very Nice... I've never worked with Birch - but you make it look interesting to be sure!
OneBow
-
It was a first for me Onebowonder. It will make a good bow. I have another one of halfeye's birch boards that I will try something a little more adventurous with.
-
Nice work on both Howard!
-
Great bows. I wish my kid bows looked like that. Nice work on both.
-
Thanks Slim. I got it bad these days. The wife told me "Awww, and you were doing so good...." I had only built one bow since the end of hunting season, but I am so anxious to get up to Tennessee that I just plain fell off the wagon. An addict must keep in mind what his triggers are. Reading posts from all my heros on here about the Classic just got me all fired up.
Thanks Sasquatch. Kid bows are a little tricky for me too.
-
Man Howard, that osage static is very very cool right there. Glad ya like the yellow birch, maybe round you up some staves this year.
rich
-
Thank you Rich. I started my first maple bow this morning. We will have to keep this trade route open brother! You were right about yellow birch. This bow is a screamer.
-
Nice bows. I like that little Osage static.
I made several Yellow Birch bows many years ago. It is good wood but I found that the wood is not that elastic and had a few of them chrysal on me, not at first but over time.
-
Thanks Marc. The only birch that we have down here is river birch and I haven't tried it yet. I am always tickled to try a new bow wood. These boards were extremely straight grained. I gave this one a light heat treating prior to tillering. It was straight to begin with and seems to be staying that way so far. I haven't tried it before, so I went with a pretty conservative layout on this one. Limbs are 1 3/4" at the fades. It shoots good so far. I will let y'all know how this one holds up.
The little osage static, even though it's a lightweight, has great cast. Statics are so sweet on release - I see more of them in my future.
Another pic of the birch bow... Not sure where my unbraced pic of the osage bow went. It took maybe an inch of set which left the tips still a good inch and a half behind the handle.
-
Nice work Howard, that little static is a fun one Im sure.
-
Nice bows Howard, pretty good week you had there. That little osage is just too cool and bending perfectly and the yellow birch bow came out equally as nice. Very encouraging for me to see since I spent about an hour with a piece of Rich's yellow birch myself after work today cutting in string nocks, scraping and getting it on the long string.
I think were both addicts and old half eye is the pusher. ;D
-
No need at all for that Mr. Bent >:D My worst offense maybe contributing to the delinquency of some bowyers......maybe >:D
rich
-
Thanks all. Yeah, Rich is a bad influence! He sent me the dried head of toothy Northern pike with all that stuff. Who would do such a thing? >:D here are the last two pics of them unbraced. Wife said to leave one out - said I looked like Forest Gump in the picture. What does she know?
-
Everything looks great Howard...I bet you had a blast tillering that little short osage. You better save some of that energy for the classic, hope you enjoy yourself.
Don
-
Those are a fine couple of bows Howard. I lithe the kid bow a lot. Some one should be very happy :)
-
Very nice man! My hands are swore from burning off that pre classic energy as well. Love the kids bow. I'm going to try to make one like that for my little one soon. See you at the classic!
-
Man I didn't know the Classic had such an effect,guess I better watch out for all the addicts showing up. :-\ Them are some really cool bows,the little static is sweet.Bend is prefect,the Birch is sweet also but that little bow is a real eye catcher,tell the wife I am sorry about that,hope you get it under control when you return. ??? NO I DON'T. ;) :) :) :) Nice work,looking forward to meeting you in person,I can already tell you are quite the character. ;) :)
Pappy
-
I'm really diggin em both Howard! I'm looking forward to shaking hands and howdyin' with ya! Josh
-
Thanks Don. It seems to be actual work that saps my energy levels. Working on bows? Heck, I am happy to do that till I fall over! Are you not going to make it to the classic?
Thanks IdahoMatt. Even though my son is all grown up, I still try to make a kid's bow every now and then - usually by accident. :)
Rob, Pappy, Josh - thank you guys. I feel like I know y'all already, but I am sure looking forward to meeting you in person. Won't be long now!
-
They both look nice, I never have tried yellow birch, I made some from a local birch years ago it seemed pretty good for such a light wood.
-
Thanks Badger. Was that river birch that you tried? That's all we have around these parts and I haven't tried it yet. This yellow birch is a light weight wood, but surprisingly strong. I am looking forward to trying a different style bow with it.
-
heck i'd be all jacked up like a spider monkey on mt dew if I was going to the classic too >:D
-
heck i'd be all jacked up like a spider monkey on mt dew if I was going to the classic too >:D
Ha! Funny how you sensed that I am a diet mountain dew freak! Great bowmaker's drink - habit forming, tastes great, and enough caffeine to choke a horse.
-
No Howard, sadly to say I'm not going to make it this year...Life and work are keeping me on lock down, I really wish I could go and meet my friends face to face and shoot a few rounds. I know by seeing previous posts that you guys have a blast...I plan to go someday though. Have fun and hope you guys have a blast and the weather is beautiful for you.
Don
-
Those look real good Howard. See you in TN. :)
-
Very nice. Both of them.
-
Well Don I hate that you aren't gonna make it this year. Hope to meet you in the future. Maybe you can make the classic next year.
Thanks Parnell. See you Thursday.
Thanks Arrowind.