Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: sleek on July 01, 2015, 01:46:17 am
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(http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i411/rocketernally/20150629_195726_zpsvoh1eqhs.jpg) (http://s1092.photobucket.com/user/rocketernally/media/20150629_195726_zpsvoh1eqhs.jpg.html)
I spent the weekend with my good buddy lebhuntfish and made massive amounts of wood shavings. Decided to try a boo cedar glue up to make some kids bows and get some experience making laminates. Goal was 30@26 to allow room for growth and never actually grow out of them.
Well, after the glue dried and before cutting the profile I decided the blank was too flexible. It wouldnt make weight after being cut out to profile. Solution? Rip a few thin belly lams of beautiful fleck white oak. Now.... I find myself wishing I hadnt. Getting the bows down to weight seems impossible even with side tillering and rounding the belly. Perhaps I should have trapped the back. However with the one tillered bkw coming at 45@26 I dont think it will get weight far enough down. So.... these bows are a fail. Gonna have to make adult bows and leanlrn my lesson. It doesn't take much cedar...
So.... this build marked a number of firsts for me....
first realnattempt at a laminate, not just trying to boo back a failed bow, first time making power lams, first time with cedar that didnt blow up, first time making a bow that is technically a failure because the weight is too high ( how often does that happen? ), and first time using white oak.
Over all, its a happy mistake.
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(http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i411/rocketernally/20150629_181821_zps4wizcmsm.jpg) (http://s1092.photobucket.com/user/rocketernally/media/20150629_181821_zps4wizcmsm.jpg.html)
Braced... made a few tiller corrections after this.
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(http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i411/rocketernally/20150629_195501_zpspiupfttz.jpg) (http://s1092.photobucket.com/user/rocketernally/media/20150629_195501_zpspiupfttz.jpg.html)
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(http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i411/rocketernally/20150629_195507_zpsatibxinn.jpg) (http://s1092.photobucket.com/user/rocketernally/media/20150629_195507_zpsatibxinn.jpg.html)
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Final weight, 45@26, probably 50@28 as the draw curve shows exactly 5# in gain for ever two inches pulled.
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Very cool Sleek! One of these days I would like to try a trilam, but I don't have the tools yet to rip laminations. Someday! Thanks for sharing your "failure" :laugh: Never had one fail by being overweight ;)
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Thanks willibow, its actually easy to do. I used a belt sander to get flat surfaces and a bandsaw to rip lams off boards but you dont need either tools.... its just faster that way.
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(http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i411/rocketernally/20150701_094732_zpsh1icifjk.jpg) (http://s1092.photobucket.com/user/rocketernally/media/20150701_094732_zpsh1icifjk.jpg.html)
I forgot to include pocs of the belly... oak with amazing rays in it... heard it refered to as fleacking?
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(http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i411/rocketernally/20150701_094724_zpscopimwni.jpg) (http://s1092.photobucket.com/user/rocketernally/media/20150701_094724_zpscopimwni.jpg.html)
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Nice. I've got both of those tools, so maybe it is a possibility. Now to learn to setup the bandsaw to rip and make straight cuts...
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I just use my tablesaw to rip them
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Very slick Sleek :D :D but I think you could have stuck a couple more species of wood in there ;)
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Well, I was using what I had.... one species of grass, cedar, sapele for the power lam, and white oak for the belly. Interesting combo but once finished I bet it wont look to bad...
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You never mentioned Sapele ;D ;D
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You never mentioned Sapele ;D ;D
Oh, my bad...
And I still have tip over/underlays and a rest to add.... more opportunities for other species...
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Willibow, next time I am up at Patrick's house, I will make another and do it as a build along tutorial for you. Its really simple. I know Patrick wants to make another and I for sure want to build one on a form he has....
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His form is Terrible and so are glue lines in a bow. Hahaha. I'm just kidding. Bring it to moral and I will break it for you. .. I mean shoot it for you.
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Both bows are coming with me to mojam. I just got the other one to brace. The one pictured so far is going to be Patrick's. His is a slightly rounded belly. I did that to help reduce weight without loosing too much belly lam. Maybe it makes a difference or not idk.
Mine I just got braced and instead of working the belly lam I cut profile, thinned the belly just a touch for even bending, then trapped the back for further weight reduction. Trapping the back worked great... so far. Point was to touch the belly as little as possible because its already thin. Im at 30#@18 inches and my plan is to make both bows identical in weight/length and compare chrono numbers. However, in trapping the back, the tips are a touch unstable and bend sideways a bit. Hopefully further weight reduction will reduce that. If not, I will open up the tips and insert a bone or some other stiff laminate in there to make it stiffer.
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(http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i411/rocketernally/20150701_215854_zpsrq0qh1qz.jpg) (http://s1092.photobucket.com/user/rocketernally/media/20150701_215854_zpsrq0qh1qz.jpg.html)
And here is number two. Poor tiller, but it is what it is now. 45#@26.
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(http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i411/rocketernally/20150701_215738_zpsjfcgcjat.jpg) (http://s1092.photobucket.com/user/rocketernally/media/20150701_215738_zpsjfcgcjat.jpg.html)
I flipped the bow end for end looking for the best tiller. Not sure it made much difference?
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The second bow took 2 1/8 inches of set. Probably not going to be a good shooter. Thats interesting because I figured trapping the back would give me less set not more... The first bow took 1.5 inches of set, not too bad. Im at a loss for the difference. Perhaps its the poor tiller on the second bow causing the excessive set.
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Thanks Sleek, I would really appreciate a build along!
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Willibow, next time I am up at Patrick's house, I will make another and do it as a build along tutorial for you. Its really simple. I know Patrick wants to make another and I for sure want to build one on a form he has....
Hey buddy, the bows are looking good! Can't wait to get started on mine.
You're always welcome at my house and my form is always ready for more bows. I think a simple tutorial for these glue ups would be an awesome idea! Just let me know when and we can get together. Patrick
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Good looking 'failure; nice glue lines too. The white oak likely provided a little extra stability for the cedar.