Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: bradsmith2010 on March 05, 2016, 03:04:27 pm

Title: 42 inch black locust sinew bow, pics of paint handle and string added
Post by: bradsmith2010 on March 05, 2016, 03:04:27 pm

  this is a project I have had on the back burner for a while,,the black locust stave I started with had some issues and I could only get 42 inches out of it,, so I sinew backed it several months ago,,
  I have always been curious about the Native bows that were under 40 inches long,, why they did that,, and were they effective for hunting etc etc etc,,,
  could I learn to shoot one well enough to hunt with it,,this little bow answered alot of questions,, it was quite easy to obtain close range accuracy ,, I was very surprised as I tillered the bow,, the arrow nearly always went where I was looking,, yes I could hunt with it,, I shot it through the chrono today, to see if it would kill a deer,, yes it would,, 142fps with a 500 grain arrow,, 55#@ 20 inches of draw,,, I think I could go one or two more inches of draw, and get more speed,,, but my arm is tired,, 55# at 20 inches is pretty stout for me,,
  the bow is in rough state,, pay no attention to my masking tape serving,, I was having so much fun with the bow just wanted to share it  in its almost complete state,, hunt able,, but not so purty,,the arrow I have been shooting is 55#spine sitka spruce, ,it flys good, but I think a shorter dog wood shaft would be better,, I plan on working on that asap,,
   the unbraced photo is just unstrung,, it gains a more at rest,, I had to take the photos with my timer on and the camera on a chair,,,so its a bit out of focus,,
   one of the really nice things about the short bow,, is you can shoot it sitting flat on your butt waiting for a big turkey,, I will definitely take it into the field or deer hunting this fall if I get the chance,, :)
 

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow almost finished
Post by: Oglala Bowyer on March 05, 2016, 03:20:31 pm

Looks real nice Brad. I'm not so sure about the masking tape serving string, it probably doesn't need it.

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow almost finished
Post by: JonW on March 05, 2016, 03:30:03 pm

Way cool man. I love the short bows.

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow almost finished
Post by: Stixnstones on March 05, 2016, 03:51:44 pm

I like it, bet its a screamer.

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow almost finished
Post by: half eye on March 05, 2016, 03:57:17 pm

oh....oh.....me to, me to
Love me a nice short bendy....and thats a good one
rich

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow almost finished
Post by: Fred Arnold on March 05, 2016, 05:11:04 pm

Brad, nice little bow!! You've got the tiller spot on. Great looking bow.

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow almost finished
Post by: Badly Bent on March 05, 2016, 06:24:28 pm

That bow and a dogwood shoot arrow would be a cool combo to take a turkey or deer with for sure.  It's holding some good reflex in the unbraced side profile with the heavy draw weight, nice work Brad.

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow almost finished
Post by: George Tsoukalas on March 05, 2016, 07:26:16 pm

Came out great, Brad. Excellent tiller. Jawge

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow almost finished
Post by: Redhand on March 06, 2016, 08:53:34 am

Excellent job on that shorty. These bows are fun to shoot. Nice job.

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow almost finished
Post by: mwosborn on March 06, 2016, 09:39:04 am

Impressive bow!

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow almost finished
Post by: Stick Bender on March 06, 2016, 10:14:26 am

Sweet looking bow Brad wonder how your going to finish it out I'm sure it will be spectacular love those short native bows .

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow almost finished
Post by: dragonman on March 06, 2016, 12:36:52 pm

very nice, I have never made a bow that short!!! interesting to try one!....looks like you made a good job of it though.....how far do you you think it would pull safely?

dave

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow almost finished
Post by: simson on March 06, 2016, 12:48:43 pm

Great work, Brad! Looks like an authentic weapon. The tiller is awesome.

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow almost finished
Post by: Aaron H on March 06, 2016, 07:19:00 pm

Very cool shortie

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow almost finished
Post by: Floridabowyer on March 07, 2016, 08:05:36 am

Everything about this bow is perfect. Awesome job Brad! I need to try BL soon.

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow almost finished
Post by: bradsmith2010 on March 07, 2016, 10:46:10 am

thank you guys for the positive comments,, I really appreciate the positive input,,
Dragoman I am on the conservative side of how far to pull a bow,, I think this one would pull safely to 21 inches,, thats about normal for a sinew bow(draw being half the length of the bow),, that being said, I am sure it would draw further,, but I don't know if it would be safe :) the tips are not recurved so at some point the string coming off would be an issue,,also I have never made a black locust sinew bow, so was concerned if it might fret,,,,but is has held up nicely,,  I would not want to push it any further,,with my limited experience with sinew and black locust,,

Stick Bender,, I have an idea to finish it,, I have some nice rawhide strips for the handle, and I plan to paint the back to give it some protection from the weather, I will put the base coat on today and post pics as I go,, also I have a sinew string to try on it,, and started working on some dogwood shafts yesterday, got the feathers on one arrow and want to test it and see how it flies today,,  :)

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow almost finished
Post by: bradsmith2010 on March 07, 2016, 03:47:12 pm

I painted the back black,, and not sure what else I will do design wise,, it looks nice simple,, less is more,, but let me think a day or two while it dries and see what happens, the dog wood shaft seems to fit the bow and the sinew string is waiting to be fitted to the bow when it dries,,, the handle is raw hide from a drum repair, african goat,,

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow, pics of paint handle and string added
Post by: Aaron H on March 07, 2016, 03:49:56 pm

Black never goes out of style, I like it

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow, pics of paint handle and string added
Post by: rps3 on March 07, 2016, 08:31:40 pm

Looking good.

Title: Re: 42 inch black locust sinew bow, pics of paint handle and string added
Post by: Peacebow_Coos on March 08, 2016, 12:16:10 am

Nice work  I like the shorties too, just have to get used to shooting them!