Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: jaxenro on August 28, 2016, 07:07:54 am
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Snapped like a dry twig when I pulled it to about 6".
So I started a second one using walnut backed oak. The first one was walnut backed mahogany I didn't have a lot of hope for it anyway, mahogany not being a good wood for bows, but it was what I had in the little wood pile.
I think the outer limbs were too thick and it was doing too much bending in the handle area.
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How did the first one break? was it a backing failure or did the belly collapse? Knowing this will help build a successful mini-bow.
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Belly failure. Iknewmahoganywas kind of brittle. I ordered some better wood just waiting on it. Lemonwood, Yew, and Rosewood for the belly
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Build it about 5 feet longer next time. It'll hold up at a 6" draw. :)
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Build it about 5 feet longer next time. It'll hold up at a 6" draw. :)
Thought of that but it would look silly shooting a 8" shaft
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So I am working on the second one but am new to the tillering process. If I understand correctly I need to work on the left limb to make the bend more match the right. Should I also be trying to get more bend in closer to the tips on both sides?
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You do need to get both limbs bending the same. I like to use a digital camera and upload the photo to a laptop/tablet so I can see the whole bow - it also means I can hold up something circular, like a saucer or CD, to the image and see how fair the curve is.
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Kind of like this? Handy I can take a photo at each progression and work it until it matches the circle
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Just like that. Limb on left needs a few scrapes to balance with the right limb and both limbs need the tips bending a bit more.
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You need to tiller a miniature using exactly the same process as a full sized bow.
Del
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Trying to. Notice I am using a long string to start with and working one step at a time
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Seems like everything needs to be like full size. I ordered my mini Bodkin points will see if they print. Now I just need to find some mini goose feathers, or the equivalent, and some mini yew staves and I will really be cooking. The staves will probably be the hardest
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Great idea
I would try to just find some smallish branches of maple or something.
I should try a mini compression pine bow..
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One of these times I will get one to stay together. This one is Walnut belly Oak backing I think I am tapering the limbs too much and making them too slender which is why they keep snapping but I will get it.
Anyway still need to do some work on the right limb the left looks ok to me. The thin line between the walnut and the drawn circle is the oak
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Getting really close now, looking much better :D
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This is number 4
Number 1 was Mahogany far too brittle
Number 2 I snapped the limb stupidly bending it unevenly to string it
Number 3 snapped at a pin knot in the wood
But I learned something from each one. It isn't like snapping a big one the cost expense in the wood is minimal and time to make one also minimal. I can shape one out with a plane, sand to 100 grit, and get it on the tiller in under an hour.
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Do you use these bows to terrorize coworkers when in meetings?
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Was thinking of mouse hunting
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I'm sure you could take a rat with one of those ;)
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I'm sure you could take a rat with one of those ;)
Depends if it's the elected kind
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You're making the classic mistake of squashing the circle to fit the tiller shape, instead of adjusting the tiller to match a circle. You can use an ellipse instead of a circle depending on your final goal, but don't force a shape to fit a bad tiller.
At the moment, you've got hinges in both midlimbs, and the tips are way too stiff. The middle is bending unevenly, which is why it's leaning to one side. If you get that braced to a full brace height you're going to make the bow fold up midlimb, and it will probably fail again. Work on the middle section to relieve stress in those two hinges and then get it to brace height to see what the tips are doing.
Use a full circle (or slight ellipse) and scale it up or down to fit the tiller shape, instead of squashing it until it sort of looks right.
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Ok thanks - think I understand what your saying which is why I posted the picture so someone could tell me where I am wrong
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Another one on the tiller
This one is walnut backed by oak with a layer of very thin silk ribbon in between
tips are "ebonized" walnut
I left the limbs a lot thicker seems a lot sturdier
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Oak backed Walnut should do a mighty fine bow, if the tiller's spot on, it should work great, all you need now is elbow grease and good luck!
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Do you make normal sized bows as well?
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I made two a half dozen years ago but after moving a few times and downsizing, losing some tools, and the rest when I restarted I just wanted to try miniatures
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I am trying to learn how to do this. I took some off the outer limbs to get them bending more but based on the latest photo what needs to be done next?
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To my eye the left limb where the arrow shows is too straight?
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All of the bend is in the middle. The tips and midlimbs aren't doing anything.
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That's what I thought I keep taking it from the tips and middle trying to keep it even and get more bend
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taking from the tips and midlimb? you might have to thin it some and not just narrow
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Sorry if the terminology I used is wrong.
I am mainly removing wood from the belly to get more bend (?thinning?) and even out the bend and some from the sides (?narrowing?) but at this point mostly from the belly. I left the belly fairly thick to start (in relation to the size and thickness at the middle) so I would have some bulk there to remove
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So I finished this one the tillering is a little off and the string really needs to be replaced with something better but I get the full 7" draw I wanted and it shoots my little arrow across the room faster than I can see it
Oak backed walnut with a shellac finish