Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: M2A on January 05, 2018, 12:36:06 am
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Hi Folks,
A few weeks ago I finished a black locust bow After 300 shots and what I thought was a good tiller it was 65 lbs at 29 inches. A little higher that I would have liked but was so pleased that it looked even I decided to leave it alone and work myself towards a heavier draw weight. This is 1st bow I have made that is over 30 or so lbs. Have about 1000 shots out of it so far and still need to get about an inch more on draw but getting closer. There is a bit of a propeller twist but not much so I left it go. I did use heat gun some to get string to track on handle and cheated string nocks over to get the rest. It developed about 3 inches of set during tillering but has remained the same since and I am happy to say there are no crystals in limbs. It does not stack, gains between 2-3 lbs per inch on draw.
Never been part of any forum before but decided that when this bow was finished I would join here...so with the help of my son I was able to get this far in regards to online stuff. When looking online for my bow questions it seemed that they had already been answered here, if not several times over. So I'd like to say thank you for helping me with all the information through the questions asked and the answers given, even if it was indirect to me. So many awesome looking bows I have seen from the folks here. I look forward to looking to see the next one each day
So below I hope pictures will work
I think pictures turned out not too bad for 1st attempt, was not thinking with full draw picture and don't have bow vertical. if you see something that does not look good let me know so I don't make that mistake again.
Thanks,
Mike
70" ntn
4" stiff handle with 2 " fades
2 " limb width at fades
.5 " at tips
antler tip overlays
65# @ 29"(62"@28")
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4736/27720269409_364120ee6d_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/JexCkt) [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/158435722@N02/]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/JeynrD](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4685/27720414419_158261e9ba_n.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/JexCkt) [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/158435722@N02/]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/21P1hEx](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4639/38600623915_ff79935259_n.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/JeynrD) [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/158435722@N02/]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/21NZPsM](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4739/38600532405_0772883f28_n.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/21P1hEx) [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/158435722@N02/]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/21P1ixp](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4733/38600626865_d361040afb_n.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/21NZPsM) [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/158435722@N02/]
(https://flic.kr/p/21P1ixp)
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Beautiful color, looks like a shooter to me. :)
Pappy
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Nice Bow sir, happy shooting!
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Welcome to the forum and congrats on that nice looking bow! (-S
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I agree.Looks like a shooter to me and in the beginning that's what counts.
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Locust can be a challenge. Nice work! Welcome to PA forum.
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Welcome to PA Mike. Glad to see you out here in the light of day. You appear to have learned pretty well by just searching in the background. I'm sure you'll be turning out some really nice stuff in the future. That looks like a nicely tilered bow and a good shooter. Sure is a great feeling isn't it. I'm thinking there's a bunch of guys on here that really don't do much on computer other than come to this site. I know I'm one.
Bjrogg
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I agree with all the above. Very good work.
Three inches is a little beyond what I like to get in string follow. I would guess the draw weight is a little beyond what locust can handle at a 2" width. When I had locust to work with, I usually went 2-1/4" wide at the fades and only tried for the mid 40s for draw weight.
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You can brag a little on this one!
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Congratulations! Looks good! Welcome aboard.
Hawkdancer
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Thank you guys for the comments everyone!
Yes Bjrogg It's a good feeling when it all works out :)
I agree Jim Davis. In hindsight I should have lightened it up to prevent as much set....I was watching the weight very carefully, somewhere between long string and full brace I lost my mind and was only looking at the bend :). I will pay more attention to that on the next one, as I have several more staves from the same log. I will remember your advice.
Thanks,
Mike
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Congrats on the bow. Looks good . Arvin
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Nice job !!!!
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Nice one!
Welcome here
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Thank you guys for the comments everyone!
Yes Bjrogg It's a good feeling when it all works out :)
I agree Jim Davis. In hindsight I should have lightened it up to prevent as much set....I was watching the weight very carefully, somewhere between long string and full brace I lost my mind and was only looking at the bend :). I will pay more attention to that on the next one, as I have several more staves from the same log. I will remember your advice.
Thanks,
Mike
I don’t believe that anyone who makes things by hand, with raw materials, looks at their finished project and thinks it is perfect. There will always be a flaw that maybe only you can see, or something that you would like to improve on. Other craftsmen who are experienced will also see these things.
You are doing that now, and it is a good thing, but you should also be tickled to death with what you have done with that stick of wood! Well done! You are off to one heck of a start and I look forward to seeing more.
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Welcome and glad to see you here. Good looking bow.
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Great looking bow! I have never worked with Locust, so I would love to know whether it was hard to tiller the bow? Also I am wondering whether it is my imagination or is the top limb shorter than the bottom?
Cheers,
Phil
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I only tried Black Locust once. There were a Lot of very thin growth rings per inch, and I used a standard flatbow design. That bow shot 3 feet left, and I have it propped up in the corner with a message: How NOT to make a bow!!!
You've done very well, and your choice of forums is spot on. I've been on most, and this is the only one now. Expert advice, some constructive criticism, some outstanding bows to aspire to, and overall a great group to share your archery passion with.
I'm only an occasional poster, but frequently look for pointers or solutions to problems. Best site for me!
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Yes Morgan I'm very please with how things turned out. To be honest I never thought of it that way you put it but how true that is.
Philipp, it didn't feel to me like it was hard to tiller this piece. Although it did take many hours with a scraper. I spent a whole day off working on the tiller and using a new made tillering gizmo, I was just having fun and before I knew it I had been in my shop all day :) A good edge on a scraper seems to work for me, I found that by trying to work too fast with a rasp can cause unwanted tear out in a hurry. The bow limbs and fades are even and I shoot 3 under. It could very well be the angle and/or background. Hard to find a good photographer when its 5 degrees outside. lol
This stave had nice sized growth ring Barebo. The cold has slowed me down a bit but when I get a good release it has lots of zip compaired to the lighter bow I have been shooting. You should maybe try it again someday :)
Thanks, Mike