Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Flntknp17 on November 26, 2020, 01:09:09 pm

Title: Finished my Shortest Bow Yet....Old Osage and Bamboo
Post by: Flntknp17 on November 26, 2020, 01:09:09 pm: This story starts in 1996 and makes a wonderful full circle for me. I was in high school and I was totally obsessed with making bows, but I had no access to any worthwhile bow wood. A kind gentleman (Gary Hutchison) at the local archery range was an experienced and talented bowyer, and he invited me to come with him to Kansas in the summer of 1996 to collect some osage. My parents were good enough to let me go and we cut a bunch of logs and took them home in his horse trailer. I made two excellent bows in 1997 after the staves had dried enough to be useful, and I kept the rest in the rafters of the garage at my moms house. Then I went to college, grad school, got married, had three kids, and am now mid-career at work. Its been 24 years since I cut the wood and a few pieces remained.

I took one out earlier this year. It was a limb and not a trunk, and it was over 30 rings to the inch and fairly wavy....following a ring on the back was going to be near impossible, and the piece was only 52" long since it was a limb split. I decided to make a BBO and flattened the back. The stave had taken about 3" of natural reflex over the years. I glued on a nice piece of bamboo using TB3 and didn't add any extra reflex since it already had some. To my surprise and delight, the bow came out extremely well and it shoots nicely and draws a full 27". Definitely the shortest bow I have made that is full-draw. I'm so happy that this special wood made a bow. I can't quite explain how special that wood is to me since it launched my life as a bowyer and its a big part of who I am. I have two pieces of that same tree left. The bow pulls 54#@26" and I plan on using it for groundblind hunting and stalking. I dyed the bamboo with latigo leather dye before finishing and I like the contrast. The grip is tanned deer hide.

Matt

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Title: Re: Finished my Shortest Bow Yet....Old Osage and Bamboo
Post by: bassman on November 26, 2020, 01:25:27 pm: Nice work ,and good draw length for a bow that short. Bamboo backing is strong stuff. 54 lbs. should dispatch a white tail easily.
Title: Re: Finished my Shortest Bow Yet....Old Osage and Bamboo
Post by: Black Moshannon on November 26, 2020, 02:20:40 pm: That bow looks sweet. Also relieves my worry about my 62.5 inch elm bow that’ll bend 27”.
Title: Re: Finished my Shortest Bow Yet....Old Osage and Bamboo
Post by: bradsmith2010 on November 26, 2020, 02:23:23 pm: beautiul bow nice work, what a special bow,, enjoy :)
Title: Re: Finished my Shortest Bow Yet....Old Osage and Bamboo
Post by: Sagebrush on November 26, 2020, 04:24:35 pm: Looks sharp!!! I can never get my stains that dark. Where does one get stain for their latigo?
Title: Re: Finished my Shortest Bow Yet....Old Osage and Bamboo
Post by: bjrogg on November 26, 2020, 05:00:52 pm: Nice bow and story Matt.
Should make a sweet hunting bow.
Bjrogg
Title: Re: Finished my Shortest Bow Yet....Old Osage and Bamboo
Post by: Kidder on November 26, 2020, 05:13:24 pm: What a super cool bow - the thing oozes sexiness! Love the color contrasts and the bend is immaculate. Great work!
Title: Re: Finished my Shortest Bow Yet....Old Osage and Bamboo
Post by: Flntknp17 on November 26, 2020, 05:18:49 pm: Quote from: Sagebrush on November 26, 2020, 04:24:35 pm
Looks sharp!!! I can never get my stains that dark. Where does one get stain for their latigo?

This is the one I used

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/transtint-dyes-dark-walnut?gclid=Cj0KCQiAwf39BRCCARIsALXWETxI0W6km_513Jgg6WgM2KIbgoFZ1f-KLbl6NcfIcPYXs5Op7puZKxgaAisLEALw_wcB# (https://www.woodcraft.com/products/transtint-dyes-dark-walnut?gclid=Cj0KCQiAwf39BRCCARIsALXWETxI0W6km_513Jgg6WgM2KIbgoFZ1f-KLbl6NcfIcPYXs5Op7puZKxgaAisLEALw_wcB#)
Title: Re: Finished my Shortest Bow Yet....Old Osage and Bamboo
Post by: Pappy on November 27, 2020, 06:07:26 am: Nice job, beautiful bow. :)
Pappy
Title: Re: Finished my Shortest Bow Yet....Old Osage and Bamboo
Post by: Swampman on November 27, 2020, 06:14:41 am: Great use of some special wood. That is a very nice bow.
Title: Re: Finished my Shortest Bow Yet....Old Osage and Bamboo
Post by: RyanY on November 27, 2020, 07:04:24 am: Nicely done. Very Dean Torges-esque.
Title: Re: Finished my Shortest Bow Yet....Old Osage and Bamboo
Post by: Morgan on November 27, 2020, 09:01:33 am: Great story and awesome short bow. You got a lot out of that 52 inches
Title: Re: Finished my Shortest Bow Yet....Old Osage and Bamboo
Post by: Bob Barnes on December 02, 2020, 07:39:07 am: great story...awesome bow...you have that working to the max at full draw... it should really fling an arrow. :OK
Title: Re: Finished my Shortest Bow Yet....Old Osage and Bamboo
Post by: Santanasaur on December 03, 2020, 09:13:00 am: Nice one flintknap, very sharp bow and great tiller
Title: Re: Finished my Shortest Bow Yet....Old Osage and Bamboo
Post by: mmattockx on December 08, 2020, 11:14:54 am: Congrats on wining BOTM, it is a beautiful piece of work with extra sentimental value added.

Mark
Title: Re: Finished my Shortest Bow Yet....Old Osage and Bamboo
Post by: Flntknp17 on December 09, 2020, 09:46:07 am: Thanks Mark! I really appreciate it. I was so happy when I got something useful from that piece of wood that I saved for so long.

Matt