Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Kidder on February 28, 2023, 08:56:49 pm
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Hi everyone. Here is my most recent bow and first bow to come out of my new shop. It’s about 66 inches tip to tip. The stave presented some interesting issues. There was a hollow knot on the tip which created a challenge to bend. There was also about 30 degrees of propeller twist through the handle and fades. I ended up adding twist to the limbs to compensate instead of taking twist out because it was in the thickest part of the bow. Probably not ideal but it worked out. The sapwood gave me issues thinning cleanly and seemed to tear downwards (maybe my drawknife wasn’t sharp enough?). But since it was to be a hunting bow I opted to back it with rawhide so no issues. I got lucky also - I did all my heat corrections and then applied the rawhide before bracing it. Fortunately the tips lined up perfectly otherwise I’m not sure what I would have done. Lesson learned. The bow came in at 55lbs at 26” with 1/4” positive tiller - more than I wanted but the finger pressure seemed fine and it shoots great so I can live with that. Dyed the rawhide with leather dye. Lightly scooped the fades with a spoon carving knife. Tips are Buffalo horn. Finished with tungoil finish then Truoil. The tungoil never really dried on the rawhide so eventually I buffed it all off. Hope to take it elk hunting this fall.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52717834977_5ca19ad843_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ojuFFg)Rawhide backed yew (https://flic.kr/p/2ojuFFg) by B Kidd (https://www.flickr.com/photos/192182575@N03/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52718845168_8c8ede0eb1_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ojzRYm)Rawhide backed yew (https://flic.kr/p/2ojzRYm) by B Kidd (https://www.flickr.com/photos/192182575@N03/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52718684399_5781245212_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ojz3bt)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2ojz3bt) by B Kidd (https://www.flickr.com/photos/192182575@N03/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52718845563_a5bb516473_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ojzS6a)Rawhide backed yew (https://flic.kr/p/2ojzS6a) by B Kidd (https://www.flickr.com/photos/192182575@N03/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52718351261_077da284b9_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ojxk9H)Rawhide backed yew (https://flic.kr/p/2ojxk9H) by B Kidd (https://www.flickr.com/photos/192182575@N03/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52718619564_5a226190d3_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ojyGUC)Rawhide backed yew (https://flic.kr/p/2ojyGUC) by B Kidd (https://www.flickr.com/photos/192182575@N03/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52718619544_69afb9952e_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ojyGUh)Rawhide backed yew (https://flic.kr/p/2ojyGUh) by B Kidd (https://www.flickr.com/photos/192182575@N03/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52718619154_5d3178dde6_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ojyGMy)Rawhide backed yew (https://flic.kr/p/2ojyGMy) by B Kidd (https://www.flickr.com/photos/192182575@N03/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52717834677_103bbca3ee_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ojuFA6)Rawhide backed yew (https://flic.kr/p/2ojuFA6) by B Kidd (https://www.flickr.com/photos/192182575@N03/), on Flickr
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Nice work. I bet it will make a sweet hunting bow.
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That’s a sweet looking bow. Looks like a smooth shooter.
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beautiful,, congrats,, :)
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Great looking bow. Good luck with it in the elk woods.
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Cool bow. 8) :OK
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Tricky stick to make a bow from. I always hate twist in the handle and fades. Real nice finished bow!
Mike
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Nicely done sir. Glad to see stuff coming out of your new shop.
Bjrogg
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Very nice work, beautiful bow and should be a good hunter. :)
Pappy
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Very nice bow! I hope you are successful with it on a nice bull elk this fall.
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:BB :-D nice
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Cool bow. Is that an ornamental yew the bow is laying on? Sure looks like it :)
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I thought the same thing Pearl Drums when I looked at it….. yew on yew
Cool looking bow Kidder. Looks like an elk killer to me.
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Thanks for the kind words fellas. I’ll have to look closely when I get home, but I don’t believe it is a yew bush, but you have me thinking though!
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Looks great .its good to have your shop back in action. I share that feeling.
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Not sure what happened but she blew at full draw and pieces went flying. The rawhide even separated. Second shot after putting string silencers on it. Bummer.
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Man, that really sucks Kidder. What’s up with the yew bows. If memory serves me that’s 3 that have failed recently to people on this site. And of course I’m building one right now and am a little nervous.
Shame that happened, it was a really nice looking hunting bow.
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Real shame, that was a nice looking bow.
Let's see some close ups of the belly/fragments. Any knots or major grain run off?
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I have two Hypotheses. There is a dark spot at the highest part of the break that looks like a tiny bit of rot. Or it looks aweful dry. I’m shocked how the rawhide itself delaminated.
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Wow, that thing really exploded. That’s pretty scary looking. I’m like you about how the rawhide didn’t hold up.
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Grain looks plenty straight enough, and no obvious pins let alone large knots. Backed, but still broke comprehensively in tension. Very frustrating.
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That sucks kidder! Mine recently exploded on me like this. Mine was a violation in sapwood. Just curious did you do much heat correction on this bow? Yew dose not like to be heat corrected too much it gets brittle. I’ve pushed the limits on yew in the past and paid the price with trying to heat correct too much.
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That sucks kidder! Mine recently exploded on me like this. Mine was a violation in sapwood. Just curious did you do much heat correction on this bow? Yew dose not like to be heat corrected too much it gets brittle. I’ve pushed the limits on yew in the past and paid the price with trying to heat correct too much.
Minimal heat corrections as I recall. Some but not tons. I wish I had a moisture meter…
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Man that stinks, I know Yew makes a great bow but over the years I have had that happen for no real reason I could see, guess that is where we came up with the saying a few years back 'Osage is King" "Yew is queen" ;) :). I just finished one myself and have put a few hundred arrows through it but still think on this very thing from time to time. I have seen them go for no reason at all, guess they just didn't want to be a bow. :-\
Pappy
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My guess is you got too aggressive when thinning the sapwood. Even rawhide won't save the bow when that happens - I know this from experience.