Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Doug509 on January 18, 2026, 06:40:45 pm
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Been sitting on this Vine Maple stave for quite a while. Decided to get after it. 71" OAL. Bung hole in upper limb. Wonky and highly reflexed. Steam bent to align tips, then dry heat to reduce the reflex. Just starting to behave so i can begin tillering. Good times.
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Looking great so far! I've never tried vine maple but that one sure has some character.
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Looking good so far, holes I love but bug holes not so much, they can go in really strange places that you can't see. :)
Pappy
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I would have to second pappy. I would be worried about the bug holes.
Shame it looked like you were getting that one under control
Bjrogg
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It will be interesting to see how this one comes together. When you say bung hole do you mean that knot hole on the one limb?
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I believe the hole is from an old dead limb that died & rotted out and the tree healed itself by growing around it. Hopefully i can safely tiller and it doesnt break. Here is the belly side of that holy maple.
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That looks like just a knot hole to me, knot holes grow around the hole so no ring violation , un like a worm hole. I would just clean out all the dead stuff and maybe soak it in some thin super glue, be careful when you clean it out to try an not violate the rings [rings are usually thin around the hole] and it will probably be fine. I always leave some extra wood around the hole to make up for what is gone in the middle. ;)Good luck.
Pappy
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I agree. I think I was looking at bug hole on your bench maybe and not the knot in question.
I’d say it’s worth a try.
Good luck.
Bjrogg
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Looks like it is trying to split on either end of the hole, I have had them do that and generally wrap with sinew or thread on both sides of the hole to keep it from splitting wide open. Ya BJ I hadn't even noticed them bug holes in the bench :) :) and he said bung hole not bug hole, need to read closer I guess. :)
Pappy
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There is a split in the dead wood. I like the visual contrast of dark brown and white maple. Im considering Pappy's idea to wrap with sinew then saturate the dead wood with hide glue. Also didnt mean to confuse bung and bug hole :D. The upper limb with knot hole is 36" which should help spread stress I hope.
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That is definitely a challenging stave. I agree with flaking off any of the dead wood around the knot hole then filling the cracks with a thin superglue. Superglue will soak into the cracks deeper and fill them good in my experience.Use multiple applications to give each time to soak in as deep as it can, then keep adding until the cracks are full.
I would also follow Pappys advice and wrap on both ends of the knot hole.
Good luck and keep us posted.
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... Superglue will soak into the cracks deeper and fill them good in my experience.Use multiple applications to give each time to soak in as deep as it can, then keep adding until the cracks are full.
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In my experience wiping with aceton can support this process.
Yes, good luck with this stave!
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That stave has more than enough character issues to make a brave bowyer pause! Never let good sense or caution get in your way, friend. Get after it!!!
And keep posting progress pics. Some of us can't read and just wanna look at the pretty pictures.
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That is really cool. I hope you can make it work.
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I've had good luck filling voids (not that big though) with "Total Boat" flexible epoxy. I make a little dam around it with clay or play-dough and over fill it, then rasp down and shape as needed.
You could still keep the through hole for character as well. The Total Boat has qualities that makes it grab/adhere into the wood strongly while still having some give - adds strength to the area.
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It looks to me like you have it laid out really well around the knot hole. The grain around it should be good enough to trust.
Like JW said it definitely has loads of challenges, but that knot hole looks like one that’s workable.
Id clean up any loose undependable wood and leave the hole, but I kinda like holes.
Bjrogg
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This is what I call a hail Mary stave. You may not pull it off, if you do then you are the G.O.A.T, if you don't you then look brave and passionate about your craft, and in the end learn more about making bows than you ever could with a simple stave.
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I'm no GOAT. More like luckiest of all time if i pull this off. I think "Hail Mary" will be a great name for this bow if it survives. Did some tillering with Eric's tillering tool. Marking and scraping, marking and scraping.
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That's looking promising so far, the bow will be a head turner for sure with that knothole and character!
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Looks like a good start, slow and easy is the word. ;)
Pappy
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That's looking promising so far, the bow will be a head turner for sure with that knothole and character!
No kidding! Pull this one off and you'll have street cred and bragging rights in the community. Like it says in the first Bowyers Bible, anytime you feel like really going in hard and making wood move, go soak your head in a bucket of cold water. I find a 1:5 ratio of cubed ice to water works best.
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I had some trouble going from a long string to a real bow string. Tiller looked great on long string with plenty of draw weight to hit 45lbs. Once i put a bow string on Hail Mary went super wonky with one limb dead straight and the other close to 6" brace. After removing wood to acheieve even tiller I landed on a pretty low draw wt of 32lbs at 28". Upper limb with knot hole 36" lower limb 34". Wish I had another 15lbs of draw wt. Shoots an arrow real nice with no hand shock.
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Here's some pics.
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I learned that lesson the hard way - I now try to get off the long string and to low brace as soon as practical.
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I've had that same thing happen to every wonky piece of wood I've tried to make into a bow: Get it strung and it goes off, and by the time I even it up it's too light to hunt with. Still figuring out how to remedy that. But you aren't alone. And it's still an extremely cool bow. :OK