Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Allen7 on June 09, 2008, 04:02:18 am
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I was inspired and amazed by Keenan's Syringa Bow. It is really a work of art. It gave me the idea to make a bow out of wild rose. I have been making arrows out of wild rose for years. I had a big wild rose "stave" drying with bark on for quite a while. It was not straight and had a big kink in the middle, but was determined to give it a try. Spent most of this weekend on it. It turned out to be a pretty reasonable lightweight bow. It is a one piece selfbow, 67 Inches in length, 30 lb pull @ 28 inch, and no backing. It pulls fairly smooth back to a 30 inch draw. I put the kink in the middle of the bow at beginning of upper limb, just above the grip. I tillered it and shot it about 50 times with the bark on. Occasionally, the bark would crack and pop and make scary noises. Shot another 75 arrows with it after removing the bark and finishing it. Did some flight test shots out in my pasture - shot several 440 grain arrows about 155 yards. Here are a couple photos of my kinky wild rose stickbow. I think it will be a keeper!
Allen - Happy Knapper
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Thanks for showing us, a great bow! I really prefer to see bits of wood turned into bows like this, whatever the poundage. I love my Chekmate Longhorn, and I want a Shrew one day, but nothing will ever look better or be more satisfying than a simple wooden self bow made from the materials found around us! Wild rose, a romantic name, maybe you have a daughter or niece it would suit that would get the bug and pass it on down the line?
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That's just too cool. I would never have thought about using rose as bow wood, haven't seen any around here big enough. Awesome.
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Oh God Hillbilly, now we have to look for some "Rose" for the stash. Will it never end? ???
Dick
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Dick, hopefully not any time soon. :)
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Nice job Allen,never would have thought it.Tiller looks good and sounds like it will fling and arrow. :)
Pappy
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Very nice tiller Allen, I'm with Hillbilly never saw Rose used before.
It don't get that big up nerth here so I doubt I will find any, good to see a different wood used :)
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That's a really cool bow.
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Lovely bow, I enjoy the beauty of such a simple and elegant weapon.
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Cool bow. Did it take much set? Is there still a pith inside it when it gets that big?
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Simply Awesome Allen, Good for you, taking a new wood with challenging character and seeing what is possible ;D I love it ! This is the kind of pioneering that helps us all learn. I'm sure someone, somewhere has done it befor but seldon did we hear of what has been accomplished befor the internet and sites like this with people sharing knowledge. You nailed the tiller on that one. Congratulations. ;) Keenan
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After seeing how Syringa worked out for Keenan, I thought this should work. Wild Rose stems are similar to Syringa and make tough arrows. We have huge patches of wild rose thickets along the rivers here. This particular rose "stave" was cut during a work party out at our local archery range, while pruning the trail on the field course. Someone was about to start wacking it with a machete and I screamed "Stop, I want that one!" At the time a couple of the guys thought I had gone nuts, because I was so excited about it. This wild rose stem has a fairly small pithy center. The groove near the limb tips is from removal of some of the exposed pith. So far the bow has only taken about a 1/2 inch set. We'll see how it does after a couple hundred more arrows.
In the photo; I am shooting one of my primitive wild rose shafted arrows with the wild rose bow. I have a sister named Rose Marie, who is a bit on the wild side. If I give it away - it will go to her.
Allen (Happy Knapper)
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thats sweet! ;D i love seeing people try new things
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Excellent self bow. Good for you.
The rose family includes serviceberry, hawthorn, chokecherry, oceanspray, and, of course, willd rose. All are good bow woods in the hands of a patient crafter such as yourself.
J. D. Duff (Oregon) made a wonderful bow of yew backed with oceanspray for a BOM winner last year.
This is a great entry for June Self BOM.
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Durn, Allen, I think you could make a bow out of a popsicle stick! Great job. Thanks for stretching our imaginations.
Dan
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Way ta go Allan!! I messed around with wild rose while I lived in Illinois, makes tough arras, oughta make a tough bow, you sure got the proof right there.
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thanks for posting your bow.
I have a bit of wild rose I am drying. Second from the right.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/100_0571.jpg)
What's your thoughts on the wood? Weak in comprsssion is my guess.
Mark in England
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Very unique. ;)
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nice looking stick, i love the way that tap looks running up the tip, i have a pop ash bow that has that too. great looking piece- Ryan
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Nice Allen! Going to make one myself when I get a chance and find some Rose thats long enough.
Now where are you getting such thick peices of rose???
David T
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Very nice bow. Great tiller! Jawge
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Nice work on that one.
Bruce
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That's cool, We don't have any wild rose down here that big.
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ya know, allen, that you should be a little bit more selective on the people you hang around with. Keenan is a highly infected individual who preys on those who are unsuspecting by showing them strange bow-like inventions ;D just think, you could have kept yourself from getting pierced by thorns while stripping the bark off this stave, had you not seen Keenans syringa bow you would not have been forced to think outside common principles and know bow woods :o but then, you wouldnt have had the pleasure of creating a bow from a relatively unknow bow wood, congrats! now you are officially addicted and need to ask Dr. Keenan for therapy ;D seriously though, that is a great looking bow. now I have to go out and start on another syringa bow ::)
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Allen, That's the kind of bow which inspires others to dive in on unique woods...You defiantly have to be one of the first to make a bow from Rose. Nice work!
Rich-
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Great looking bow. When I first read wild rose I thought arrows. I didn't even realize it was a bow until I opened it. :-[ Justin
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I have not sealed the Wild Rose bow with a finish yet. I don't have any bear grease/oil. I guess I could use Crisco. I don't want to use polyurethane stuff. I was thinking about rubbing it down with Tung Oil. Any suggestions?
Allen - Happy Knapper
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Allan7,I often use mineral oil on bows like these because you can drink it if you are constipated so its "natural" and doesn't change the wood much. It's usually much cheaper to buy from the drug store as opposed to the wood places.
They just look at you funny when you step up to the register :o :D
Rich-never constipated
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Crisco works pretty good allen, use a heat gun or hair dryer to soak it in real good.
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Very impressive to take a little known wood and make a very nice bow from it! ;) Who knows what wheels are turning in folks heads from seeing this bow and wondering if some other wood might make a good bow as well.
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Allen,
Can I ask my question again?
I like your bow and have some Wild Rose drying I want to make into a bow.
What are your thoughts on wild rose? Any idea what it is good or bad at? Any knowledge to pass on?
I have seen that mine has split badly where rabbits had removed the bark close to the ground, so drying looks like an issue.
Any tips you have on Wild Rose as a bow wood would be much appreciated.
In the pic of the tips is looks as though you have the pith groove showing? Is that right? Any problems at all with that central pith section?
Mark in England
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Mark: I couldn't see the photo you posted. Any checking is not good. However, it might work if checking is kept in the middle and doesn't run out on the side or ends. I had a little checking on one end but had enough length to cut it off. Yes, I did remove the central pith where it was exposed. It is weak and I figured it would crack and fall off anyway. Don't worry about the pith that is buried inside the bow. I kept the belly of the bow fairly flat and haven't seen any sign of compression problems. I carefully scraped the dried bark off, till I was just to the first white woody layer. Also I carefully smoothed the back of the bow with light sandpaper and burnished with piece of bone. This is the very first Rose bow I've made also.
Allen
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Nice bow!
Rose is up there among the very densest woods here. I still haven't gotten my hands on a bow-sized specimen, but preliminary tests indicate it'll make a great bow. Swedes have been making rose bows for quite a while, especially quickie survival bows. Seasoning large-diameter rose stock without excessive checking is a chore, IME.
Tuukka
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Very nice bow, neat idea, too!
Sean
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That's a really nice bow Allen
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After a lot more shooting - the wild rose bow is still intact. I've lost track of how many arrows shot, but certainly in excess of 500. It is showing some signs of stress, with a few frets/lines near the knots on the belly. However, it is still performing well, and with minimal set.
I will have it with me at the Cascade Locks Rendezvous (Columbia River Gorge, OR) this weekend 6/27-6/29.
Allen - Happy Knapper
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Very impressive! its funny cause i was out walking with my wife the other day and i saw a wild rose bush almost big enough for a bow. i said to her, "man wouldnt it be cool to make a bow and a set of arrows from wild rose!" she just rolled her eyes... ;D
Phil
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Mark: I made a little short bow of wild rose a while ago. Don't have the photo with me right now, but I can give you the stats: about 36-40 inches long, drew to about 30lbs at 24 inches, with the limbs bending almost entirely out of the fades. Little to no set. I don't know if I just got an amazing piece, but from what I saw the wood is amazing. Will try to post photos when my computer starts behaving again.
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:'(why the heck do yall do this to me?
i caint even get a bow out of a piece of oak now im determined to make one out of:
silver maple
ceder
ironwood
sourwood
and recently added, wild rose.