Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: GregB on April 03, 2007, 06:24:35 pm
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This is the latest bow I've made, and one of the most challenging. It was a very knarley piece of Tn. osage, and I wondered more then once if it would make a bow. I originally laid it out 1-1/2" in width. While using dry heat to attempt to remove a bad deflex dip in the upper limb right out of the fades, a bad crack on the belly appeared at that spot and went out the edge of the bow. I might have been able to glue and wrap it, but instead decided to narrow the limb to 1-1/4" to remove the crack. I removed the entire 1/4" from one side of the bow to get rid of the crack. This would make it the narrowest adult osage bow I've made. I had to live with the dip in the limb because I couldn't remove it. The bow also had cracks at each tip running between grains. My first inlays were also added to this bow to remove the cracks. I wanted to put copperhead skins on the bow, but between the skins Pappy and I had on hand, we didn't have a set long enough to cover the full length. So I left the last 6" to the tips bare osage and wrapped the end of the skins, also a first for me. All previous snake skin backed bows (rattlers) were running full length of the limbs.
The bow is 60-1/2" ntn, 1-1/4" width to 3/8" tips, and 48# @ 26". The dip in the top limb makes the tiller look off, but I think the tiller is decent, and tweaking more would have removed more weight which I didn't want to do.
I'd like to say that I've learned a lot from many of the folks on this site. Many of the fine bows I've seen and the great information freely passed on encouraged me to take risks with this bow that I wouldn't have taken before. :)
Before you ask, I havn't got any full draw pictures...Pappy will have to post some the next time he gets on. My digital camera crapped out on me, and I had to take the pictures with my 35mm camera and put on disks. The film was on two different rolls, one of which (the one with the full draw pictures) was apparently loss by our local Walmart Store. The wife is going to check again this evening to see if they've found the roll, but probably will be out of luck. So...Pappy, can you help me out with the pictures you took with your camera? ;D
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Here's some more pics...
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and here's the last of them...
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That is pretty. I actually think I like it better with the 6" of yellow wood at the ends, than if the snakes were full length. I love the black overlays too. Just all around one heck of a piece of art. I guess that wraps up BOM for selfbows for April, and its only the 3rd. Justin
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Soooooeeee! That's a fine lookin' weapon, Greg. My favorite osage bow is a gnarly lil' crooked splinter like that, and I went through a lot of the same stuff making it, sounds like. Good job! 8) 8)
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Thanks Justin and Hillbilly, your nice comments mean a lot to me. You're a couple of the guys I was talking about that I've been learning from! Thanks again! ;)
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well, i'd say it was worth the effort. beautiful bow. i like the stitching on the handle. since she's so narrow, did you test her with badger's mass formula?
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Man that's a great looking bow. I've been waiting to get my hands on some copperhead skins for awhile now. I knew they would look good. You just proved it. I really like the way the ends came out. You did a super job....Chris
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Greg, No wonder that thing came out so kinky if you learned from those two Bozos. ;D
She is a real beauty! I usually leave the skins short on bows so the string and the skin don't get messed up when stringing. It gives the bow a cool look 8)!!! Nice work Greg. Pat
ps. good thing you didn't have to toast this stave! ;)
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Man that is one heck of nice lookin bow! I kinda like the way them skins stop shy of the end too with the wraps. High five on makin it all work out, obviously worth the effort.
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Great lookin bow Greg!...love the skins. Ain't that gnarly Osage a hoot...LOL Nice work on a challenging stave!
R
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I reallly appreciate your kind words about my bow. It feels good to know that fellow bowyers appreciate my work! :)
Marius, I havn't applied Badgers mass formula to this bow. I was just striving to get to make a workable bow hopefully with decent weight. The flaws in the wood forced the direction I took with the bow. I would like to learn more about Badgers technique though...
Chris, I'm really happy with the brilliant color that came out from the skins. I didn't darken the back prior to applying the skins, don't know if that would have made any difference or not.
Pat, sorry but I have to include you also with that elite pair of bozo's you mentioned! I knew I'd seen short skins used like this before...;D
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very nice bow greg! glad the stave worked out for you. 1 1/4" is pretty narrow! did it take any extra set because of it? i also like the looks of the skins stopping and showing off the osage. the skins look awesome! ill have a set of copperheads soon and will have to get a piece of osage because they look great on that color wood! your handle also looks great and all the colors work together on that sweet looking bow! -jesse
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Thanks Jesse! I just went and messured for set. It is holding about 3/4" of reflex at this point after shooting over 100 arrows out of it. Having said that, I had reflexed the bow prior to tillering which offset some of the potential set that any bow would get from tillering. Also the natural dip out of the fades in the top limb is in a deflex direction.
My wife just got back from Walmart and they found the missing pictures. Here are some including full draw...
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What a beauty, graceful, almost looks like it wants to duck into the wood pile it's on top of. I really like the color of copperhead skins, one day I'll have to score some and give em a try.
can't wait to see the full draw when you get them, If you can tiller a snakey pc like that you're reading wood well.
VB
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That's one wonderful bow there. I'll bet Pappy conviced you to post it in April instead of March, Right? Because it would have made a worthy competitor to his snakey bow, lol.
Sean
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Man that is a real beauty Greg, love every bit of it.
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Thanks Justin and Hillbilly, your nice comments mean a lot to me. You're a couple of the guys I was talking about that I've been learning from! Thanks again!
Greg, I'd be pretty damn suspicious of anything you learned from me ;D
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well Greg I think I have seen that before and it is just as nice as I remember.I will post the full draw pic. I have in the morning.
I know what you went through on this one and can appreshate the effort.Every bow has it challenges but this had more than
than its share.Job well done.Now lets go shoot something with it. ;D
Pappy
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I appreciate the nice comments everyone. ;)
Sean, Pappy's bow is a great looking and performing bow with a lot of character. I'm sure he wouldn't have minded any competition...we're all trying to do our best. I'm sure there will be a lot of great looking bows posted for April as well...too much talent around for there not to be. :)
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Thanks Justin and Hillbilly, your nice comments mean a lot to me. You're a couple of the guys I was talking about that I've been learning from! Thanks again!
Greg, I'd be pretty damn suspicious of anything you learned from me ;D
Hillbilly must have taught you how to fix it. Because I'm pretty darn sure I taught you how to crack that sucker to begin with. ;D Justin
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Outstanding work Greg. You done that piece of wood justice. The skins look great. Did you find any morels when you were in the woods. They are out thick in southern Missouri right now.
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Greg, You nailed the tiller on this difficult bow. That full draw pic is spot on!!!
I had an interesting situation a few years ago with a copperhead backed osage bow. Sitting in my tree stand with the bow across my lap, the sun had set and I prepared(I thought) for the last 30 minutes of the day. About that time, the rufus sided towhees and brown thrashers, both ground birds, began their leaf flipping in search for bugs. All of a sudden one of the brown thrashers flew up to a branch near me and then he began dive bombing me. After about 10 minutes of this, I figured that no deer in his right mind would come near where I was so I got down and headed to camp. The next evening I was in the same stand and the same scenario. That damn bird drove me out of the stand again and I headed back to camp one more time...them I realized that the copperhead is the enemy of these ground birds and he was after the snakeskin backed bow, not me. So watch out when hunting with a bow covered with copperhead skins. Pat
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very nice, great attention to details Greg.
nice pile of osage ;)
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Greg, Very beautiful bow ..I really like the yellow on the outer limbs as well..Never seen that before,maybe you are the first ;D Impressive skins too!
Rich
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Marius, I havn't applied Badgers mass formula to this bow. I was just striving to get to make a workable bow hopefully with decent weight. The flaws in the wood forced the direction I took with the bow. I would like to learn more about Badgers technique though...
greg, i meant comparing the outcome with the theory. i did the calculations based on the data you provided and came it came out to 15.5 ounces, plus the weight of the skins, wraps and overlays. it would be interesting to see where your bow stands, simply because it came out so narrow.
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dang it everyone else has already said what I would have said.
Sometimes the school of hard knocks is the best way to learn and it appears that you have learned much from that
lil bit of Osage. She's a beauty. Keep em comin eh.
DanaM
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GregB wanted me to post some full draw pictures so here they are. ;D
Pappy
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Thanks alot for all the great comments everyone! I must put Pappy at the top of that group of bowyers that I've learned from. If I have any tillering abilities at all, I've learned the most of them from Pappy.
Marius, if we can come up with an accurate scale, I'll weigh her.
Rich, nope I'm not the first...guilty of coping PatB's idea.
Thanks alot Manny and Shannon, you guys make beautiful bows, I appreciate your feedback! No Shannon, I've looked a couple of times, and havn't found any yet in an area at the club that usually has them.
PatB, I'll keep that in mind this fall. Never had that problem with rattler backed bows, but maybe the copperhead might be different.
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That came out really nice Greg. I wont lie to you though, I like full length skins better, but I know sometimes you gota work with what you got. Nice Job on a hard stave, good save on the cracks and every thing.
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Hanna had to get in the picture,she loves attention.Ryan reckon he could make such a good save on the toasted Osage. ;D
Pappy
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Greg, I never had the problem with rattlers either. Pat
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Ya, to bad he already cut it half. A raw hide backing and a little scrapping and she could of been a shooter! lol..... ::)
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Ryan, that stave was toasted through and through! Just as black in the center of the limb as on the outside! Last time I tried, I couldn't walk on water...so don't think I'd stood a chance saving that stave either. You might could have though! ;D ;D ;D
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Greg,
Excellent work as always. I love the struggle and the problems you overcame on this bow. Great job on the skins and overlays. Beautiful work of art. Can't wait to see you in May. I have some interesting wood to work on.
Dan
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You've got me convinced you know how to make a classy bow! Great pictures! Got your fine bow bookmarked for April Self Bow of the Month.
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Hi Greg,
what a nice bow. A piece of art.
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Wow, that's a real looker! :o
I love the handle wrap. And the tiller looks right on to me.
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Thanks everyone!
Dan, looking forward to seeing you in May and see what interesting wood you're working with.
Thank you Old Bow, Andrew, and Gordan...really appreciate your kind comments! :)
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Greg you going to bring her out this weekend to play.I would love to shoot the range with
the 2 snake bows. :)
Pappy
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What a great bow. I hope you nail a lot of good shots with it.
J. D. Duff
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Thanks J.D.
I'm sure the bow is capable, I've got to work some on my end of it! :)
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man, the more i look, the more i like those skins. they are beautiful.
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Appreciate the comments guys. We spent most of the day Saturday cutting firewood for the Tn. Classic. I've bend trying to work out stiff muscles shooting my bow today. I'm really pleased with how it's shooting. Even though it is a little lighter in weight then I normally make, I'll probably be hunting with it this fall. I can't believe I'll make another one between now and then that I like more, unless maybe a Ryan recurve possibly...we'll see. :)
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We got a chance to shoot some Sat.I was very impressed how the bow shot.Should do fine on a big old fat whitetail. :)
Pappy
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By the way ,the good shots were mine. ::)
Pappy
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Greg, in that last pic, you could pass for one a them snake-handlin' preachers ;D
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Somebody gut shot bambi. ;) ;D Justin
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Justin, that was Pappy! ;D
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Thanks J.D.
I'm sure the bow is capable, I've got to work some on my end of it! :)
I can't hit a garbage can at twenty paces with a 72" bow, let alone a shorty like that. ;D I'm sure you do fine.
J. D. Duff
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J.D., I do okay when I can draw back, touch anchor, release and follow through. Problem is I've had target panic for several years now, and when I reach anchor I often flinch my hand forward...sometimes I catch it, sometimes I launch the arrow and you better not be anywhere within a 180 degree radius in front of me! ;D Might be exagerating a little, but I have been trying to beat this thing and although I've made improvement I'm no where near as good a shot as I once was. :'(
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Greg try shooting with yer eyes closed from about 5 feet, concentrate on the draw and release by closing yer eyes it takes the target
outa the picture ie less distraction. I think I read this somewhere seems to make sense. Just be sure of yer backstop!
DanaM
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...also, you can close your eyes, come to full draw then let down. this way you are controlling your release. Pat
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I didn't see that before. Really beautiful. With my vision though, the skin acts as such natural camo that I can't see that part very well.. Delicate tips.
Dave
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The way I shoot you would think my eyes were closed all the time. ;D ;D
Pappy
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Thanks Dave! Pat and Dana, I've tried those techniques and have no trouble doing either one without flinching. The visual definitely is part of the problem with me in target panic. I think it has helped, but I probably don't solely practice those techniques long enough (maybe weeks?) to get out of the target panic. I get impatient after a couple of days of shooting with my eyes closed and want to shoot regular again.
Don't let Pappy fool you, he's been shooting good here lately. He had a problem short drawing and has been making a lot of progress lately getting out of it.
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Greg remember patience is a virtue or so I hear ;D
DanaM
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Beautiful bow Greg. I was wondering how copperhead skins would look. With the kind of persistence and determination you've shown making such a work of art, you can beat any shooting problem. :)
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Thanks for the kind words of support! I guess if I'm ever to get back to shooting with confidence I'm going to have to make a serious effort to try these techniques long enough to get over it. Don't know how long that could take...?
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That is one cool lookin bow!Love the skins,the character and all the pics.You've have some great talent and patience to make a shooter like that.
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Thankyou Hammertime, I really appreciate it! Having access to all the freely given experience available here should allow anyone with a desire to learn to create some really nice bows! :)
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Now you have done it Hammertime,the roof on the bow building shed is not that tall
and now with that big head GregB may not be able to get under it.We will have to raise
the roof. ;D
Pappy
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Lucky you were'nt six foot tall before you got into bowbuilding Pappy, or we would have had to raise the roof on the bowshed already Mr. 2006 Selfbow of the Year man! ;D
Oh, did I mention Mar. BOM for 2007 also...how could I forget! ;)
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I weighed my bow yesterday with a scale I had for wine-making in grams. It weighed 593 grams which if I've converted correctly is just over 20.9 ounces.
The bow is finished and had a string only when weighed...
Marius had asked about its physical weight, and I've been tardy supplying that...
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The way I shoot you would think my eyes were closed all the time.
You're supposed to open your eyes?
:D
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PepeLep I tried that and it didn't help. ;D
Pappy
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GregB was you using this bow on the Turkey you missed,maybe he saw the skins and thought it was areal snake and jumped,YA that is what happened. ;D ;D Never go to the woods without an excuse and that would be a good one. :)
Pappy
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GregB was you using this bow on the Turkey you missed,maybe he saw the skins and thought it was areal snake and jumped,YA that is what happened. ;D ;D Never go to the woods without an excuse and that would be a good one. :)
Pappy
;D ;D ;D At least one. Justin
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Yeah, I was using this bow yesterday when I shot under a jake in my back yard. I think the fact that I was standing on my driveway drawing on the gobbler in his full view might have had something to do with it! ;D
That's what happens when you get home from work, look out the window and see a gobbler standing on your drive, run down to the basement and string your bow, and then try to ease out the basement door to get a shot before he gets out of range.
Had this same scenario with a young buck 7-8 years ago, and actually got him with a bow. He just made it out of the yard before he fell. Sometimes you got to take advantage of your opportunities when they present themselves! ;D
Of course I would have preferred to get up at 3:00am, and set in a treestand for hours in the cold first if given the option. ;)
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Ahhh Huh right Greg, don't think ya convinced me ;D
If all else fails use the truck. ::)
Dana
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great bow, man - .....and really nice pictures of it, too!!!
frank
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Thank you Frank, nice to have you back after a short while of unwanted distraction! ;D
I took it stump shooting a couple of times this past weekend. Lot of fun! Trying to get my shooting skills to improve a little... ;)
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It is a fine BOW and I know you had a good teacher......Keep up the GOOD WORK....It shows chatacter..........