Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => HowTo's and Build-a-longs => Topic started by: Elktracker on November 21, 2011, 08:56:47 pm
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Ok so here is the sapling I am going to start on its a Ocean Spray (Iron Wood) and is hard to find a good sapling with any size in most places but I have some decent size stuff in my area on the coast (Netarts).
This particular sapling is 1" at one end and 3/4" at the end toward the ceiling. It is pretty darn straight and has a small crook near the grip wich should be nice because it will help get me more of a center shot and arrow spine shouldnt be as critical because the arrows wont have to flex around the bow as much. I should be able to get some progress done on this tonight and tomorrow.
I am shooting for 50# at 26" of draw and will leave the handle area stiff, this sapling is 68" long but I may have to shorten it if I under shoot the draw weight but we will see what happens
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_102728.jpg)
This is the side profile of the sapling, as you can see it has a small amount of reflex. The back of the bow is facing up in this picture. I have trimmed a small amount of the one limb with a band saw to remove some checking or cracks in the belly of the bow to see how deep they went and I am all clear.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_104839.jpg)
Bear with me as I only have usually 1 night a week to work on bows but ill try not to drag this out to long ;)
Josh
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Ok so first I will show you the main tools I use to tiller.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_181601.jpg)
Then there is the tiller tree
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_181613.jpg)
The stave press I was gifted from John Strunk, a vice will also work with something in it to protect the wood while working on it.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_181648.jpg)
My very messy shop/basement/dungen sorry about the mess!
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_181820.jpg)
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So the first thing I do is measure the length of the stave I am working on and find the center, after finding center I decide what limb will be my top limb. When deciding on this I look at where the string will alighn down the stave from end to end and if its not down the center I like the string to favor the side of the bow that the arrow rests.
Also I take into account knots, twists, turns or rollercoaters to determine how I want the bow layed out. I usually try to make the stronger looking limb the bottom as it is usually taking more stress then the top limb.
Once I decide what limb is top I go back to the center mark and measure up toward the top limb 1" and make a mark, then I measure 3" down from the center mark toward the bottom limb and also mark it, This will be my grip and it will be a 4" grip. This is what it looks like when its marked out. Also this is just the way I lay out a grip because it balances good in my hand and its the way I have always done it.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_182500.jpg)
The next thing I do is start my limb thickness taper, I start the taper right off of the grip, this is called the fades where the grip fades into the limb. While doing this I am constantly standing back looking at the limb to spot out any thick spots and also feeling for them as I go, always being very carefull not to get caried away and take to much wood off. Its real easy to turn a 50 pound bow into a 30 or 40# bow if your not carefull and rush things.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_191622.jpg)
And here it is after I have it where I think its a even taper from the grip down to the tip
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_190029.jpg)
After this I check to see how its bending and to what we call floor tillered, in the picture you can see its not a perfect arc (and it should be closer) but I had it bending good so I moved to the other limb and when that was floor tillered it was ready for a string (not going to go into making strings). Also for me I like to get the limb bending a fair amount before cutting string grooves and long string.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_192303.jpg)
Then I measure out the tapers for the tips, I like a light tip, it makes for a fast smooth shooting bow. I start the measurment at 1/2" at the tip and I will take that down as im finishing it
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_185225.jpg)
I usually come back from the tip around 9" or so with the limb tip taper but its just a number you can do what works for your particular bow.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_185259.jpg)
Then I carfully cut them out, I always cut on the outside of the line to allow for human error.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_195652.jpg)
And this is what it looks like once cut out
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_185704.jpg)
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Then I start the string grooves, I measure an even distance from the center mark out each limb to mark the string grooves. I file them in at 45 degree angle roughly.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_201529.jpg)
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_201654.jpg)
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_201707.jpg)
Then I sand the rough sharp edges smooth so they dont damage the string.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_201823.jpg)
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_201859.jpg)
Then I fix a problem I found earlier
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_205738.jpg)
I use this stuff it soaks into small cracks well and works great, it is a little spendy but cheaper if you buy it by the case. and notice what it says NO SKILL REQUIRED so for me it is perfect ;D
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_205937.jpg)
Then I clamp it for 15 minutes or so.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_210118.jpg)
Then its up on the tiller tree for a light work out and a check of the tiller, I see a couple stiff spots on both limbs I will need to fix but thats another day.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_204934.jpg)
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_204533.jpg)
Also if any one wants to throw out suggestions comments or concerns let me know thanks.
Josh
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Also I wanted to add a little test I did on this Ocean Spray and it is tough stuff! it was almost folded in half before it broke and this pice was just shy of 3/4"
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_210626.jpg)
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_210718.jpg)
Then I let off to see what it looked like not bad at all, this stuff is tough as nails and really springs back!
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_210742.jpg)
Then I went for it
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_210807.jpg)
right befor it whipped out and cracked me in the ankle lol
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_210819.jpg)
Then I killed it >:D
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111121_210844.jpg)
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I'm really looking forward to seeing how this one come out.
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Thanks DAZV I am too! I am hopeing I dont blow it lol if I come in under weight thats ok too, I may try heat treating this bow to, not sure yet.
Sorry the pictures are crappy but I am forced to use my cell phone now so it is what it is. Also I am going to leave the bark on as this is how John Strunk does it with his OS saplings and I think it looks pretty good.
Josh
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great build along, looking forward to your next posting
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great build along, looking forward to your next posting
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Thanks turtlecreek! :)
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thank's for doing this Josh, I like seeing how different guy's work with woods i haven't used, and a bark on sapling bow is just cool, Bub
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Thanks bubby I am gonna get some work done on her tonight ill update my progress tomorrow. ;D I have never done one quite this small but I have seen some OS bows John Strunk has made and they turned out beautiful with the bark on
Josh
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Ok so I got a chance to work on the bow for a while last night and didnt make a ton of progress but here is what I did.
So first thing I did was got the bow back up on the tree on a low brace height like 3" and gave it a few pulls never pulling further than the intended draw weight or farther than I need to see where there may be a spot I need to take more wood off on the limbs, where the limb isnt bending enough.
Here are the spots I was seeing that needed some scrapeing with the pocket knife.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111129_204037-1.jpg)
After I mark the spots with a pencil I give each spot about 10 to 15 scrapes.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111129_204310.jpg)
After taking wood off where its not bending I exercise the bow a good amount, I short draw the bow in my hands about 30 times and then check the tiller again on the tree, at this point I have got the bow up to the 6" brace height I usually go with but sometimes I mess with the brace as there is usually a sweet spot I have found between 5 1/2" and like 6 1/4" but that could just be in my head
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111129_203952.jpg)
The left limb looked ok to me but the right still had some issues
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111129_204052.jpg)
Then out of no where I got a bright idea that I wanted to try heat treating this bow and while doing so add in some reflex. I have heard good things about Ocean Spray and heat treating so I figured I would give it a try and see what happened, plus I could see I was going to be under weight and hoped to add a few pounds by heat treating.
This is the process of how I heat treat a bow and add reflex. The best way would probably be to build a form and have a better setup for the heat gun but I do things kinda the hillbilly way as you have seen
This is how I clamp the bow to add the reflex
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111129_211718.jpg)
Then I have my heat gun holder, here is how it ballances on the bow. Not the nicest setup in the world but it works ;D
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111129_212235.jpg)
I use oil on the wood while heat treating it as it helps the heat soak in and keeps the wood from burning, you can use any cooking oil.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111129_211700.jpg)
I turn the heat gun on the low setting and just watch for the wood to turn a golden brown, it usually takes about 5 minutes or so in each spot.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111129_214228.jpg)
This section has been lightly toasted
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111129_214236.jpg)
And here is the limb after it has been completely finished and then I let it cool completely before un clamping or it wont hold the reflex.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111129_224252.jpg)
I wasnt sure how much reflex it would hold but it ended up holding more than I though it would, here is what it looks like now. It might be a bit much but we will see how it goes. I still need to do the other limb and also after heat treating you want to let the wood rehidrate because at this point it is dangerously dry and the chances of breaking are allot higher.
I will let it sit for a minimum of a week in a cool place to get the woods moisture content back up then bring it back into the house where the bow will live when not being shot.
Here is a shot of the one limb that has been heat treated and reflexed ( I hope not too much)
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111129_230208.jpg)
I will heat treat the other limb as soon as possible and then wait a week or more for the wood to get the moisture content it wants to have. Thanks for looking
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i got worried for a second until you said you only did it to one limb ;)
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i got worried for a second until you said you only did it to one limb ;)
What do you mean I have already done both limbs ??? the last photo is the unbraced profile ;D ;)
No truthfully yes I have to add the same amount of reflex and heat treat the other limb lol I am hoping she will hold together for me but I think it will, this is very strong wood!
Josh :D
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nice build-along josh, I am working on an ocean spray sapling too... love the stuff so far!
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Thanks aaron! I look forward to seeing yours done! Cant wait for the glass buttes! less than 4 months to go ;D
Josh
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josh how much reflex are you shooting for, look's like about 4"? Bub
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bubby
I really wasnt shooting for a set amount just wanted to add some while heat treating and yes I got about 4" in this first limb and will try to match that. As you saw I havent taken the time to build a form so my reflexing isnt as controlled as it could be, I just do it by eye and it works. I did notice that the heat treat really stiffened up the limb I have done just from the feel of it.
Josh
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josh you can just put a block under the handle clamp it and then clamp the tips down and do the whole bow at once, Bub
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Thanks bubby That is what I usually do but I started heat treating the bow at about 11:00pm and was finished with the one limb at around 12:15am so I was ready for bed so I just did the one limb knowing it would take another hr or so to finish the 2nd limb ;D I will clamp the other limb the same way you see in the picture so it should turn out the same or at least close enough for me ;) :DThank you for the tip though!
I want any one following this to know I value all of your thoughts and suggestions so if any one has any suggestions tips ect. please share them I will always take others info or suggestions into account and its good to have on here for guys who might be just starting out or the guys who have been doing it for a while to learn new things and maybe add there methods or ideas. Thanks!
Josh
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Hey guys I am sorry I havent had allot of time to work on this the last week I have been making christmas gifts for my family so that has been keeping me busy :D
I got the other limb heat treated and reflexed while I was working last night so here is how it turned out. I think it will work out just fine, now I just need to wait for this thing to rehidrate a bit before bending on it. Sorry for the dellay, I wish I could do this full time! ;D
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111206_204643.jpg)
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Josh I just found this thread. Great job on the Bow build, that is coming along very nice.
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Thanks Keenan it will be under weight but I think it will make a good bow for my wife if it makes it :)
Josh
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Great build along
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Thanks Turtle I wont be able to make any progress untill after christmas as im busy making gifts but that will give plenty of time to rehidrate :) Thanks again
Josh
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Makes me want to try some ocean spray, looks like some super tough stuff
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Ya it is tough stuff! I just went out today and found a great spot to get it and ended up getting about twenty awsome saplings! Im pretty excited about them. Got them all sealed up and in the basement.
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How big around are they?
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Most of them are around 1 1/4" but some are as big as 3 1/2 at the base ;D and they are were mostly all cut around 70" long! This spot I found them in is sallal thats up to your chest in spots or even over your head so the OS grows very clear and straight to long lengths. I have also notices that most of the best stuff I find grows very close to the beach in sandy soil on the edges of steep, brushy coastal forest land.
Another thing I have found is OS likes to be narrow limbed bows vs wide limbed kinda like Ipe if you dont narrow the limbs up you wont have much wood left by the time your at your desired draw weight unless your building a warbow. :D
Josh
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Looking forward to your progress
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Again sorry for the delay on this bow, finished up all my christmas gifts so I will be back at it after christmas or maybe sooner hopefully.
Josh
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Ok so this is where the bow ended up after heat treating and and reflexing and it lost some of that reflex I think. I seem to have forgot where you measure to measure for reflex :o :-[ I forgot if it was off the back or belly?? I think its the belly so if it is I would say it has about 3.5 " of reflex before working it. Any way here it is unbraced before I started to work it back onto the string.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111227_231839.jpg)
Once I worked it with the push pull method, (like you do when your going to string a bow) for a while I got it on a low brace height and from low brace the top limb looked a good bit stronger than the bottom and I could feel it in my hand. Sorry no pics of low brace.
Then I I worked that and got it at its full brace height, the tiller was still off a bit at this point, ya ya I know how long does it take a guy to get the tiller half way right already! :D
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111227_231243.jpg)
And from there I slowly worked it untill I could catch where my flat spots were. This was pulling 12 13 " I believe and WAY lighter than I thought it would come in but I knew that after I started tillering it before heat treating and reflexing it.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111227_231502.jpg)
And then I went ahead and did some scraping on the flat spots and then worked it to 20" and then emediatly unbraced it to see how much set it was taking, this is what it looked like.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111227_231839.jpg)
Not looking to bad so far as far as taking set.
Then I slowly worked it further
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111227_233843.jpg)
Then I did some more light scraping and called it good enough for a hillbilly bowyer wannabe ;D
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111227_234710.jpg)
Here is at 24 or 26 I think? :-\
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111227_234848.jpg)
and here it is after working it to 28" and its pulling just shy of 40#
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111227_235257.jpg)
Then I emediatly unstrung it to see what it looked like
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111227_235847.jpg)
After that I noticed the bark had pulled in a couple spots so I decided to scrape just the top bit off the whole bow and wrap the spots that were bare.
Me scraping the bark just the surface bark
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111228_000811.jpg)
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111228_000834.jpg)
The spots where the bark lifted ::)
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111228_001014.jpg)
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111228_001022.jpg)
After taking about twenty minutes to scrape and wrap the small sections the bow had more time to rest so I put it back up for a rested unbraced picture.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20111228_004902.jpg)
Then I looked at my watch and it was 1:30am and I was beat down tired! Time for bed! Haha Thanks for looking and if you have any suggestions comments or concerns let me know. Ill get some more progress done on this on thursday. I think it will make a great bow for the wife or a young man, we will see ;)
Again sorry for the crappy pictures but you get what you get and dont throw a fit! lol
There you happy bubby ;D :D
Josh
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:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:, i'm a happy camper Josh, it's looking good, really seem's to be holding reflex well, nice b-a-l, Bub
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b-a-l ??? ??? :D
Josh
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Yes Sir!!!
Excellent Thread!!!
Love your treatment of Heat Treatment! :)
-gus
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:D Thanks Gus its kinda a hoaky setup but it works! I was really supprised how well the Oceanspray responded to heat treating! I have been experamenting with recurving it with dry heat and you can get it warm and watch the wood just start going! but then it gets to a cirtian point and just comes appart with no weights or pressure into the bend just the weight of the bow. I am going to talk with John Strunk and see what his experiance if any is with recurving ocean spray. I was also impressed I have made about 5 of these oceanspray bows 2 being kids bows and it takes very little set!! even when you push it to its limits, it is fast becoming my favorite bow wood!! Thanks again for the reply and for looking!
Josh
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Yes Sir!
Great information all.
Will be looking forward to your findings.
And please keep me in mind if you get to the point where you might want to do a little trading... :)
-gus
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I've been playing with ocean spray a lot lately and I really like the stuff. Amazingly tough and dense. I've been using cutoffs of it for tip overlays it's so hard.
I have a lot of seasoning stuff and didn't have anything bow ready so I decided to try one of the standing dead dried in place branches you always find in a dense old ocean spray bush. Check splits all through it. Wanted to see what it could do so I split it up following the natural split lines and ended up with 3 wicked little shorties (1 is 24"). Haven't had a chance to take them out and shoot them in yet but I did drag home a few more of those dead ready to work staves.
It seems to respond real well to heat treating but the one thing I have not been successful at is heat bending it with dry. Doesn't seem to like to make tighter
bends too much. I have not tried steaming though, May be the ticket.
I also try to leave the bark on because it has that great dark leather look to it when you wax it. Sometimes it even looks like some sort of skin with little cracks and hair follicles. I've even left some moss and lichens on it. Great camo!
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Josh, b-a-l , build-a-long, just to lazy to spell it out ::), Bub
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I will gus!
Randman good info and I hope to see your slivers! I had never thought to use the standing dead saplings but I have passed up some nice ones! I know that some of the dead stuff will break fairly easy over your knee so I havent taken the time but I will have to try one and see for myself! I agree the bark on looks great!
Duhhhhh thanks bubby, not sure why I didnt think of that :embarassed:
Josh
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This is great, lookin' forward to seeing the finished bow.
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Ill get some more progress on it this next week. thanks :)
Josh
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did you leave the handle the full diameter of the sapling?
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Yes turtle I did
Josh
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wow that wood is amazing so little set for such a slim profile. I'm really looking forward to seeing this one all finished up.
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Thanks dazv I agree it is impressive wood! Ill finish this up in the next week or two
Josh
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Thanks dazv I agree it is impressive wood! Ill finish this up in the next week or two
Josh
im looking forward to it ;D
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Ok sorry for the dellay on this but im still not done. I wanted to leave the bark on but it kept popping off in places and all the cracking and popping was scaring me. I peeled the bark off through most of both limbs and left some on the tips. I will add a leather grip and get a finish on it and get some finished pics up soon but here are some to tide ya over untill then. ;D
This is after the bark and wraps were removed and after about 500 shots through it. this is also right after unbracing it retained a little more reflex then this after resting about an hr. I must also say it shoots really well and I still need to put a fastflight string on it.
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20120120_142342.jpg)
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20120120_142431.jpg)
(http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af314/mandoman1540/IMG_20120120_142527.jpg)
Thanks for looking
Josh
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very simple and elegant Josh. It would make a good trade bow ;D
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Its a little light for a trade bow this one is for my wife so she would kill me if I traded it off. I think im gonna do another OS bow for the bow trade though.
Josh
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Yes Sir!
I like the look of this bow...
Almost looks Charred on the grip and tips.
:)
-gus
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Nice work
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lookin' good Josh, can't wait to see it finished, look's real light in the hand, Bub
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It probably only looks light in the hand Bub. Knowing ocean spray, you would probably be surprised at how heavy that stick is (compared to other woods). It's some dense stuff.
I always hate it when the bark starts popping off. I'm always torn between taking it off early on or taking the chance of it coming off later and affecting the draw weight as well.
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Thanks for all the comments guys
Randman you are right it is heavy wood for its size, also the bark coming off sucks! I need to go build one with John Strunk he never looses the bark from what I have seen but im not sure how ill have to ask him. The bark coming off only lost me about 2 pounds at full draw so not bad. Thanks again
Josh
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awesome i cant wait to see the final pics!!! What dose she draw at the moment.
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Thanks Dazv She is pulling about 35 @ 28 so ya I way undershot the weight on this one and that was my fault but my wife has been wanting a new bow so ill just pretend I was shooting for a light weight bow ;)
Josh
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yeah it look's light, but i'll take your word for how dense it is, never held a piece of it, yet, Bub
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I like ocean spray, alot.
I just sinew backed a long bow and a recurve for use in New Mexico.
And I second the bark thing. It's the worst!
I have one of Strunks w/ the cambium still on btw.
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Talked to Jim Remp and he said to make sure that the wood is cut in the dead of winter and another trick, he also sands off just the very outer bark with 120 grit. Just to show the cambium underneath.
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OK thanks for that info I will try that! Thanks! Who is Jim Remp if you dont mind asking? Thanks
Josh
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Thanks Dazv She is pulling about 35 @ 28 so ya I way undershot the weight on this one and that was my fault but my wife has been wanting a new bow so ill just pretend I was shooting for a light weight bow ;)
Josh
hahaha good plan.
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Jim is a bowyer from Montana, Bozeman maybe?
His finish work is amazing. Best Ive seen, ever.
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He's from Missoula.
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Just found this thread. Very neat build along. I gotta learn my trees. I bet we don't have that here in the southeast US.
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This thread is fantastic. Now that you finished your...uh...wife's bow what are the lessons learned? What would you do differently next time? Would you even build another Ocean Spray stave? I'm hot to try one as I live in NW Washington and Ocean Spray grows well here.
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My lessons learned are doing a build allong takes allot of time and that I need to get my limb thickness floof tiller better from the start. I also have ruined allot of nice staves by trying to bandsaw out the thickness taper and I had started that on one of the limbs and caused part of the problem of taking to much wood off to match that limb. I sometimes get in a rush and need to catch myself and slow down. If I could do it again I would get the thickness taper good with the old trusty 49 and do allot more scrapeing rather than fileing! I really look forward to building another OS bow I have built about 6 of them so far and really like the wood and the way it performs! I recently got me about a dozen beautiful staves and I cant wait for them to dry! Thanks I need to get a finish on this bow and a grip, I also recieved some pink string from a very generious fellow on here and now I cant remember who it was as I erased my inbox!! :-[ >:( If that kind person is reading this please send me a pm :D
Josh
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I didn't read all the replys, just looked @ the pics and read your posts. @ first I thought it was a Hamm's add :( then I noticed that quart of PBR w/ it's back turned there and I new we were good again. ;D Nice build along and bow too!! dpgratz
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PBR is my friend ;D
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That Bark on the back just looks cool ! ' Frank
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Awesome thread, Josh! I have s vary similar bow going- cut behind your house. Two questions:
1.when heat treating, i realise the stave was seasoned before this step, but did you do any "extra" drying before the heat treat? Since OS is so prone to checking while drying, i wonder if it's prone to splitting while heat-treating.
2. Can you give me thicknes measurements every 6 inches on one limb?
hey, are you going to the knap in?
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Thanks for the complaments :)
aaron I kept the stave in my house in my living room where the wood stove is always going but with a kettle on top so its not overly dry in here. Other than that no other precations were taken once the wood was dry. I have used dry heat on OS a few times ecperamenting with recurves and never had any checking as the wood I used was dry. I would say just watch it and if you see some checking while heat treating just stop and let it dry some more, then maybe put some super glue in the check. The thicknes measurement is basically just 5/8" 2" off the grip and then slowly tapering down to 5/16" at the tips but I would go a bit thicker if you want a heavier bow. I will say it takes heat treating very well!
Yes I hope to be at the knap in but cant say for sure yet as I may have a job by then and not sure if I will be able to get away from that. :-\
Josh
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did the bow finish at 68 length? It has a rigid handle, right?
Mine is a bendy handle 56 inch, and it's almost 3/4 thick at the handle- at floor tiller. It was a 1 1/2 inch dia stave, so there's no pith left in it.
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68 tip to tip 67 ntn yes ridgid handle sounds like your gonna have a sweet bow I remember that stave it was a nice one! Post pictures of it would you please!
Josh