Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: simson on July 26, 2013, 09:01:23 am

Title: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: simson on July 26, 2013, 09:01:23 am
Simple hazel stick, with natural grown 2" setback handle, stave was exact 2" in diameter. This stick came out of a bunch of hazel staves I used to have for working with kids. Most of that staves were debarked - some not. This caused the problem. Someday I noticed bugs/worms on the barked ones. I immediadetely worked down the bark and saw that the bugs have already violated the first ring in some areas.
I decided to ignore that and give it a try. And this came out:

design is a long fade,narrow handle, stiff tipped flatbow. this little sapling had a high crown, for this reason I did again a hollow limb design to avoid narrow high stressed limbs. The bow came out very clean with surprisingly little set. Hazel is not the first choice as bowwood, but I'm very pleased with the performance of this bow!

The bow is dyed with two colors (wet in wet), hemp handle wrapping also dyed, some cambium is left on the back to get the flickered appearance. Arrow pass is made of two color stone powder/epoxi, a little buildalong is posted a few weeks ago.

Overlays are cattle bone. String 6 strands 452X. Bow is 68" ntn

No heat treating and no heat correction on that bow, was fun to make that one.


(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/_DSC0690_zps969b802e.jpg)

(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010487_zpsdd906476.jpg)
(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010485_zps5ebf1bd3.jpg)
(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010486_zpsf0185ddb.jpg)
(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010488_zps40259685.jpg)

(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/_DSC0708_zps3e8e3054.jpg)

(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010473_zpsd6a58f45.jpg)
(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010474_zps46cff184.jpg)
(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010475_zpsf7d7f10f.jpg)
(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010476_zpsa3612c65.jpg)

(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010479_zpse57e6538.jpg)
(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010480_zps571d528a.jpg)
(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010481_zpsee23ff46.jpg)
(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010482_zpsec0c71da.jpg)

(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010477_zps1ccc387f.jpg)

the bug traces ....
(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010484_zpsa77a1599.jpg)

(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010492_zps6c6a0671.jpg)

(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010489_zps94994b93.jpg)

(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010495_zps0b654dc1.jpg)

(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/P1010496_zps3d468499.jpg)

(http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh576/orangesimson/1307%20hazel%20sapling%20flatbow/_DSC0686_zps2b19f3b6.jpg)
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: burchett.donald on July 26, 2013, 09:04:53 am
wow! I love your work.
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: lesken2011 on July 26, 2013, 09:14:45 am
Another good one, Simson. Sweet!
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: bobnewboy on July 26, 2013, 09:19:47 am
That is lovely! Very nice indeed.  I want to try one just like that.  Bookmarked....
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: jimmy on July 26, 2013, 09:27:54 am
That's my kind of bow.  Very simple and graceful.  Good job.
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on July 26, 2013, 09:28:51 am
Simon what other woods would you compare Hazel with? Nice bow......again!
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: blackhawk on July 26, 2013, 09:32:50 am
I really like the "primitive" look of that one :) cool bow
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: Pappy on July 26, 2013, 09:33:46 am
Nice bow,very cool design. :)
  Pappy
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: ssgtchad on July 26, 2013, 09:49:46 am
Simon you never cease to amaze. Great bow. A tutorial on how you hollow a limb wouod be great.
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: osage outlaw on July 26, 2013, 10:04:59 am
I like the profile of that bow.  Very well done.
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: JonW on July 26, 2013, 11:01:21 am
I'm with Clint. That profile is sweet. Nice bow Simon.
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: dwardo on July 26, 2013, 11:10:00 am
Fine bow and great tiller. Hazel is a great bow wood with heat.
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: autologus on July 26, 2013, 11:27:45 am
I love that bow your hollow limb designs are works of art.

Grady
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: mikekeswick on July 26, 2013, 11:58:59 am
Another beauty.
I love hazel as well. I've had very good results when heat treated. It holds upto very strained designs in my experience as long as there are no pin knots.
Did this stave have any pin knots?
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: ohma2 on July 26, 2013, 01:01:32 pm
another nice primitive looker.
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: Joec123able on July 26, 2013, 02:30:58 pm
Wow that's gorgeous and first hazel bow I think I've seen on here
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: Holten101 on July 26, 2013, 03:46:53 pm
Very nicely done. I find Hazel wickedly fast, but very hard to keep from fretting in high performance bows. Gorgeous profile btw:-)

Cheers
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: burn em up chuck on July 26, 2013, 04:16:16 pm
   very very attractive

              chuck
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: simson on July 26, 2013, 04:51:41 pm
Thanks guys! Lot of nice compliments.

Pearlie: Here in good ol' Germany and esp. in my area thereare lot of different bowwood. But they all have different qualities even in the same species. I have used about 30 or more different woods and still experiment with new ones. Just come over on a piece of cotinus (lat.) in German 'Perückenstrauch' - ohhh man you should see that wood! It's bright green in the heart with white sap, smells wonderful like lemon and is the only leave wood with pitch. Ohhh - came a bit off topic, sorry!

ssgtchad: I will do some pics on the next hollow limb design, I promise!

Mike K.: Yes, it's my experience too! On this one is no knot. no pin, no flaw. Here in Bavaria are lots of hazel - it make good sense to search for the best staves.

Joe123: I think there are some here on the forum! I remember the great tutorial from Gordon Ferlitsch.

Holten: You're right. But this one is only 49# and 68" long, no frets so far ... we will see
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: Zion on July 26, 2013, 06:37:02 pm
Wow, the shape of that bow is beautiful, sick job on the dye as well!
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: Badly Bent on July 26, 2013, 07:56:10 pm
Masterpiece, simple as that. Great design, execution and finish Simon. I'll be coming back to look at this post often
for inspiration.
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: dbb on July 26, 2013, 09:51:22 pm
Sweet looking bow..as usual from you!
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: Thesquirrelslinger on July 26, 2013, 10:12:30 pm
Simon you never cease to amaze. Great bow. A tutorial on how you hollow a limb wouod be great.
+1
Awesome bow!
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: H Rhodes on July 26, 2013, 10:13:37 pm
Very nice.  Tillering doesn't get much better than that! 
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: mullet on July 26, 2013, 11:01:32 pm
Now that's a bow. I like everything about it.
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: missilemaster on July 26, 2013, 11:24:48 pm
What everyone else said, nice bow!
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: twisted hickory on July 26, 2013, 11:42:06 pm
Beautiful bow. ;) So what does the hollow belly do? would like to see how that is done.
Thanks for the picts,
Greg
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: IdahoMatt on July 27, 2013, 11:11:37 am
That is one of the prettiest flat bows that I've seen.  Nice work Simson :)
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: Carson (CMB) on July 27, 2013, 02:26:02 pm
I love that front profile you have done a bit of.  Looks to make a sweet longbow. 
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: Josh B on July 27, 2013, 07:48:34 pm
Very nice!  Very nice indeed!  Josh
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: Ken S on July 27, 2013, 08:56:32 pm
sweet! I luv the primitive looking bows.
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: TacticalFate on July 27, 2013, 09:56:20 pm
I second a hollow-limb build along. Do you use gouges?
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: Arrowind on July 27, 2013, 10:11:44 pm
AMAZING!  your bows are always AMAZING!  You are on another level for sure.   Thanks for sharing!
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: Jodocus on July 28, 2013, 03:44:36 am
Very nice hazel bow, I like the wide midlimbs and how they bend!
Although hazel is abundant, it's hard to find good staves, most are twisted too much or have annoying kinks. This one is near perfect. And you made a great bow from it. Thnaks for showing.
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: SLIMBOB on July 28, 2013, 11:15:52 am
Very nice Sir!
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: simson on July 28, 2013, 01:21:19 pm
Thanks again for looking and compliments!
I begun the posting about the buildalong - as promised!
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: bow101 on July 29, 2013, 10:38:07 pm
Nice bow and pretty color
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: nefftie on August 03, 2013, 07:28:34 pm
Hey, that's some awesome work!
Btw I'm also in Bavaria, quite close...
I'm still kinda trying out at the moment, how many shots do u think should a well done hazel bow last?
How long do you store it before working on it?
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: k-hat on August 03, 2013, 07:39:46 pm
What a beauty!!  Simson your work is always amazing!
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: simson on August 04, 2013, 06:20:43 am
Thanks again!

Hey, that's some awesome work!
Btw I'm also in Bavaria, quite close...
I'm still kinda trying out at the moment, how many shots do u think should a well done hazel bow last?
How long do you store it before working on it?

If a bow is well made, it's the care which determinates its life. I have seen strung selfbows hanging out in heavy rain, while the owner was sitting in the house drinking beer. This bow was one of my best bows ever, it is like heart bleeding ...


were are you located exactly? Are you a bowyer too?
Title: Re: Hazel sapling flatbow 49/28
Post by: Del the cat on August 04, 2013, 07:53:02 am
Oh man that's a sweet bow. ;D
I just love Hazel and think it is very under-rated as a bow wood.
I like the hollow belly as an alternative to decrowning... that is straight onto my to do list.
Great bow all round, love the limb shape too.
I'll have to join in the next Hazel coppicing task round here in the winter and replenish my stash.
Interesting you call it a sapling... most Hazel over here gets coppiced at about that size, but some unmanaged woodland gives surprisingly large trees from Hazel... I just love the stuff.
Del