Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Announcements => Topic started by: Redhawke on February 18, 2016, 01:25:18 pm

Title: Hello from the Texas Hill Country, Bandera
Post by: Redhawke on February 18, 2016, 01:25:18 pm

Wanted to say hi to everyone and let you know a bit about me and where I hope to go with this desire to build primitive bows and arrows. I am 54 years old, married have two grown sons with children of their own. I have always built things even as a boy. Over the years I thought about bow building as I shot with my brother for several years and hunted with a bow. I decided I wanted to build a bow for my grandson and here I am after a lot of reading. Since I have started this quest I have found a Chinaberry tree for my first stave that started drying today and have collected some bamboo arrow material and a small amount of reed to try for arrows later. I intend to get several staves drying so I can practice on local materials before I move on to Osage Orange for my grandson's bow, of which my brother has already found a source. Now he wants me to build him a bow as well. LOL I told him let me see if I can build something that will fling an arrow before I make him any promises. I have lots of questions and can't wait to get started on my first bow but I have to let the staves dry first.
Nice to meet everyone and look forward to learning a new art.
Thanks
Redhawke  :)

Title: Pictures of the Chinaberry staves
Post by: Redhawke on February 18, 2016, 01:45:27 pm

http://s1055.photobucket.com/user/redhawke1780/media/IMAG0992_zpszch7ien4.jpg.html?o=7
http://s1055.photobucket.com/user/redhawke1780/media/IMAG0994_zpsxzbmnyod.jpg.html?o=5
http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s512/redhawke1780/IMAG0993_zps6rdokvzt.jpg
http://rs1055.pbsrc.com/albums/s512/redhawke1780/IMAG0997_zpsdxtbinu5.jpg~c100
http://rs1055.pbsrc.com/albums/s512/redhawke1780/IMAG0998_zpsld2x1d4e.jpg~c100
http://rs1055.pbsrc.com/albums/s512/redhawke1780/IMAG0999_zpstu1iahnq.jpg~c100

I hope I'm doing this right, not real sure about this photobucket stuff, never tried to use it before today.

Title: Re: Hello from the Texas Hill Country, Bandera
Post by: Ed Brooks on February 18, 2016, 03:37:52 pm

Hi Redhawke; welcome to this addiction. Ed

Title: Re: Hello from the Texas Hill Country, Bandera
Post by: Redhawke on February 18, 2016, 05:39:09 pm

Thanks Ed.

Title: Re: Hello from the Texas Hill Country, Bandera
Post by: Danzn Bar on February 18, 2016, 05:58:40 pm

Welcome .......that looks like an interesting stave....
DBar

Title: Re: Hello from the Texas Hill Country, Bandera
Post by: Sasquatch on February 18, 2016, 08:04:53 pm

Welcome. I live in college station and have a ranch in Texas Hill county Concan.  I have looked into chinaberry trees before. In my opinion not good bow wood other than being straight.  You should back it with something.  You should look at the last bow in my recent post "three bows all skinned" it is made from hill country cedar.  That's right that tree is actuall good for something.  Search hard and find a straight piece ,no limbs, or twist.  This will be your hardest part.  Pm me with questions I'll help ya get started, just cause you live in the prettiest place in Texas.

Title: Re: Hello from the Texas Hill Country, Bandera
Post by: Pappy on February 19, 2016, 06:36:43 am

Welcome, enjoy the ride. :)
 Pappy

Title: Re: Hello from the Texas Hill Country, Bandera
Post by: Redhawke on February 19, 2016, 07:32:40 am

Thanks everyone. Sasquatch I have to agree, we have lived here almost ten years now and love it. I cut the Chinaberry mostly as an experimental stave, to kinda get my feet wet.  I do have one cedar on our place that appears to be straight and do intend to cut and split it at some point. Laid up at the moment, just had wrist surgery but once I'm healed and able to handle my chainsaw again I will cut it. Do you recommend cutting, peeling and splitting all at once on the cedar or should I wait a while to peel and split ? Most of our small place is cleared so not a lot of wood to choose from for me. I also have a few Hackberry trees along the fence lines. I really appreciate your help and will definitely be PMing questions along the way. Thanks Pappy, I think this ride has been long in coming but seems to be shaping up to be a lot of fun and of course a great learning experience.

Title: Re: Hello from the Texas Hill Country, Bandera
Post by: Thunder on February 19, 2016, 04:29:16 pm

Welcome to PA Redhawke!

Cheers
Thunder

Title: Re: Hello from the Texas Hill Country, Bandera
Post by: Redhawke on February 22, 2016, 06:39:01 pm

Thanks Thunder

Title: Re: Hello from the Texas Hill Country, Bandera
Post by: Tower on March 20, 2016, 07:58:23 pm

Welcome to PA.  If you ever get the hankering to break some stone I'd like to sit down with you.

Title: Re: Hello from the Texas Hill Country, Bandera
Post by: bjrogg on March 26, 2016, 06:08:41 pm

Hi Redhawke I'm sure you can reach your goal a year ago I knew nothing about knapping arrow making or bow making. Now I've knapped a bunch of stuff built over a dozen arrow and built to 2 survivor bows one for myself and one for my grandson I'm sure you'll break some but it's all good just start another one and figure out what went wrong. YouTube and people on this site are a great help.

Title: Re: Hello from the Texas Hill Country, Bandera
Post by: SLIMBOB on June 17, 2016, 05:45:28 pm

Im late getting to this but, I'm a Bandera alum, class of 78.  I live up the road from you in Boerne.