Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => HowTo's and Build-a-longs => Topic started by: 1/2primitive on February 29, 2008, 10:23:44 pm
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This will follow my journey through building a Sioux replica from a hickory board. I looked at pictures in the Traditional Bowyer's Bible vol. 3, and have found the general specifications of them. I am going to lengthen it a little bit, about 5-6", so that I can stretch it out to my full draw a bit easier. I am going to sinew back it, and this will be my first time sinewing a full sized bow (I've done two minis :)) so that will be a learning experience. This is a look at what I have to work with.
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0150.jpg)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0149.jpg)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0151.jpg)
Sean
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And here it is laid out.
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0152.jpg)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0153.jpg)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0154-1.jpg)
I'll show more progress later.
Sean
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cool this is be neat. ;)
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will this be a double-curve bow? if so are you steaming or using dry heat?
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Yep, it'll be double curved. I might recurve the tips too, but that is left to be decided.
I forgot to mention, it is 50" (at least laid out), and 1 3/8" wide in the limbs, the tips are 1/2" wide, and the handle is 1".
Sean
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Oooooo, I can't wait ;D!
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Kegan, I can't either. ;D
Juniper, I'll be using steam.
Sean
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This will be interesting to follow - double curve, that aught to be sweet!
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:o Thanks for letting us watch. Jesse
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I wonder what came first the Holmgaard or the Sioux replica, Very interesting :)
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Ok, here is how far I've gotten.
How it looked when I took it down a little.
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0155-1.jpg)
And how it looks now.
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0156.jpg)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0157-1.jpg)
I'll post more as the work continues.
Sean
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Keep um coming. Looking good. :)
Pappy
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Thanks, :) I build them slowly, so this is going to take a little while with the sinew backing too......
Sean
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Shapin up :). Patience is a virtue ;D.
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Gah, patience is not one of my virtues..can't wait to see this one :)
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Well, I haven't been working on it whole lot lately, but I tried to bend the handle yesterday. I tried. And got nowhere. This Hickory is tough! I attempted to bend it over my knee, and I could barely bend it 1/4". I'll be making a jig to bend it over soon.
Sean
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I've been pretty busy lately,j so not a whole lot has gotten done. Plus I've got tons of other projects on my hands. :o
So far, no jig, but I'm bending it over my knee, gradually making the handle a bit more reflexed with repeted steamings.. Pictures should be tonight of it finally bent.
Sean
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Here are pictures of it almost reflexed enough for me, I'm going to be gone over the weekend, so no more work is going to be done on it then, either. AFter this, I've got at least two more bends, maybe four, to do (two for deflexed limbs, maybe two for the recurves).
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0184.jpg)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0183.jpg)
Sean
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looks like a holmegaard
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yeah, i was gonna say, looks like a holmegaard...but with the added feature of a setback handle...pretty cool...i've seen how you persevere, sean, so this should be good...
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'fork of a tree works good for bending. you can get a lil more leverage. lookin good. keep up the good work.
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Just found this thread.
I did it from the same book with the given dimensions, but in maple. It got a little too weak. Some day I`ll try to continue with a sinewbacking.
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Thamks, guys.
In vol. 2 of the bowyer's bibles it has the plains bows and arrows, and it incudes two that are shaped like this. I was thinking about going with one of them, and just 'decurving' the tips. I wouldn't worry about performance with it, just focus on the historical accuracy.
Sorry that I havn't gotten to work much on it lately, I guess the effort to bend it has been a little bit of a damper, but it'll come. :)
Sean
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One more bend will do it tomorrow, then I'll get it final floor tillered and then on to sinew!
Sean
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Here is the to-be bow with finished bending. The tips are deflexed (decurved?). This is a replica of the bow shown on page 130 of the TBB vol. 3. I'm also going to stain the backing red, as the caption says underneath the picture in the book.
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0203.jpg)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0202.jpg)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0199.jpg)
Sean
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Lookin like a goodun Sean! I need to get to hammerin some sinew.. Can't wait ta see her bending..
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Well, it's been a while, I guess I should update the topic. I should have named it a 'slow-mo' build along. ::)
Anyway, I was looking at my bow and decided that I could make a really mean short bow out of it, so I started visualising it if I cut off the tips and recurved it along with a reflexed handle. I liked what was coming out. I ended up getting started on a bendy handle 'five curve' bow. It is now (I think) 43" ntn, and a little over 1" wide at the handle, tapering to about 1/2" at the nocks (obviously I havn't done any measurements on it yet ;)). I am going to reflex the handle some more, pictures of that to come.
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0256.jpg)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0255.jpg)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0253.jpg)
Sean
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looks good! ;D
i cant wait to see it finished
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Here it is now, the reflex comes to about 4 1/2" and the recurves will add some to that, and when all is said and done (deflexing the limbs, sinew, and tillering), it will hopefully end up with just a little bit of reflex.
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0257.jpg)
Sean
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Here we are, I am almost done with bending it, I only have the deflex in the limbs to do. I reflexed it a little more, I think it will look better this way. :) I'm probably going to keep it in the form and let it cool/dry until tomorrow, because I don't want it to lose much of the reflex that I put in. With the recurves and reflex together, it has about 8 1/2" of back set.
I'm not sure how much deflex to give the limbs because with the sinew backing it'll be pulled into more reflex, and tillering will pull some out. I want it to end up with a few (2" or so) of reflex... where do y'all think the tips should be to account for all of it? And how much reflex (approximatly) will the sinew put into the bow?
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0259.jpg)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0261.jpg)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n236/Thebowguy/100_0263.jpg)
Sean
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Hickory doesn't seem to gain as much reflex with sinew as other bows. I wouldn't worry too much about it. As for the deflex, I would bring the limbs back to straight about 3-4" in front of the handle or so, not counting the recurves
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Thanks, Kegan. I took it off the form instead of waiting for tomorrow, and it was holding almost 8" of reflex. I don't think that the extra wait was necessary.
If I have time, I will deflex the limbs tomorrow.
Sean
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That's lookin pretty good now Sean :). I don't have any input on this one (seeing as how I've never attempted anything like that) - but am very interested now how It'll turn out. Good luck - keep posting your outcome's :).
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Well it's a far cry from the Souix Bow I thought you started out to build.....but it is looking really good.....is this what you are shooting for???
(http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk247/yankeemongiat/CupidsBow003.jpg)
Looks familiar!!
I made a full Length Jig for Mine....and bent it all at once....worked great
(http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk247/yankeemongiat/CupidsBow002.jpg)
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Yes, it is, but I think that this one will suit me better, and I'm more excited about it now. ;D
Yep, that's what I'm going for, but with a little more reflex. That jig makes me think that all my work was for naught! :-[ :)
Thanks, Paul.
Sean
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looks like the lower limb is shorter than the upper limb...you mean to do that?
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looks like the lower limb is shorter than the upper limb...you mean to do that?
Who you asking???? My Bow is symetrical....
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must've been the picture...
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must've been the picture...
That sometimes happens when you take a 10 megapixel Picture.....and totally ruin it to make it small enough to post here!!!!
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I wouldnt add deflex to it the hickory will do that on its own when you start bending it. (string follow) lol...
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Looking good, but you're probably gonna have a helluva time getting the string on it the first time. :)
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lol, I hadn't even thought of that, but I will have a really tough time stringing it up. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm already getting tired. :P ;D
Ryan, that's true, this hickory has been taking more set than other woods that I've used. I was thinking about taking the reflex back to a couple of inches (4"-5") and I think that I'll end up with a slightly reflexed bow, what do you think?
Sean
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Well, you need to get your limbs tapered and bending before you start pulling on that to much or its just going to pull all that reflex out. That handle section is going to need to be barely working at all if you want it to hold that reflex. You might be better off deflexing it a bit on either side of the handle section kinda like mikes bow, but still leave the over all limb in a slight reflexed position. Your going for the setback handle look kinda like this osage bow I did a couple months ago.
[attachment deleted by admin]
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Looks good, Ryan, I remember that one.
I know it's been a while, but I've been busy, my older brother is having his graduation party, and I'm going to be leaving for a camp for two weeks, so this thing isn't going to get done right away.
Sean
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I have a very simillar bow in progress. almost identical, exept the wood is Rowan. remember to put enough sinew on this one, otherwise it will lose the reflex.
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how is this bow turnig out? some pics maybe? have you alredy applied the sinew? ???
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Yeah, I'm sorry that I didn't keep this going.
A little while back, I was bending the limbs back into position after the handle reflex, and several cracks developed on each limb on the back. :P
I don't think I could save it, and it's too thin there to scrape the cracks out.
Do y'all think that it might still work if the crack are not too deep? Would Hickory hold together with the sinew on it?
Sean
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Sean, I would add super glue to the cracks and add a hickory backing. I guess sinew would work but I have done a sinew backed hickory and in my climate it is too susceptible to moisture and high R/H. If you live in a dry climate, sinew would work well to back the bow.
Can you post pics of the cracks? That will help decide if a repair is appropriate or not. Pat
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I'll get a picture of it soon.
Sean
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I'm having a bit of trouble with pictures at the moment, but I'll get it sorted out and some pictures of the bow posted.
Sean
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So, I've got the pictures worked out now.
Here are the cracks. On one of the limbs, the crack is not nearly severe enough for me to worry. On the other, however, the I can see into the cracks, and they run almost entirely across the limb. I'll probably scrape at it to see if I can get them out that way. I think I still might have enough thickness in it to do that.
Pictures are in the order that they are mentioned (First-not too bad, Second-severe).
Sean
[attachment deleted by admin]
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The break in the one limb went too deep. I feel stupid now. :-[
I'm looking at starting a replica of Geronimo's bow and arrow set once I get my hands on a hickory stave.
Sean