Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: sleek on September 09, 2017, 01:51:44 am
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I have posted about this bow some already but would like to share the build photos of it. It was a fairly unique build and reckoned it deserved its own thread.
Bow stats are 43#@28. Bow when strung is 49.5" ntn at 54" long around its curves.
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Here I have started out with a sinewed bow blank. It was a gift and already sinewed. I decided to try to work the bow with heat and not damage the sinew. I recurved the siyahs for ease of build. They dont bend so I didnt worry about damaging the sinew there.
To make this style of bow, I have been experimenting with many other bows to get the design and process right. Here is a form ready to deflex the fades. Gentel heat for a long time and a damp rag in the back to keep it cool were necessary.
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I didnt have another clamp handy so I made one of a 2x4.
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It did its job well.
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At this point with both fades bent I cut the bow in half along the handle to make a scarf joint and reflex the handle. As you can see, the handle wasnt long enough so I had to set in more wood to fill the void and give myself more surface area to glue to.
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Another view
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And another. That should make things clear how that piece fit in.
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With those extra blocks of wood filling that void, I needed something to tie the spacer in with the limb. These plates of buffalo horn became nice side plates.
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The side plates were not quite long enough to cover the entire side, ao I decided to do some inlay work. Above I was prepping the surface and squaring up my edges.
You will also see that on the last image I put a butt cap on the handle to tie the scarf joint and spacers in together from that side as well. The more glue surface you have, the better.
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Here is first brace. It was puppy approved.
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Second brace after a bit of tiller work. All my tiller work happens with the bow braced. I am usually able to get the tiller well worked out before I ever pull on it past brace.
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Got it ready to check tiller at draw
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Needs work on the inner limbs. I had 5 pounds left to go at this point before I hit 45 at 28.
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Full draw on the tree.
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At this point the siyahs needed work.
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With a file and sandpaper they took all day.
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Here I put the arrow pass inlay in. Its fossilized mammoth tusk. Im tickled with how it came out. The mineral deposits are beautiful in it.
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I dont have much of the mammoth ivory, so I decided to fill the void on the other side with more buffalo horn.
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Serving a string loop on a reverese twist is a pita. I made this very simple jig to make things easy. Just tighten the clamp to tight the string, then twist the serving on. Easy day.
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I think this will look nice on there
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But first..... anoher tiller check at 28"
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Remember this gap?
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Its for a bone accent piece to tie the two skins into the handle. The skins actually go into the slot, then the bone accent piece goes on to secure the skin seams with super glue. The bone is an old dog chew.
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Skins on with bone accent in place and thread wrapping at the tips of the skins. All I need to do now is tru oil it.... if I can just find the darned bottle...
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I hope yall liked the build along. When I find my tue oil I will get it all oiled up i will post some more pics. Lemme know what yall think...
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Some great work, I love that sort of "work it out as you go along" pragmatic approach to problem solving.
It always strikes me as funny when newbies ask questions about can some of these methods be used... the answer is yes of course, IF you know what you are doing and have the skills, experience and imagination to pull it off.
This post shows all those things ... great :)
I've done a few weird patches and repairs, but your project is way ahead... love it :)
Del
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Very very sleek Sleek! I have literally no experience with this type of bow, so reading through this thread was like taking a trip through an alien landscape... mysteries around every corner! Oh yeah, and the fossilized mammoth tusk, you don't see that everyday :o. I believe mammoths used to eat osage fruit, so what better choice for an arrow pass? 8)
Thanks so much for taking the time to post all of this. It looks fantastic! :)
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Very interesting!
Great engenieuring, I like that!
Thank you for taking the time!
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Good one, Sleek. I'd like to see the same bow made with the sinewing reflexing the working limb a bit more.
This bow is very similar to the " Comanche"((not an actual Comanche stye) bow that Curtis Byrd used to make and his grandson currently makes. Also the " Palouse Millenium" model.
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Whoa, this is a very unique and interesting build. It is very much a sleek style bow.
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congrats on your build,, very beautiful,, (SH)
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That is coming out good Sleek, looking forward to seeing the finish!
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Thanks Del, i am not certain how far ahead it really is, new construction is a lot different than repairs, and usually easier. However most of the build time for this bow was spent staring at ut, the materials and tools I had availabke and thinking to myself, " hkw am I going to get out of this mess. "
Upstate, this is still a new style to me. I have been thinking on it for a long time and made only a handful of short bows to get to this point. I hadnt thought of the mammoth eating osage balss when I did this, i like that. Thanks.
Simson, thanks very much. It certainly took a lot of effort to figure it out. Hopefully as I build more I can make them easier.
PatM , that is an idea I will be putting to use when I get more sinew. I have a few more of these I plan to build. I looked up those bows you mentioned and mine are not unlike them at all. I wonder what their build process is?
Aaron, thanks man. It is a style I hope to perfect. Im certain its a design that can offer lots of performance.
Thanks bery much Brad. Most ornate bow I ever made.
Badger, you and I are both looking forward to that. I think Im gonna need a new bottle of it, probably gonna hit the store tomorrow.
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Wow that's some clever and creative bowbuilding there! Really nice that you took the time to photograph the steps, love it! How does it shoot?
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Wow man! what a cool bow, thanx for the ride
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That came out good for ya.Imagine it took some time though.
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That confirms it! The Sleek Rule is, "We don't need no stinkin Rulez!" Awesome work here sir. You get by with more tricky stuff than most of us ever even try! I mean how many guys start from a sinewed working bow and then decide to recurve the tips, CUT IT IN HALF, and then scarf joint it back together? You were born under a very lucky set of stars Sleek. - OneBow
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That confirms it! The Sleek Rule is, "We don't need no stinkin Rulez!" Awesome work here sir. You get by with more tricky stuff than most of us ever even try! I mean how many guys start from a sinewed working bow and then decide to recurve the tips, CUT IT IN HALF, and then scarf joint it back together? You were born under a very lucky set of stars Sleek. - OneBow
Oh sure there are rules Eric. I just.... BEND them ;)
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Wow that's some clever and creative bowbuilding there! Really nice that you took the time to photograph the steps, love it! How does it shoot?
I really enjoy shooting this. It is certainly quick enough. How fast is a guess. But fast enough to lay venison down inside of ethical shot range to be certain.
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That came out good for ya.Imagine it took some time though.
That took about a solid weeks worth of work. Most of it was spent watching glue dry and thinking about my next series of steps
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Wow man! what a cool bow, thanx for the ride
Your welcome, it was fun. Hopefully it shows what can be done and a few others give it a go too. Id really like seeing what folks could come up with.
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That's just a cool build along! I really like that bow! congrats
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Impressive! That thing is going to be a shooter.
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At 43#@28 with a 435 grain arrow I got it to chrono at 155-162 fps. Not as fast as I would like, but considering its width, I dont think its too bad. It will make meat. It wasnt my chrono so i didnt do any snap shooting. I drew steady, held for a second to aim and released. Nothing speedy. Id like to know how that compares to other bows of longer length if anybody has numbers to share.
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I am going to link these two threads togeather as they are the same bow.
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,61441.0.html
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great work.
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It is slow because the wood has started to break down. I would suggest you don't bother reflexing the handle area. Deflex the fades like you have done but then reflex the limbs not the handle. The shorter the bow the more deflex out of the handle. This will really help with the set. Use a parallel width for the limbs as this needs more thickness taper leaving the outers thin enough to accept and hold the reflex. Also the tips don't have to be much in front of the handle. Think about reducing stress getting to brace so the wood has something left for getting to full draw without crushing all those belly cells.
Cool to see someone thinking out of the box :)
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It is slow because the wood has started to break down. I would suggest you don't bother reflexing the handle area. Deflex the fades like you have done but then reflex the limbs not the handle. The shorter the bow the more deflex out of the handle. This will really help with the set. Use a parallel width for the limbs as this needs more thickness taper leaving the outers thin enough to accept and hold the reflex. Also the tips don't have to be much in front of the handle. Think about reducing stress getting to brace so the wood has something left for getting to full draw without crushing all those belly cells.
Cool to see someone thinking out of the box :)
I reflexes the handle because I liked the look. Purely superficial. If the bow had not been given to me already sinewed, I would have reflexes the limbs, but doing so after the limbs are sinews would be a waste of effort. If I do this type if build again, I will most likely follow the steps you outlined, but I was restricted by what I had to work with.
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Getting it done without damaging the sinew was a feat alone ,you showed alot of forethought in putting it all together.thats a truly unique bow,and good lookin to boot.
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Thanks very much. It was a fun build, may do it again soon. It isn't too slow. 155-162 fps is pretty average unless I'm mistaken. However, if it werent so narrow for its draw weight it would have been faster. I like to be in the 170s and up, but 155 will take a deer with a 435 grain arrow, no question.