Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: hoosierf on February 09, 2018, 07:17:12 pm

Title: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: hoosierf on February 09, 2018, 07:17:12 pm
Ok BJrogg now you got me started. Here’s a favorite and a fast shooter.

Somewhere around 60” +/- TT
About 50# @28”
Rattan Wood
Buffalo tips
Half circle birch branch rest (a favorite)
Cane handle wrap

You guys might start thinking I’m a pyromaniac but i burnt the tips and belly a ton on this one because they were twisting under the load and it worked. They stay in line now. Rattan is not that easy to get but for my money it’s the easiest bow wood (palm) to tiller and they are durable as all heck. I left the skin on which I’ve not seen before and i think it gives it a cool look.
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: Badger on February 09, 2018, 07:47:50 pm
  Beautiful job on that one. Most I have seen took excessive set but they were not heat treated at all. There is a good source of Rattan at Franks cane and rush
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: hoosierf on February 09, 2018, 08:09:48 pm
Thanks. Here’s the unbraced profile. Set was not too bad. I call it an r/d because i did put deflex right out of the fades, but i wish i hadn’t. It might have a better profile unbraced.
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: Badger on February 09, 2018, 08:24:28 pm
  Not bad at all, as light as rattan is I imagine it does shoot well.
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: Springbuck on February 09, 2018, 08:53:32 pm
  There was a french guy over on Paleoplanet.net that made some really great-looking stuff from rattan.  Can't remember his handle, darn it.
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: k-hat on February 09, 2018, 09:06:03 pm
That's pretty.  Seems like I remember reading about rattan bows, and they recommended splitting them down the middle and letting the split side be the back.  Have you tried it that way?  Just curious.
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: hoosierf on February 09, 2018, 09:40:38 pm
No i haven’t tried a flat back but i have read about it. I have another stave. I’ll have to try it.
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: sleek on February 09, 2018, 11:08:38 pm
  There was a french guy over on Paleoplanet.net that made some really great-looking stuff from rattan.  Can't remember his handle, darn it.

FrenchCrow or something like that?
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: Springbuck on February 10, 2018, 05:50:34 pm
That's the guy, Sleek!  Thanks.  He did some cool work with bamboo-backed bamboo, like a deflexed "horsebow" type of thing with long siyahs and string bridges, and it looked like a screamer.
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: Bckskin2 on March 02, 2018, 06:30:20 pm
WOW!
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: Springbuck on March 02, 2018, 09:53:59 pm
Hoosier, did you even work the belly?  I can't tell from pics.  That looks like a killer.

I'm looking for a wicker Ottoman or something at the thrift store, with some 3/4"-1" rattan to make some lash-on recurves.  One of these days.
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: JW_Halverson on March 03, 2018, 02:04:26 pm
Mike Stocklin in Faith, SD used to make murderous rattan horsebows.  He used the sawed side out, put the classic Sioux 5 curve to them with heat, then sinew backed them.  My favorite was 36" long tip to tip, pulled in excess of 70# at a 14 inch draw!  He drew it to 18!  I laughed and said if he could make an arrow stout enough he could brain-pan buffalo with blunts with that bow.
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: hoosierf on March 03, 2018, 02:48:42 pm
Yep, i worked the belly just like any other wood. I steemed in the recurves and deflex. It’s a riot to shoot. The stuff is practically unbreakable.  I started with a 1 1/2” fighting stick i found online.
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 03, 2018, 05:00:57 pm
Nice work.  Not something you see every day
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: upstatenybowyer on March 04, 2018, 10:34:24 am
Cool.  8)
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: ohma2 on March 04, 2018, 01:57:38 pm
Good lookin bow ,would like to see that one.
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: JW_Halverson on March 04, 2018, 02:07:16 pm
I have never heard of one coming apart in a sudden or dramatic fashion.  You should get plenty of years of work out of this one!
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: hoosierf on March 04, 2018, 05:04:57 pm
Thanks everyone. I have another stave. I’ll have to see if i can do something better with it. Here are a few more pics.
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: barebo on March 04, 2018, 08:18:52 pm
That is one wild looking bow! A real departure from the "usual". Pretty neat to see - Very Nice!
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: bjrogg on March 04, 2018, 09:02:53 pm
Very interesting bow hoosierf. I don't know how I missed this one.
Bjrogg
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: Selfbowman on March 06, 2018, 02:40:52 am
Nice bow. Arvin
Title: Re: Rattan r/d Bow
Post by: Mad Max on January 14, 2021, 05:20:42 pm
I ran across this while looking for some rattan handle wrap at Frank's cane supply's.
Nice build, what size Rattan is needed to build a bow 30/40#?