Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Fox on January 23, 2021, 03:56:35 pm
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I figured id start the thread and we can all post our progress. If we want to change the name of the thread/challenge let me know. The finish deadline is May 15th, any other ideas/ rules would be great! If any other amateur bowyers want to join let us know!
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I'm only a 'newbe' compared to some of the senior bowyers here. I just graduated to 'amuture' (lol)
Actually I only grasped the importance of PERFECT TILLER until a few bows back, so you can still give me stiff competition.
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I'm only a 'newbe' compared to some of the senior bowyers here. I just graduated to 'amuture' (lol)
Actually I only grasped the importance of PERFECT TILLER until a few bows back, so you can still give me stiff competition.
(f)
That’s probably about where I am now as well :D
I’m going to use the black locust stave started in the other thread. It still has to season some so I’ll have to stop for a few weeks while it finishes drying :)
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Okay just laid out the bow 1 3/4" wide 65" long. Theres some knots that Im having a hard time with and pin knots that keep ending up right on the edge of the limb, tricky tricky.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50868234812_4b66ed644a_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kv3ZZf)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kv3ZZf) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50868234382_eac44e2461_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kv3ZRQ)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kv3ZRQ) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50868233062_d37da7288b_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kv3Zt5)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kv3Zt5) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50867418328_5019382b15_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kuYPgW)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kuYPgW) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr
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If you’re going to straighten that stave I suggest you do it when the sides of your stave are still straight (before you do the width taper). That way the sides are flat and easier to hold in a straightening caul or form.
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Ok I'll be finishing my first bow here shortly and I've got another stave debarked I'll use for the newbie challenge
(https://i.imgur.com/s4sOB8C.jpg)
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Here's the smaller ash from my White Ash thread.
It will be a 66" d-bow 1.5" wide for the inner two feet and tapers straight to the knocks. I'll probably temper it at some point; it should be a lot easier than HHB :)
There is a little character, just enough to make it interesting. It needs to season a bit more. I'm not sure how much because the RH is so low here that EMC would be to low. I hear that ash can take some low humidity though.
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What kind of wood is that Allyn?
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That’s a wonderful idea tradcraftsman I’ve always fumbled around so much trying to straighten with the tapers...
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Allyn im thinking that’s hickory ?
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That’s a wonderful idea tradcraftsman I’ve always fumbled around so much trying to straighten with the tapers...
I had an idea?
I generally just cut cross grain a little when cutting in the width taper if necessary to get the tips to line up. I wouldn't worry much on your stave because the limbs snake in opposite directions so the tips look like they line up through the handle.
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It is hickory indeed, shagbark to be exact. Hey also for this challenge let's not limit it to one bow or stave, if I break one or royally mess it up I'd like to be able to do another as long as it's in the time frame
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That is what I was thinking. :D
This thread will be a good way for the senior members to help all the aspiring experts at once. :)
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By the way, HLD and Perry Reflex should probably not be allowed in this, or I may beat you all with one >:D (you would probably all crush me If I tried one (--) (lol) )
Has anyone sent Deerhunter a PM about this thread?
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I’ll pm him
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How about no sinew or lam bows?
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How’s my layout around the knots ?
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If y'all want to try complicated things I'm fine with it lol, good luck. I'm fine with no sinew or lams but I'm fine with rawhide backs
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I don't see anything wrong with the knots.
I would say do whatever you are comfortable with, weather that is backing, selfbow, whatever. I know I'm best at long single piece D-bows, so that's what I'll do. The ash will be a first for me though.
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Couldn’t pm deerhunter his message box is full
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No worries, I'm sure he'll find this thread in time. :)
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Gonna open this up to old newbies, too? Some folks find their round tuit later than others! Life gets in the way!
Hawkdancer
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No age limit on being new Hawk, I'm 34
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No age limit on being new Hawk, I'm 34
Indeed, I'm 52 and just made my first bow last spring. I am working on a lam bow at the moment, but my wife wants a bow and I am thinking I may try an ASL in red oak for her. If I get to it before the May 15 deadline I will post it here.
Mark
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Here is the stave ill be working with. It's black locust and 64" long. I may trim it down to 60" with a 60# @ 25" draw. The stave gained some backset after it was split out of the log. It's not fully seasoned so im going to rough out to near finished dimensions, get it down to one growth ring, and then let it sit for a couple weeks.
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Any idea what ya wanna make east creek? Mark post your progress in here too
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If possible I would go longer if I where you. 60# seems to stretching it for a 60" stave, and locust frets if it is overstrained at all. That does look like a challenging kink in the grain at the end though.
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I think I'll do a static recurve. I think if I can keep the limbs thin I can avoid the bl frets. The kink is a knot thats on one side of the stave so its going to be removed eventually and wont cause any issues.
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As much as I want to create a functional bow, I also want to push the limits and learn as much as I can from this piece of wood.
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Great idea, I know from experience that beginners are great at that :D
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Great idea, I know from experience that beginners are great at that :D
Lmao
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I’m here!! Sorry I’m late!!! Lol! This is my last bow blank I got. Let’s see how this goes!!
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I signed up to this forum few days ago and I'm already here to share some of my work! I'm trying to make a 64" ttt pyramid style selfbow out of this Black locust stave. It has some character (2 knots just below the nocks, a big one in the handle, a small one just above the upper limb's fade and other two small ones mid lower limb). It also has a narrow crack running from half lower limb to the fade of the top limb. It stays pretty much always in the middle of the back of the stave. It formed during the drying process because I thought the stave was already dry enough to be put inside my house (winter here is very wet, so a stave left outside will always be too moist to make a good bow during this season, no matter what) but it was not... It lost 15% of it's initial weight in less then a month. I've tried to find an intact ring on the back of the stave, so I chased 2 rings deeper but the crack is still there. At this point, what do you think? Is it firewood or can it be turned into a selfbow?
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That crack sounds like a drying check, which is no problem because the wood fibers are not damaged, just separated. If it ran off the side you might have trouble though. That stave looks quite nice.
Deerhunter, is your stave HHB, hickory, or something else?
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Great more people ! Glad you found us deerhunter! Welcome to pa zugul ! We’re glad to have ya !
(Posting progress soon)
Looks like lots of BL being used!
-Fox
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Zugul. That crack is no problem, fill it with liquid super glue if you want. like tradecraftman said so long as it doesn’t run off the limb there’s no issue.
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Ruffed out, time for straightening and reflex!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50871537328_97cbd20c76_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kvkVHb)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kvkVHb) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50872342727_0249f2cbf2_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kvq48n)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kvq48n) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50872238521_8a0de44c26_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kvpw9H)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kvpw9H) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50872340842_49f39fad2f_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kvq3yS)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kvq3yS) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr
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so theres a knot thats gonna be right on my fade... gonna need to find a way to work with that. gonna be a 1" thick handle so sorta bend in the handle. honestly, im just winging it lol. this isnt a stave i think im gonna be able to get a bow out of easily.
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Looking good fox. Deer hunter winging it is how I got through most of my life so far : )
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Thanks Ally! yeah deerhunter This is a really awkward tricky stave as-well. I also have a huge knot in my fade. not worried about it though id rather it there then a more working portion of the limb...
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heating out some wiggles .... :D
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50871955213_0d53af6784_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kvo4W6)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kvo4W6) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50872759672_4cf723e6e9_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kvsc55)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kvsc55) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr
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Welcome aboard, Zugul! We like pictures :BB (lol)!
Hawkdancer
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Thank you very much guys! I really appreciate your kindness and enthusiasm.
today I made some progress on my stave, bringing it down to final dimensions; then I did take off all the earty season wood from the back and cut the nocks. The stave was already floor tillered a bit, so I put on a long string and gave it a few pulls. This is what it looked like.
the limb on the left is going to be the top one, but at this point is stiffer then the right one. I'd say it bends pretty evenly, so I would scrape off some wood from all of its lenght.
On the other hand the right one does not bend much in the outer 1/2 limb, so I'd scrape a bit off from there.
Am I right about my considerations? Please correct me if I'm wrong :)
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Lookin good zugul!
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What is the front profile like?
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it's a pyramid style selfbow, 2" wide at the fades with a straight taper to 5/8" at the nocks. The handle is still a bit too wide, but I'll narrow it down a little as I finish the bow.
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I'm not qualified to give advice but i enjoy watching other people work on their bows so keep the pics coming : )
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today's progress: I weakened a bit the right limb (top limb) and scraped some spots that seemed stiffer. The bow is still a lot stronger then I need it but seems decently tillered at this point, so I hope to have some room for final adjustments.
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Mid left limb in that pic looks like it could bend more.
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I'll start ring chasing soon folks. Sorry about the delay!
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Mid left looks a bit stiff, though it may not be if there is natural reflex there. it looks like there is a slight hinge right out of the right fade.
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Yes, it does look like it should bend more, even if that spot is thinner then the outer limb... That's why I didn't srape much off from there.
Tradcraftsman: yes, there's a bit of reflex in the outer 1/2 left limb; you're correct about that slight hinge too, that's a thin spot... I'll have to scape above and below it to make it bend evenly.
ps: I'll try to take a better pic next time :-[
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i probably need to get my tools in working order. my scraper isnt sharp, im trying but i dont know if i can get that bur... my drawknife is chipped and is very dull, my vise is loose... Time for shop matinence!!!! :fp ;D
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Ill get my elm D bow im starting in here when I get home in three days. So far its been reduced to around 1/14 wide full length by 3/4 inch thick by 64” long and has black locust tip overlays glued on. Plan on having it come out 55# at 27”.
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Bad news is my current bow isn't going to work, good news is I can start on my newbie challenge bow now
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sorry to hear you last bow didn't work out Allyn! looking good zugul.... making some progress on this super funky stave... Big S wiggle so a tiny bit of steaming to get the sting on the handle... a little fixing reflex, and now am floor tillering! taking it slow cause this stave is really funky ! I'm not totally positive with its aesthetic right now, but hopefully ill get that sorted out soon enough!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50879874692_3618b17b83_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kw5E7Q)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kw5E7Q) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50879773476_b7af971666_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kw592J)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kw592J) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on (https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50879064633_9662e4db5a_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kw1vji)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kw1vji) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50879773406_d187bf1ab7_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kw591w)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kw591w) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr
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Enjoying watching this develop. Keep the pictures coming. Great idea guys.
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Ill get my elm D bow im starting in here when I get home in three days. So far its been reduced to around 1/14 wide full length by 3/4 inch thick by 64” long and has black locust tip overlays glued on. Plan on having it come out 55# at 27”.
I REALLY liked your last bow I'm sure this one will be awesome.
Fox looks like your making progress it's gonna be a cool looking bow
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today I did just a bit of tillering, trying to make some spots bend a little more. I think yesterday I was drawing the bow a bit too much for the poundage I want to get (35-40# at 28"), so today I didn't draw it as much. I also shortened a bit the long string, now it's at zero brace height.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50881162553_81453fcc10_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kwcfXk)IMG_20210127_170426716 (https://flic.kr/p/2kwcfXk) by Mattia Zuccolo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/146939226@N06/), su Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50881162393_007d7c5472_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kwcfUz)IMG_20210127_170637774 (https://flic.kr/p/2kwcfUz) by Mattia Zuccolo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/146939226@N06/), su Flickr
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looking good all!!! I got one limb down to roughly 1/2 an inch im just gonna flatten out all the bumps and make it completely even before i move on to the next one
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Looking good zugul
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Split my stave in two, super clean. Also used my ryobi band saw to reduce one of them to about 2.25" wide.
(https://i.imgur.com/4DAh1AE.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/vJRYX1v.jpg)
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looking at it now I'd say my bow should bend a bit more in the outer 1/2 of the limbs to get a more circular tiller, am I right? Or is it because it's still not at brace height and I'm not bending it that much?
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Zugul id string it at a low brace and see how it looks
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Zugal, that is kind of what I was thinking, but you're that one who actually sees the stave. Remember that an even thickness taper is critical. BTW I now see the reflex/lump that makes the mid left limb look flat.
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Reduced the stave closer to bow dimensions, pretty rough but I'll use hand tools to get it on the lines when I get a chance.
(https://i.imgur.com/lcPnzIU.jpg)
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Looks good ally!
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looking at it now I'd say my bow should bend a bit more in the outer 1/2 of the limbs to get a more circular tiller, am I right? Or is it because it's still not at brace height and I'm not bending it that much?
You should brace it now at around 3 - 4 inches. The shorter string also pulls the tips 'in' and can make the mid to outer limbs come around a little more. Watch where the bow takes set from now on. tThe location of the set will show you where it is working. Ideally you don't want any set in the inner limbs, a little mid limb and the rest in the mid/outers.
I think it looks really good so far.
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Thank you guys, your advices are very appreciated! I braced it at 3 1/2 "(it was pretty difficult, a lot more then my 44# @ 28" ash bow, so I'd say this one is between 50 and 60# at 28" atm) and just by doing that I can say the top limb is just a bit weaker then the bottom one. I also checked the string alignement and it's not super good... The string passes just out of the handle but in the "right" direction (I'm a leftie so it sits on the right side of the handle). Can this cause problems to the itegrity of the bow or can I just leave it like that? I don't want to ruin the bow trying to fix it :-\ Anyway, in the next few days I won't be working on the bow, it's getting pretty cold (30-40°F) and rainy so I'll wait for better weather conditions.
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Ally, what do you think of your bandsaw? And what size can it cut ? I’ve been really really wanting to get one and I looked them up. Not as expensive as I’d expected.... posting more progress on my end soon...
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Ally, what do you think of your bandsaw? And what size can it cut ? I’ve been really really wanting to get one and I looked them up. Not as expensive as I’d expected.... posting more progress on my end soon...
For the price I like it. I ripped a piece of ERC yesterday and it was a little too tall on one end so I had to trim it down first. I think height wise it cuts up to 5" or maybe a little bigger and width 9" between the blade and stand. The bigger band saws the blade spin slower but they have more power behind them whereas this one spins faster with less power so it can say it has more horsepower. I've only used it a couple times on stav es but it's cut through hickory pretty well but I don't know about its longevity. Thickest hickory I cut through was about 3" thick. It has saved me a ton of time roughing out.
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Okay I'm too long string now... its 40# at this like 10" or so.... it feels way too heavy to brace still, but im not sure... its got some random spots with little bits of reflex and deflex making it hard to judge tiller...
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50892587941_f627d45cb3_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kxcPjM)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kxcPjM) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50892587811_601070bf83_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kxcPhx)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kxcPhx) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr
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Looking really good Fox!! my tillering eye is really out of practice but i think there might be a hinge starting in the left middle??
I reserve the right to be wrong!
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Got to agree with Deerhunter21 about the left limb. It looks like there is a dip mid limb, could be the camera, though. Leave that area alone for a while. I would shorten up the long string to about a 3"-4" gap at most. Tighter if it is 550 paracord, that stuff stretches!
Hawkdancer
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Unfortunately my stave had some growth ring delaminations so ive had to trim the stave down to 52”. Looks like ill be making another bl shorty. Ill heat treat this one
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Somehow my previous post got deleted so I'll try again lol. Here is the elm bow with the black locust tip overlays on. Second photo is the side profile. Ill be sanding the back and applying some black walnut dye to it just to get that out of the way.
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What are the dimensions on that?
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What are the dimensions on that?
It is 64” Long by 1 1/4 wide by 3/4 thick. It will be a bend through handle D bow, very simple. Looking to get 55# at 27” from it.
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I noticed that 31 January did not have any posts!
Hawkdancer
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I noticed that 31 January did not have any posts!
Hawkdancer
i thought that was just me :o
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Kenneth is that pretty similar to the last one you made?
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Looking really good Fox!! my tillering eye is really out of practice but i think there might be a hinge starting in the left middle??
I reserve the right to be wrong!
Okay getting back to the bow today... thanks deerhunter, I’ll work on that hinge you spotted ;D
Sorry to hear about your delimitation eastcreek...
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Kenneth is that pretty similar to the last one you made?
Yes its exactly the same I have no desire to stray from my favorite design lol
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I got my front profile done except for the tips I left wide so I could line then up later, same with the handle. I also got my starting thickness evened out at 5/8 thick
(https://i.imgur.com/kXfakZ5.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/sBsmYZZ.jpg)
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Looks good Allyn. Do you try to line your tips up exactly? I am starting to be grateful for the sideways warp in my my limbs and the crooked tips because I use the string laying off to one side for the more centershot advantage. I'm sure theres some added mass and wasted energy though
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Elm bow update. The back has been sanded smooth, walnut stain applied, whole bow dried in drier to dry any moisture from stain and then a small amount of tru-oil added to back. Today I floor tillered and got the long string on and the bow bent to straight on the tillering stick. It had about three inches of reflex to start so getting it to straight was quite an effort. The lesser bending limb on the left is the bottom limb and has more reflex. It is also thinner at this point than the top limb. I want to make sure I don't overcorrect for the reflex and remove too much wood from it.
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Looks good Allyn. Do you try to line your tips up exactly? I am starting to be grateful for the sideways warp in my my limbs and the crooked tips because I use the string laying off to one side for the more centershot advantage. I'm sure theres some added mass and wasted energy though
My first bow the string ran more to one side and I didnt like the way it felt drawing it back but I didn't leave myself any room to correct it. So on this bow I'm making sure I can shape the tips and the handle so everything lines up square. Man I wouldn't even want to attempt a bow with that much reflex yet lol.
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My last post here got cancelled during the server change, so I'll sum it up here. I've got a few small chrysals just after the fades, what can I do to prevent any more damage? I've already taken off 15 strokes or so with the scraper from the undamaged parts of the limbs, lowering a bit the poundage. The bow is still too heavy and far from optimally tillered.
ps: added a pic, just to let you see how small the chrysals are.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50895013911_0be991282d_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kxqftR)IMG_20210131_184659929 (https://flic.kr/p/2kxqftR) by Mattia Zuccolo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/146939226@N06/), su Flickr
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I'd offer advice but I feel like that is the blind leading the blind so I'll refrain :)
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Looks good Allyn. Do you try to line your tips up exactly? I am starting to be grateful for the sideways warp in my my limbs and the crooked tips because I use the string laying off to one side for the more centershot advantage. I'm sure theres some added mass and wasted energy though
My first bow the string ran more to one side and I didnt like the way it felt drawing it back but I didn't leave myself any room to correct it. So on this bow I'm making sure I can shape the tips and the handle so everything lines up square. Man I wouldn't even want to attempt a bow with that much reflex yet lol.
I get that. It’s probably easier to make the arrow pass more center shot with a rigid narrow handle bow. Since my handle area/arrow pass is usually a minimum of 1 1/4 to 1 1/8 wide it’s an issue for me. I like the string laying off one side.
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I don't plan on cutting in a shelf so I'll be shooting around about a 1" wide handle.
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Zugul you can do a sinew wrap in that area. Sinew is some amazing stuff. But depending on how thick it is you might get down below them till you have it tillers out. I have a black locust bow I made years ago and had a spot do the same thing so I tried to get it to blow up on me a couldnt. It still has potential
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thanks for the info, if at the end of tillering the bow will still have developing chrysals I'll try the sinew wrapping :D
I'll continue working in the staves as soon as the weather gets less humid and cold.
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Finished my second round of starting thickness on my bow tonight. Only a couple spots caused me trouble by having contours in them.
(https://i.imgur.com/RY2IKJC.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Ntu83pE.jpg)
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noice :OK
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I got it on the tiller tree today, long string, pulling 50 at about 14" the bend looks pretty even. I'll know more once I get it to low brace. Just gonna take it slow and smooth. 8)
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some of you newbies are using some challenging staves.. haha... I usually longstring till Im about 6 inches from final draw length and no more than 10 lbs from draw weight before I brace.. I use a cable pulley system for all my tillering and stay away from a stick..... gut...
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While my 50" stave seasons a lil longer, I'm still deciding what design I should do. I'm thinking maybe a bend through the handle with flipped tips. I'd like at least a 23" draw w a handle that doesn't bend very much. I'd like to hit at least 60 lbs.
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how wide is that stave.. ?
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2"
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Gut I have a pulley system
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Failure today while floor tillering. I think I got the wood too dry. The moisture content around here has been 30-40 and temp in house around 60-70 and I put that stave in the dryer after applying the walnut stain. I checked it with the meter after the break and it was 6%. Kind of wish I had checked before or that I had been more careful with managing moisture. Or maybe the stave was a bad piece. Or maybe my floor tillering skills suck. The wood did feel light and spongy from the beginning. Oh well. On to a hickory piece which will have the same dimensions and which I will get posted on here tomorrow.
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Ouch :(
When the idea for this thread was hatched I don't think we anticipated many breaks, but this is a great way to document the beginner learning curve. ;D
I got my ash stave to floor tiller; I'll post photos when I get it on the tree. Classes are really tying me up right now.
Keep up the good work!
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What kind of wood was that Kenneth? From what ive read, hickory does best at 6% mc
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School comes first tradecraft ;)
Kenneth that sucks, looks like it delaminated, I would have thought elm would hold up. Guess you won't stain the next one right away ;D
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School comes first tradecraft ;)
Kenneth that sucks, looks like it delaminated, I would have thought elm would hold up. Guess you won't stain the next one right away ;D
I know, but excellence hurts :D
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Kenneth thats a shame . Putting way to much pressure to floor till . Tension failure so too dry or might of had a gouge on back for that to break at floor tiller .. sorry brother.. allyn take it slow on tree snap a photo. Never pull to your desired weight stay off it by 5 lbs till you 3 inch from draw length . After you remove some wood put on tree exercise it 15 -20 pulls to your last length then ease into next inch snap a photo .. take it slow . You can dissect your next move over photo and not a stressed bow .. eastcreek im doing a 54. “ overdry under sized only 1” wide .. put tape on it one limb at widest fade 1-1/8 other 1” .. going for 26” draw but i put 3” handle 1” fades. For yours 23” draw i think that design might work if you don’t want to bend through handle . Maybe go at 1-1/2 or 1-5/8 at fade to 1-1/4 mid limb to 1/2 tip .. with a clean back should make a fine shorty ... gut
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good advice from gut here! I really need to set up a pulley system but I don't have a space to do it.... so for now ill continue using a stick and cypress siding wall.... my bow has been real tricky to tiller.... so many tiny roller coster makes it so I can't use gizmo... and makes it look hingy and stiff... also I uncovered some a streak of kinda rotten wood on the belly ;D so thats fun... leaving that area a bit stiff...
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50923994373_8b012773b4_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kzYMmZ)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kzYMmZ) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50923941688_cc5a50345a_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kzYvGC)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kzYvGC) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50923994343_c8fb8e5bf7_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kzYMmt)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kzYMmt) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr
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Clean it out and fill with epoxy and sawdust? Need a bit more expertise than mine, though!
Hawkdancer
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I think it looks great fox, idk what to do about the rotten belly wood. Great advice Gut thank you for hopping on here and giving pointers that is what we all need
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Fox.. that is really nice looking bow your building there.. your first?... that belly rot is scary...where is it located on your bow?.. it was not visible till you started tillering?... is that part of a knot?.. looks pithy... kinda punky too..gut
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thanks guys...gut no not my first but only a few bows from it.... the rot is right beneath a knot cluster, I didn't find it till I was tillering. it is in the outer 3rd of the bow..... it also has some deflex there that I heated out and it came back... so definitely worrying, we'll see
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If it doesn't break at the rotten point it could very well fret badly. You will probably want to get help on that right now.
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my bow has been real tricky to tiller.... so many tiny roller coster makes it so I can't use gizmo... and makes it look hingy and stiff... also I uncovered some a streak of kinda rotten wood on the belly ;D so thats fun... leaving that area a bit stiff...
That looks like a very decent bend, nice and smooth all the way with slightly stiffer tips. My approach on that rotten spot would be to do an Eric Krewson style repair and rasp it off, then glue a patch in. I had a hinge problem on my last bow at a small knot on the belly, I can't imagine that large of an area is not going to cause you a bunch of grief as you go forward.
Mark
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being that it is in a working spot on limb I'd hold off ,actually before I rasp that knot out I would send Eric Krewsome a message for his input... he is more advanced on patch repair than I for sure.. I would consult him if I encountered that...I zoomed it in and looks real pithy were it is discolored but looks fairly well around it..has an indention there also I assume back side has a hump.. might be able to mix some wood glue and sawdust and clean it and fill it in but hey.. I'm not the one you should ask about this type of patch repair... gut
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okay thanks.... I scraped some of the rot out with a knife and it doesn't seem to go deep at all... pics soon..
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heres the pithy part scraped out, I think it looks a lot better. theres these strange dark lines in this area kinda reminds me of worms... but there nowhere else in the stave... dunno :-\. thinking about heat treating and a tiny bit of reflex, should I do that now? or when I get to FD? Hows everyone else's bows doing? any new progress? :BB
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50926974918_87ce0511c0_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kAf4nG)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kAf4nG) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50927657451_01a70b1421_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kAiygv)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kAiygv) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50927785032_99a9530435_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kAjdcb)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kAjdcb) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr
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Personally i would refrain from heat treating that part of limb ,in my experience heat treatments work better on white woods if tempering .. are you just wanting to ad reflex? You have done a great job with that piece of wood you should be very proud . I would be afraid to add more stress to an already questionable structural integrity at that part of the limb .. it does look better i figured a hump was on back at that spot which might be your saving grace and work in your favor . We strive to push the limits and IMO your there brother ... your call i think you already done a good job .. gut
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I would leave it alone if I was you and just tiller it out as is
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okay guys got the message ;D I have a habit of trying to add more to a bow at this point.... which usually screws me ::)
ill tiller it out and see how it goes... :BB
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Those look like worm tunnels to me.
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That was one of my thoughts Tim, but theres no entrance of a worm anywhere and this is the only spot on the stave with it, so not sure how it could be...
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my guess is that it got chewed a while ago, then the wood grew over it
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I have had wood borers get in through a weak spot like an old knot (was there one on the other side?) and work their way into the pith. I would want to find out how much deeper the weak spot goes, but of course that can be risky. Just leaving it alone might be fine - you have definitely done a nice job tillering it to this point. It doesn't seem like that spot can be adding much strength to the stave, so removing it or not might be a moot point.
I have never done a patch, but just to give you something else to think about... >:D
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,42360.0.html
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thanks guys ;).. yeah timbo im thinking your likely right..... I think im just going to tiller it out and see what happens, if it explodes so be it I've got other staves :). but the patches do seem cool..... Im terrible and getting stuff to join together perfectly though so id probably screw up (--)
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Finished ring chasing. I'll do my final thickness taper and lay out my lines tonight. I'll post pictures later too.
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This was a fun read, guys, thanks for sharing. Looking forward to seeing more. I just finished my first, so I'll stick a couple pics on here. Hickory, Sudbury-ish style. 40# @ 27".
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50927498291_fa2ec24594_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kAhJXn)Limb Hickory 66"NTN 40#@27" (https://flic.kr/p/2kAhJXn) by Whistling Badger (https://www.flickr.com/photos/187773441@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50927618862_290370c8d5_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kAimNb)Hickory 66"NTN 40#@27" (https://flic.kr/p/2kAimNb) by Whistling Badger (https://www.flickr.com/photos/187773441@N04/), on Flickr
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Dang WB!! thats really awesome!! You did awesome!
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whistling Badger that is impressive but your drawing it with wrong hand.... hahahahaha... good job brother...nice stain job... gut
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That there is a darn nice bow WB,,,glad you found the thread!
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That there is a darn nice bow WB,,,glad you found the thread!
Thanks for pointing me this way. :)
whistling Badger that is impressive but your drawing it with wrong hand.... hahahahaha... good job brother...nice stain job... gut
ha ha, Yeah. That's why I originally got into shooting off my hand; got tired of being told, "We don't have that bow in left-handed."
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Im just starting floor tillering! Yall are doing great! this is a fun building a bow again! for some reason now, im not feeling the stress i used to feel when building a bow... i aint going to question it lol! anyone know, does white oak heat treat well, or is it good without one? one of my limbs kinda has a natural "recurve" should i straighten that or add the same amount to the other limb?
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im not sure how white oak heat treats.. I made one bow from it, actually my first successful bow, it was long and thin and recurved....
id think that it would take a heat treat pretty good, how much reflex does that one limb have? if its not to crazy id reflex the other limb to match.... but I like reflex ;D
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without looking at it, its got some crazy reflex. maybe 2-3"
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LEFT ON! Great to know there some of us out there! WB, I had the same problem when I was a kid in the way back when. Luckily we learned to shoot off the hand, and I learned to shoot left handed,
Then lucked into a bow that shot either way, still got it! Then found out about 2 years ago that you can shoot more accurately from your strong eye side! OOPS! Only about 70 years too late! The body said, "No way"' >:D (SH) (lol). I just have to mark the correct side if I make a bow for some one who shoots different!
Hawkdancer
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Russel, I’d think that might be a bit of a beast to string if you added another 3 inches to the other limb... maybe just take some reflex out and level them up ...
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It is nice having a bunch of others sharing their journey, it feels like the pressure you put on yourself is lessened seeing what others go through at the same time.
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It is nice having a bunch of others sharing their journey, it feels like the pressure you put on yourself is lessened seeing what others go through at the same time.
I think your right. The times I haven’t felt a ton of pressure to make a bow have been when I’m doing a group build together or I’m building with others.
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Narrowed my tips and cut in new temp nocks. Got my bow to 50@ 24 on the long string so I braced it about 3 inch, looks even. Also narrowed my handle and set my handle depth to 1.5" now today I'll just keep tillering
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Sweet looking bow Whistling Badger. I'm back with the hickory. Ill be monitoring moisture content although its a dense piece and Ive never had to worry with hickory. That elm was not dense and felt very spongy. Some wood is like that ive noticed. Anyway, here is the new stave. I cut it and put it on form to dry about four months ago maybe. That induced 2 inches of reflex to it. Got it off form, roughly cut narrower tips and took off bark layer. 1 1/2 inch wide by 3/4 thick by 64" long, bend through handle. Width will be reduced today or tomorrow.
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Let me see the growth rings, I feel like mine isn't the best ratio and I'm wondering what yours looks like
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Kenneth, are you going for an ELB style profile with that?
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on hickory your growth rings shouldn't really matter.. at least here in Ga. they are real close and we have a good growing season... chasing a hickory ring is not for the faint at heart.I wouldnt even attempt it.. just remove bark clean off cambium .. you can leave some in dippy areas no biggie and there is your back.. gut
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In this days I could not work on my BL bow, but I continued thinking about it. It has some bumps and dips along the limbs, so I can't use the tillering gizmo in the normal way... Would it be effective to show which areas are bending more if I just lay it on a particular spot of the limb, start drawing the bow and watch how the gap between the gizmo and the limb changes? just to get a general idea of where I need to scrap more.
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I’m not sure exactly zugul... for that kind of thing I use the edge of my scraper to judge for that kind of thing... but with a wiggly limb I usually just have to eyeball it...
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yes you can do that to see how much a specific part of the limb is bending, but really you should probably eyeball it like fox said.
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It sometimes helps to draw a straight line on the side of the bow in a wiggly spot to judge bend better. I did this several times with WWIII.
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Well i got some bad news got excited and hit my erc pile .. bugs have ruined most of my prestige stave but not all is lost ..they only hit right where I cannot avoid either a splice or flatten .. i wanted to boo back one anyway so im going to use that stave for the boo backed bow .. wanted heartwood on boo back too ... my other stave which wasn’t as clean will be my first spliced stave for my static sinew backed recurve .. gonna remove the bark see what i got make a plan then match the billets and bring them inside .. lots more work than i was anticipating.. kinda looking forward to doing a splice which i have never done before i can ad my reflex in splice or deflex not sure Yet how i will proceed .. looks like i will finish this shorty osage then attack the erc .. either way im looking forward to the challenge .. gut
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Fox:
yeah I think any flat surface should help to see how a spot is bending.
Tradcraftsman:
This could work too, I'm going to try it!
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Gut I'm excited to see your erc attempts
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Excited to see how your bows come out gut!!
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I split the erc stave and put the bug spots best i could at tip and in a static .. since they’re not going to bend i am going to proceed .. 1-7/8 wide to 1-1/2 mid to 3/4 tips leaving a little wide in case i need to adjust alignment 61 1/2”.. i got the osage to 48@24.5 .. at the stage where you can turn a 50lb bow into a 35 lb bow .. gut
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Good to hear gut... I’m really struggling with my erc stave, it’s super messed up, I think I’ll be able to barely squeeze out 1 1/2” wide out 12” then taper to 1/2” tips... it’s bending soooo much and it’s half an inch thick I’m going to make it bend in the handle cause I don’t have any enough meat there, and I like a bendy handle.... it’s 64” long, I’m not sure if I’ll shorten in or not, what do you think ?
Hopefully I’ll be able to finagle a bow outa this screwy stave.
I haven’t worked on the locust much, it’s been freezing rain all week and i don’t have a spot to tiller in the shop. I also skinned 3 opossums today, they have some amazing fur...
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What do you use the fur for? I'd love to find a way to work fur into my kit.
I would not shorten the bow at all, in fact stretch it. ERC is very brittle. Unless you have reason to go short stay long.
I have the ash stave on the long string, but I will have to straighten a few kinks before I get much further.
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Tradcraftsman,, yes I know erc is very bad in tension, but it’s quite good in compression, this is why I’m sinewing it, and apparently that’s a match made in heaven... this bow isn’t for the build along, just another project to work on while it’s rainy
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Don't be a Nancy leave the kinks in : )
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Fox hard to answer and not see it . 1-1/2 is tight try not to lose any more ..After you sinew it will ad reflex which will stiffen it up some .. i got 1 bad spot on upper limb where the was a knot . Has a high hump slight twist .. gonna put the curves in it this coming weekend .. gut
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I avoid heat corrections as much as I can, but one limb looks like it has a shallow recurve, so the tiller looks really wonky, even if the strain is even.
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yeah tradecraftman, I would probably have straightened that out too. Its hart to tiller if theres TOO much "character"
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Finally today I've had some good weather, sunny and dry but still cold. I managed to take the bow to 39# @ 17", my final goal is 35-38# @ 28". I used the tillering gizmo on the straight parts of the limbs, and where they are not very straight I eyeballed the curve using a straight line drawn on the side of the limbs when the bow was unstrung. The bow now weights 20.5 oz, and I'm very pleased of how it is coming along.
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Good deal man keep it up
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Zugul....never pull your bow to the weight desired during tillering and especially at that early in the till , always stay at least 5 lbs off desired weight till your about 2 inches from draw length.. never pull past that weight... you will induce stress and the bow will take speed robbing set... you don't want a duck, you want a snappy bow .. over stressing the bow is a bad habit and can quickly produce bad results... gut
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so if your at 39 at 17.. try going for 34@ 25... shoot for that... never pull past 34.. don't do it.. if you hit 34 at 22 .. take some wood off ...by the time you hit 34 @ 25 ,usually about 3 lbs per inch.. so at that point you should be close to 43 at 28 ...you will still have enough wiggle room to hit your desired weight by just evenly taking off wood on each limb till you hit 28 . gut
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Good advice from gut... took me too long to learn that...
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so if your at 39 at 17.. try going for 34@ 25... shoot for that... never pull past 34.. don't do it.. if you hit 34 at 22 .. take some wood off ...by the time you hit 34 @ 25 ,usually about 3 lbs per inch.. so at that point you should be close to 43 at 28 ...you will still have enough wiggle room to hit your desired weight by just evenly taking off wood on each limb till you hit 28 . gut
This sounds like a good modification to use with Badger's no set tillering method. Combined with watching for set by keeping track of the weights it should give the best chance of not running into a problem early on in tillering. The next self bow I make I will be keeping this in mind.
Mark
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Gut, thanks for the very usefull advice! I'll surely keep it in mind :BB
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I just straightened the stave with some dry heat and some steam, (the steam worked better) and after it acclimates for a few days I'll get it on the tree. I'll probably have to do a little more heat correction, but I plan to temper the whole thing later any way.
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Let's see some pics tradecraft
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Yes pics tradecraft!
Also not sure if you know this already, but when you heat treat after you’ve done heat corrections, your Corrections will likely come out.... which is soooo annoying (lol)
Finally got some nice weather today, so I was out tillering my locust. Got it to 20” and am liking how it’s going, still no set...
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Haven't heard about that. I'll show you my reflexing rig when I pull it out, it might keep that from happening.
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Good deal fox, mine has taken set and it's been so cold that even my garage is miserable so I hasn't tillered in days. I haven't been wasting time though, I've been experimenting with home made stain.
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oh yeah tradecraft, your right if your clamping it to a caul or something while you heat treat that probably wont happen.
Allyn, just tillered a little more since my last post, all of a sudden 1/2" 0r maybe a little less of set just appeared... so I figured I should stop till morning and see whats goin on.... still only at 20" what kinds of stains have you been coming up with? id love to here what you figure out... Ive made walnut stain which isn't bad I wish it was darker though,,, going to experiment more with that when the walnuts come back.... Ive also used beat juice a lot on arrows...
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I tried iron acetate or ferris acetate. It's the solution made when you combine steel and vinegar. It reacts to the tannins in wood. The longer you soak the steel the darker the stain. 12hrs was too light 24 seemed perfect next batch I'll let it go for longer and see how it turns out.
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Let me see the growth rings, I feel like mine isn't the best ratio and I'm wondering what yours looks like
Yes mine are very fine I don't bother messing with em on a hickory like this I just took off the outer bark. Check out the difference between the hickory rings and the black locust tip overlay
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Kenneth, are you going for an ELB style profile with that?
Yes it will bend through the handle. Its going to have a crowned back and flat belly though. I got the tip overlays on and the bow narrowed to a workable amount, somewhere between 11/4 and 11/2 inches wide, and dried to around 7%. Next will be floor tillering and getting it on the tillering stick
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Ah yeah Kenneth that is fine ringed as well, looks like a good ratio though. Fox by the way you can use hickory husk as well for stain, it's a dark brown too.
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Ah yeah Kenneth that is fine ringed as well, looks like a good ratio though. Fox by the way you can use hickory husk as well for stain, it's a dark brown too.
ohh cool, Allyn, thanks ill have to give that a try aswell...
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Okay I got it to 50 at 28. I am going to leave it there for now I'm not sure what my draw length is but I'm pretty sure it's longer than that I have to get some arrows first. This is an unbraced picture and then two full draw pictures with an orientated both directions. I hung my hook where the arrow should be so it tips the bow a little bit so it looks crooked let me know what you think.
(https://i.imgur.com/fnNwPBI.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/6EEnOuE.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/WkMyFrk.jpg)
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bit more tillering... getting tricky....
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50954087782_76d23c89f0_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kCD25S)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kCD25S) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr
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Here is a test of that stain on my bow.
(https://i.imgur.com/ft72HDa.jpg)
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thats a pretty cool stain Allyn..... that looks like a tricky stick to tiller you had there.... Im thinking it looks good? I like mine to bend a little more around the fades and inner limb ... but it looks good, in the last photo on the left limb it looked like it was bending a lot right next to the static tip.... is there any deflex there? I could be seeing wrong, hard to judge without feeling the bow and being there.... also are you going to recurve the tips or keep them flat like a Molly? just curious ;D (AT)
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Today I had 2 spare hours so I went back working on the BL bow. I didn't draw it past 35#, and now it measures 34# @ 17". It has mantained the 1/5" of reflex it had from the beginning, so for now I'm very happy about how it's coming along. It's very springy and stiff to draw from the beginning. I forgot to say I'm already using the final lenght string.
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Sounds like it's coming along zugul. Fox yours is looking good. My bow is parallel limb for 3/4 length so it calls for elliptical tiller, that limb in the last pic is the same one with the hump just showing tiller from both sides it does kink there. I'm leaving the tips straight and I'll be thinning them down a lot.
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Sounds good zugal!
Allyn, I figured you’d got it all figured out ;) have you shot it yet?
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No I haven't, the only arrows I have are for my compound. I'm ordering arrows from Khan's as soon as I finish this bow
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Every thing I hear about Khans is good, I wish I had a long enough range to appreciate the quality :)
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I've talked to him on the phone he seems very competent and is friendly. I'll be shooting mostly in my basement for a while so that's only 15 yards lol
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Hi everyone. Sorry I've been late on posting my progress. I roughed out my stave to near finished dimensions and now I'm letting it sit for a couple weeks in a warm, dry room. I left a palm swell on the stave just in case I want it to have a stiff handle section. It's got a bit of sideways bend so I'll take that out with a heat gun once the stave is at a suitable moisture content. I roughed it out with my new Husqvarna hatchet. Cost me $40 on amazon so it wasn't in very good cutting shape when I got it. However, after slimming the handle and re-profiling the bit, that Swedish steel is shaving hair and chopping through black locust like butter. I even sliced the tip on my thumb off to prove it. Just kidding that was an accident while sharpening.
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good job everyone! Today I had plenty of free time so I made lots of shavings... 2 oz. to be precise! :BB ;D
Now the bow is pulling 34# @ 23", and weights just over 18 oz.
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here's a pic at 23" draw, more or less... Don't mind my face (lol)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50956686123_543c0f39a3_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kCSktR)IMG_20210218_224505753 (https://flic.kr/p/2kCSktR) by Mattia Zuccolo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/146939226@N06/), su Flickr
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Wow that's looking really good zugul! Eastcreek I feel like sharpening is more dangerous than cutting lol
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Good stuff, guys. That steel wool/vinegar stain looks cool! Might have to try that sometime. One time I stained a bow with really strong black tea. I named that bow "Cammie," short for Camellia sinsnsis.
No new stuff for me, as I'm fresh out of bow wood. Pondering the axe handle article in the latest PA. Also thinking about ordering a couple ash staves from ebay.
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You've been asking for photos, here they are.
There is an annoying kink near one of the tips which throws off the appearance, I tried to steam it out after I took the photos, We'll see how well it worked tomorrow. I got it braced; I am now getting near the fine tuning stage.
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I looks to me like the inner right limb is bending too much, but that could be because the outer limb has that kink.
Here is a braced photo.
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Looking really good guys!!! :OK
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Trade craft it's really hard to judge tiller in your pics but it looks good to me so far : )
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you sure you guys are newbies?.... gut
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The few small chrysals just above the fede on the top limb of my bow tell me so... LOL
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Not really, If I get through this with no issues I'll probably be an official amature. :D
I'll post the results in BOM for every one to judge.
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Zugul man that is a shame.. and it was really looking nice too... gut
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Not really, If I get through this with no issues I'll probably be an official amature. :D
I'll post the results in BOM for every one to judge.
man now i need to change the quote under my name! it normally works for other hobbies but the bowmaking community is so good that even the "amatures" and "newbies" practice till they dont get it wrong! ;D (lol)
yall are doing great! i havnt made any progress really... Schools kicking my rear end! ill try to get some work in this weekend!
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also, i should mention. the limb that i said has a good bit of reflex in it is actually more R/D than just straight reflex so i might take a crack at a R/D bow. What do i got to lose compared to the knowledge I could gain?
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Thanks Gut... I think I got it bending too much there at the beginning and damaged the wood in that area... Now, even if it's bending like I think it should, it kept those little chrysals. they don't seem to get bigger tho, even if I excercised the bow 40-50 times on the tiller before going to remove even 5-10 scrapes of wood. here's a pic for reference... I think I won't touch that area anymore, just to be sure it does not get worse.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50959691073_70ee43abf4_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kD8JKk)IMG_20210219_213645322 (https://flic.kr/p/2kD8JKk) by Mattia Zuccolo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/146939226@N06/), su Flickr
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A bow with frets won't last for nearly as long as a sound bow, but if the back is ok it should shoot until you can make a better bow. My first serious bow (red oak board bow, dimensions from the back of TBB IV) had two bad frets by the center, but it lasted a long time. It did pop a splinter on the edge near the frets, but it was nothing TB II and braided dacron couldn't fix.
Russell, did you get your signature phrase from the Rangers Apprentice books?
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Russell, did you get your signature phrase from the Rangers Apprentice books?
(A) Yes i did!!!! It was/is one of my favorite book series! I read it when I was like 10! It’s kinda what got me into bows!!! ;D ;D Have you read it before?
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ok so i did some floor tillering tonight. getting ready for longstring... im worried i worked too much on one limb or that one sides too thick and is going to start twisting... but ill work on all of that as i go...
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tradcraftsman: I know it won't last very long, i just hope next time I'll get the tiller right from the start. I have 7 staves already but they need to season (I cut them 2 months ago). 6 are BL and one is European hornbeam.
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Deerhunt, I use a compass and as I go I find the thinnest side and mark a line at that depth on the thick side. It helps me keep the sides even especially if the growth rings don't feather down the center
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Russell, did you get your signature phrase from the Rangers Apprentice books?
(A) Yes i did!!!! It was/is one of my favorite book series! I read it when I was like 10! It’s kinda what got me into bows!!! ;D ;D Have you read it before?
I read through them a few times years ago before I moved on to Lord of the Rings and other such books. They got me back into bows, and were fun adventures, but the story just drags out, and some of the heroes are a little shady IMO.
I hope to get the ash back on the tree tomorrow.
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I think I just found another problem! I wanted my bow to reach 28" of draw without flipping the tips, but it's 63" long ntn and has 8" stiff handle and fades section... It's still possibile to reach my goal or should I aim for a shorter draw lenght?
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How is my tiller? This is pulling 45#@22" with a 4" brace. It has about 1.25" of set, which I will try to temper out this afternoon. I am a little concerned that this bow is bending to much in the middle, but I've really thinned the outer limbs, so it should be ok. It is 18 oz now and it will probably be way over built, but it is my first go with ash. All I want is a nice shooting, nice looking, dependable weapon. I'll let Warbird's Wing handle the high performance work.
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Here is the unbraced profile from one side. If I haven't already mentioned, the bow is 66" ntn and 1 7/16" wide in the center two feet and tapers straight to 1/2" nocks.
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If it makes you feel better my bow has 1 1/2 inch string follow on one limb and 1 7/8 on the other
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Looks good tradecraft! Maybe a little bit too bendy in the middle, but looks real good and even ! :OK
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Do any veteran bow builders have any comments on the tiller? I understand ash is not nearly as elastic as HHB, so I want to be careful about frets.
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By placing an ellipse over the tiller photo I found that the center 50" have a very good bend, It's just that the tips are stiff for 8". I think I just need to make the tips work a little more.
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Thats an awesome trick tradecraft! im going to have to use that one... :)
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okay Just about finished up my bow.... And mine fretted too on the limb with the issues... I figured something like that would happen. I was looking at the photos and I realized where I went wrong. so one limb (the one with the rotten spot) had some reflex right out of the handle, so it kept making me think that limb wasn't bending as much as the other when it was really bending more :fp..... I now see that in my pictures. tomorrow ill see if I can get that straightened up. too late though, already pretty fretted. and darn I thought I had that tiller right ! oh well ive got more staves ... only took about 1/2" set
its final dimensions are 1 1/2" wide 66" long 50@26" and it shoots a 550 grain arrow about 130 fps although im pretty sure I under drew an inch or two so will re do that again tomorrow with a mark on my arrow :)
oh and sorry for the annoying backdrop for the fd pic ill re do that tomorrow aswell :)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50968186231_6957092804_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kDTh4z)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kDTh4z) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50967481418_1c7a68b5b1_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kDPExC)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kDPExC) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50968185191_bccbcb1f14_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kDTgKD)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kDTgKD) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50968295322_ed5ffc3dd4_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kDTQus)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kDTQus) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50968184181_2afbb8cd9f_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kDTgse) (https://flic.kr/p/2kDTgse) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50968189556_a97cb932e2_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kDTi3U) (https://flic.kr/p/2kDTi3U) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50968300672_e974c45239_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kDTS5G) (https://flic.kr/p/2kDTS5G) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr
(Fretts)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50968300682_5e3c07ac5f_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kDTS5S)
Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kDTS5S) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr
I made a bow almost identical just 58" long a while ago and I heat treated the crap outa it... it turned out awesome but lifted a splinter recently which I need to repair
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50967494678_c0016c717f_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kDPJuf)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kDPJuf) by Livvydog (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141458655@N02/), on Flickr
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Looks awesome Fox. I love the simplicity and tiller profile. Will be getting mine on tiller stick tomorrow.
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Looks awesome Fox. I love the simplicity and tiller profile. Will be getting mine on tiller stick tomorrow.
:OK
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Awesome job fox. I like the pin nocks. Ill be doing pin nocks on my bow too. Tradcraftman, it looks like the set is happening in the middle of the bow where it bends thru the handle. Your mid and outer limbs need to bend more. I would tiller so its only bending very slightly through the handle and get the outer limbs bending otherwise theyll be dead weight.
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Tradcraftsman - tillerwise, I agree that the handle is bending a bit too much and the tips could work more. It also looks like the inner third (close to grip) is bending more on the left limb, but it looks like that follows the shape of the unbraced profile. Did that shape change (take set), or was the stave always a bit wavy there?
All of you guys are doing a great job on tillering!
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chrysalis and fret bows die an early death.. I had a mulberry recurve that chrysalis on me, damn fine shooter too.... didnt build it wide enough.. Its been sitting in basement for a few years.. so I decided to string it and shoot it this weekend.. it broke after I got it strung... was exericsing it before I was going to shoot it.. crack.. right at the spot I wrapped trying to save it.. what really sucks was I skinned that bow with a matching set of copperheads too.. wished I could remove them... titebond III .. dangit... gut
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chrysalis and fret bows die an early death.. I had a mulberry recurve that chrysalis on me, damn fine shooter too.... didnt build it wide enough.. Its been sitting in basement for a few years.. so I decided to string it and shoot it this weekend.. it broke after I got it strung... was exericsing it before I was going to shoot it.. crack.. right at the spot I wrapped trying to save it.. what really sucks was I skinned that bow with a matching set of copperheads too.. wished I could remove them... titebond III .. dangit... gut
yeah that is sad gut... ive had the most bows fail to chrysels then anything else.... not too disappointed this bow fretted, I thought it was going to explode on the tree with the worms or whatever was goin on in it :) I got lots more tiller practice without the gizmo which is much needed for me
... tradecraft I agree with others on the tiller,, its bending a good bit in mid and that will cause some hand shock with that much bend.... I usually start by getting the outers and mid bending good, then bring it into the handle when I start getting close to fd :)
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I really like it fox! I have pin nocks on mine as well : ) I hope yours holds together for ya
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I really like it fox! I have pin nocks on mine as well : ) I hope yours holds together for ya
Thanks!
this is my first time using pin knocks... I really like them! I wonder how they'll hold up in the woods... ( I have a bad habit of using my bow as a walking stick on tricky terrain :fp) (lol)
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I heat tempered the bow yesterday and now the tiller looks better ???
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the Right (edit, sorry i meant right) limb looks awesome, bug the bow kinda wobbles along the line on the left limb. heres what i think.
the blue circle is the weaker area
the Red circle is the stiffer area
i say you just loosen up the red and dont worry about the blue since the blue is suuuuper minimal and is probably caused by the red.
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That looks a lot better. I would be careful of messing around with the left limb - it seems to be following the unbraced profile pretty well to me. I would be evaluating set and thinking about how it feels when you shoot it at this point.
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That's kind of what I was thinking. There is virtually no set now, but I have only pulled it to 20" so far. I think right now it would be about 55# @28". I'd like to end up a little less than that to avoid chrysals. It is still about 18 oz, which is 6oz more than it needs to be, so it should be plenty sturdy.
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I finished sanding my bow today and applied that stain. Oh and I made a string last night but one spool is well waxed and one is not so I ordered some beeswax and then I'm going to redo it.
(https://i.imgur.com/pqRmoeu.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/SorRLgh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/GwCWXE7.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/g14Pk9i.jpg)
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I finished sanding my bow today and applied that stain. Oh and I made a string last night but one spool is well waxed and one is not so I ordered some beeswax and then I'm going to redo it.
(https://i.imgur.com/pqRmoeu.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/SorRLgh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/GwCWXE7.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/g14Pk9i.jpg)
I really like the finish on that, and the pin nocks. Looks like a hunter!
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Thank you sir, I'm hoping it get some deer for sure. The stain wasn't bad The only thing I didn't like was it made the grain pop so I had to sand it down again
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Today I reached 34# @ 25", and the bow is still holding! At the start it had less then 1/2" of reflex, now it's pretty much flat. It weights 17,6 oz, I think it will end up around 16 oz... Absolutley feather-weight compared to my other bow!
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Nice stain allyn.... excited to see it zugul!
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Guys... It's done! 39# @ 28", 63 3/4" ntn, 17,1 oz. I know it's not perfect by any means, but for a few months it will work.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50980065007_2b70754d7f_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kEWad4)IMG_20210225_110153476 (https://flic.kr/p/2kEWad4) by Mattia Zuccolo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/146939226@N06/), su Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50979251113_f7e59d1fdb_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kERZgp)IMG_20210225_150811587 (https://flic.kr/p/2kERZgp) by Mattia Zuccolo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/146939226@N06/), su Flickr
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Looks good to me! Heckuva nice tillering tree, too!
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Looks good to me! Heckuva nice tillering tree, too!
+1 on both accounts :)
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Congrats man
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thanks guys! I took the idea for the tiller from Del Cat's videos. I made the portant structure with a 5" x 5" x 5 ft larch beam and I clamped it to the concrete column. In this way I can move it if I need. BTW tomorrow I'll make a string for the bow ;)
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Good job zugul, that’s awesome :)
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congrate Zugul.. on a nice bow and hitting your target weight..gut
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thank you very much guys, your support and appreciation means a lot to me!
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55# @ 25" 17oz: 1" of evenly distributed set.
I have 3" to go and I need to re-temper because a lot of the browned wood was scrapped off.
I may not have a perfect tiller, but I'm not sure if what I think is a perfect tiller is a good tiller for this piece. The bow should weigh 13.5 oz at 55# @ 28", so I will have a little extra mass for good measure.
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I’m thinking that tiller looks great ! :)
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Tradcraftsman that bow looks a lot like what i'm going for, simple D bow design. I'm getting worried i'll be the only one still posting on this thread, looks like everyone else has finished or is almost done! Making slow but steady progress. I believe I will be up late tonight tillering it.
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Tomorrow I'll post some pics too! BTW I have a question: can I post here the work on a new bow even if i finished kinda successfully the one I started the challenge with?
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55# @ 25" 17oz: 1" of evenly distributed set.
I have 3" to go and I need to re-temper because a lot of the browned wood was scrapped off.
I may not have a perfect tiller, but I'm not sure if what I think is a perfect tiller is a good tiller for this piece. The bow should weigh 13.5 oz at 55# @ 28", so I will have a little extra mass for good measure.
Your tips look a bit stiff so you may need to account for some inner limb mass in your calculation. Matching your tiller shape to a circle will usually cause too much bend in the handle/inner limb unless it is made wide to accommodate that. If you have noticeable set in the inner limb/handle that would be a sign that it’s working too much there. Especially don’t want set in those areas.
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Keep it up kenneth it's looking good. Zugul you can def post more bows here, deadline isn't till may anyway : )
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I put two coats of stain on the bow today, poly will go on Friday and Saturday, hopefully I will get photos of the finished bow up Sunday.
I noticed chrysalling for several inches on either side of the handle as I was about to re-temper it. I tweaked the tiller, but they're still there. They're small and evenly spread out, which tells me the tillering was even, it just wasn't the right shape. In hindsight I can see the tiller is two round in the handle for a bow with parallel inner limbs. I might have tried more substantial retillering, but I don't think it would have improved enough to make it worth the risk. A so-so heavy bow should shoot about as well as a decent lighter bow right?
I seriously doubt the bow will break outright, but over time it may pick up more set. Right now the biggest issue is cosmetic. I was a little hesitant to put a finish on knowing the issues are there, but I figured the finish and handle materials are only worth a few dollars, but it adds more than that to the value of the bow. Anyway, handles can be re-used.
The problem is that the bow is two good to throw away and to bad to give away :-\
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It has about 150 shots through it and seems to shoot as well as any of my others, at 26" it shouldn't have any issues to worry about.
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im trying to add the same amount of reflex in the other limb for my bow. i need to buy a 2x4 from home depot. Things are pretty slow but tomorrow is my last final before spring break.
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So guys, here's my nearly finished fourth bow! it's a very short (44" ntn) European Ash selfbow. This is going to be a "toy bow", with a draw weight of 15-20# at 18". I'm making it as a gift for my girlfiend's little brother for his 10th birthday, and since they don't have a very big garden I opted for a very low poundage bow. The one on the right is the top limb, I'd say it needs to be weakened a bit but for the rest the bow seems bending pretty well, right?
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51012505138_bd2e0aaa30_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kHNqwE)IMG_20210307_163200486 (https://flic.kr/p/2kHNqwE) by Mattia Zuccolo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/146939226@N06/), su Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51013313277_df63b38ec2_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kHSyL6)IMG_20210307_163102567 (https://flic.kr/p/2kHSyL6) by Mattia Zuccolo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/146939226@N06/), su Flickr
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Here it is finished. It is exactly 2 months since I cut this wood. It's not perfect, but is should be serviceable enough; I don't think it will die violently. The tempered belly looks great, I will defiantly try this again :) The fur on the handle is an experiment, it didn't go on seamlessly, but next time it may.
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By the way, the total set right now is just under 1" and the draw weight is right around 60# @ 28".
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Looks good I like the fur
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Mines on the tree! Yes!
I see it bending too much in the fades. What do you guys see?
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Deerhunter it might be but with that little bend its hard for me to tell with my fairly unexperienced eye.
My bow went from bone white to brown! I stained the back with the black walnut stain and heat treated the belly for about an hour and 45 minutes today with the heat gun. Tomorrow I will narrow the limbs a little more, bringing them down probably just below 1 1/4. I have had the bow drawing 60# at around 22" a couple days ago.
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It is hard to tell from your photos Deerhunter. If you have a plain back ground, more bend, and upright photos it would help. :D
IMHO it is better to error on the side of whip tillered because set doesn't matter a much in the outer limbs.
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Russell if that first photo is unbraced then I would say it doesn't look bad. Looks like so far most of the bend is towards the inner mid but outside the fades, like the others said it's not bending much yet so it's hard to tell
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I finished tillering the the toy bow! It has a bit more then 1" of set, I think due to the poor quality of the wood. Top limb is on the right side, It's just a bit weaker then the bottom one. What do you think? it's 16# at 18"
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51018564713_28517599d8_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kJktQ6)IMG_20210309_132516091 (https://flic.kr/p/2kJktQ6) by Mattia Zuccolo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/146939226@N06/), su Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51019294381_3756f20c71_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kJpdJz)IMG_20210309_132058012 (https://flic.kr/p/2kJpdJz) by Mattia Zuccolo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/146939226@N06/), su Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51018564818_3e8a33ac0c_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kJktRU)IMG_20210309_132328130_TOP (https://flic.kr/p/2kJktRU) by Mattia Zuccolo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/146939226@N06/), su Flickr
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Looking good, folks! Not sure, but I think the end date is 15 May, plenty of time almost!
Hawkdancer
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Yep hawk you still have time to get one done : )
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Love that bow Zugul. My favorite design and tiller style.
More tillering work today on mine. I got it to 60# at 23". Not sure what to think of tiller. The right limb, which is the top limb, seems to bend more than the left. I'm guessing the handle area will give more and take on more bend as it approaches full draw without my taking any extra wood off that area. Any input is appreciated.
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In the picture the right limb is stronger and looks like it could bend more in the inner 1/3
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Ok i have gotten a bowyer review over email and he told me that i should get it bending more on the ground :OK
gonna just tiller all day tomorrow and see if i can get this going!
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Might be able to get a bow marked out this weekend - supposed to have weather moving, not much else going on! Except helping a friend on her ranch, wading through snow a. H. deep, trying to get the shop organized and prepping for a music jam the end of May! If you also do music, come on out! RSVP of course! Exit 85 on I-80 in Nebraska - we can squeeze in some bow talk, and maybe making!
Self contained Campers encouraged, tents ok, maybe a bid spaghetti supper Friday, potluck the rest of the weekend, bring grills, smoker available! BYOB!
Hawkdancer
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thanks Kenneth! The most important thing is it has no chrysals, so I'd call it my first succesful bow! Or bending stick with a string, since it has such low poundage LOL ;D
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looking really good everyone... :)
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I feel like this is going ok now.... I don’t feel like this is going to be a perfect tiller bow as the waves in it are really throwing me off.
I feel left limb needs the middle and outers taken down and the right needs middle and outers too
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I agree Russell. I’d say right limb is bending less then left as well.... but it is funky...
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Yo did everyone stop, I wanna see some progress. Eastcreek, kenneth what's up with your bows? Fox I know youve been having some issues. Tradecraft is done I think and so is zugul. Russel is busy but making progress. Hawkdancer is being a tease and won't commit ; )
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Well the tiller has me nervous cause i'm not sure where to go with it. Right now I'm working with the tillering gizmo out to 20" and it has been indicating most bend in the right limb upper third area. I recently did another heat treat and its been sitting around a few days. Doing more tillering today.
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Tillering is the most nerve racking part for sure
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Looks li like a good and deep heat treat there! yeah tillering is scary for me (lol) and most of the time that's where I make the most mistakes and learn the most. with the tillering gizmo though if your stave is flat, then just follow the lines, and don't draw past your intended draw weight. and lately, I've been drawing 10 or so pounds under my draw weight until I get the tiller how I want it, and am coming up to full draw. and wherever the bow is taking set (if it is) then that's another indicator of what's bending more... you may know all of this already ;D
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i am really struggling on keeping both sides equal thickness >:( .... thats my update :OK
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I'm sure you'll get it down Russel
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Hello everyone. Sorry about my hiatus. I've been very busy with work and haven't had time to work on my bow. I have the limb thickness taper done and my next step will be heat treating and straightening on a caul. I'd like to add some reflex to the tips but im not sure if the previous heat straightening will come out if I heat the tips. I still need to think about how to do this. I will post some pics of my progress later today!
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i am really struggling on keeping both sides equal thickness >:( .... thats my update :OK
I mark the sides of the limb at regular intervals and measure thickness using a vernier caliper at each station (I measure near both edges and at the center of the limb at each point). With some care you can rasp and sand to very accurate thicknesses and keep everything even.
Mark
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Howdy, boys. My chromebook won't post to the forum, so I've mostly been lurking lately. The kids recurve didn't work because I ended up making the curves too thin. First time I strung it up the curves pulled right out of it. Currently working on rawhide backing my old black locust flatbow, and an interesting challenge: Making a working bow for the Badgerling's favorite doll. 14" ntn, 3#@6". The kid wants it to look kind of like her full-size bow; I want it to shoot arrows (made from bamboo kitchen skewers, what else?) fast enough to actually stick in the target.
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I want to know the optimum mass for that bow...
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I want to know the optimum mass for that bow...
ha ha ha Did I mention it's backed with brown lunch bag paper? It was either that or mouse sinew...
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I want to know the optimum mass for that bow...
ha ha ha Did I mention it's backed with brown lunch bag paper? It was either that or mouse sinew...
(lol) (lol) (lol)
Thats great
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I want to know the optimum mass for that bow...
So do I!
East creek work is no excuse : )
Thomas I would love to see you use that bow to load a kabob
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Left is bending way too much out of the fade
Right limb needs more in the middle
What do you guys think?
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Looks pretty good... I’d agree with what you said... :)
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Heres where my stave is at now. I plan on heat treating, straightening, and adding reflex in a caul all in one go. The limbs are at a suitable thickness to begin floor tillering after that.
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Alright my bows finished hopefully. 62#at 27”. I am currently shooting it to see the weight drop hopefully around 5# and make sure tiller stays good before I add more finish. I have plans to add a leather handle which I will be able to lace on and take back off if I want to rather than gluing it permanently on, which is what I usually do. I will get some photos taken tomorrow and posted
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Heres where my stave is at now. I plan on heat treating, straightening, and adding reflex in a caul all in one go. The limbs are at a suitable thickness to begin floor tillering after that.
Is that black locust?
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East creek,
You might be better to get to floor tiller or more before the heat treat and bending. Not so much wood to heat that way.
Hawkdancer
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Got mine very roughed out, looks like it will be a real challenging piece of hickory! Basic overbuilt flat bow using Paul Comstock's guidelines. Will try to post pics later.
Hawkdancer
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Yay hawkdancer you're in! Kenneth I'm ready for the pics. East creek keep on keeping on
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Yes its black locust. I want to do the straightening before i do my width taper so i can secure it in my caul more easily while it has parallel edges.
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Got one limb close to floor tiller specs, have a plate full of other stuff tomorrow, may be able to get after it in the evening or this weekend. Still have to work on the handle and fades. May have to call for help posting pics, however, having technical difficulties with this iPad! It may wind up as a target (SH) :NN :OK (lol)
Hawkdancer
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Got one limb close to floor tiller specs, have a plate full of other stuff tomorrow, may be able to get after it in the evening or this weekend. Still have to work on the handle and fades. May have to call for help posting pics, however, having technical difficulties with this iPad! It may wind up as a target (SH) :NN :OK (lol)
Hawkdancer
Nice (lol) (lol)
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Finished up. Have shot around 150 through it or so. A little over sixty pounds, hoping it will drop some. Here's the photos
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Some more photos. The drawing photos look terribly warped when I post them! Don't judge em too hard lol
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looks really nice!
click on the link under a picture to see it undistorted.
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Very nice, Remind me, is that hickory?
ONE MONTH WARNING EVERYONE WHO HASN'T FINISHED!!!!
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I think it looks really good. I dig it.
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Nice looking bow, Kenneth! Well done.
T
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Thanks all yes it is hickory
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Very nice :)
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13 DAYS
Who else has finished one for this thread?
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Me
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I messed up on my bow guys. i might not be able to make this one. this was a tricky stave, and i cant string a bow with flipped tips. it really hurts my side when i try so i think im doing something wrong?
anyway, I scraped a little off the bow and then exercised it, got it to a low brace and it got SIGNIFICANTLY weaker just from me low bracing it. like i went from 50# at 5-10" on a long string, to 50# at 24" when braced. I have no idea what caused this. maybe i just scraped too much but the thing is, i never touched the fades when taking wood off and now there is a hinge there so i couldnt have scraped it too much. maybe the hinge is giving out? i dont know. Definitely disappointed, but it might just be time to move on.
now i know that I REALLY need to stay away from the fades and to make sure to taper the limbs when roughing it out.
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I have
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Still trying to get past floor tiller! Just a bunch of things keeping me out of the shop, as well as a couple of knot bumps that I am trying to work on.
Hawkdancer
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Floor tiller takes forever for sure. Russel do you step through to string?
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I have to step through string when I do this one. I’m extra careful that my thigh is on the handle, and my foot is on the tip so I’m not putting uneven forces on the limb. I usually end up lunging LOL
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Here’s my bow at F/D. Thoughts? Am really sure the left limbs fades is bending too much. But right now I’m not trusting my eye. I’m prolly going to loosen up the limbs to 40#.
It’s 50# @ 26”
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3 arrows into it... I’m so glad to finally have a shooter!!!! Even if it isn’t my best work it’s been so long since I’ve had the time to make a bow that I can actually shoot! Since my best bow got a tension fracture I have been so busy with school. Now I can work on bows without thinking, “I got to get this right! I want to shoot!” Lol
I shot it before the pics... had the brace height too low
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looks awesome Russel! bet it shoots great! the tiller looks pretty great to me :OK
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Yeah I think the tiller looks pretty good too.
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Really?! Wow! See.... this is why I don’t trust my eye lol!
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Need some of the more experienced Bowyer's to weigh in! Looks to me like the Left limb bend is slighty off just in from the tip about 6"-8". Otherwise, nice!
Hawkdancer
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I have to pull out of the challenge, too many things going on outside bow making!
Hawkdancer
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Always next year. Still don't know how we are gonna compare them
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Here’s a F/D pic
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All right everyone, Finished!!!
Good luck on your future endeavors, You'll be an expert before you know it, probably starting when you realize how much of a rookie you are. :)
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It was fun, let's do it again next year
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It was fun, let's do it again next year
Oh totally!!!
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You think you will be a rookie by then Deerhunter? ???
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You think you will be a rookie by then Deerhunter? ???
I dunno... that’s the goal hopefully. ;D
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Here’s all the F/D pics I could find
1st pic: Tradcraftsman
2nd pic: zugal
3rd pic: Fox
4th pic: whistlingbadger
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1st pic: kenneth
2nd pic: deerhunter
3rd pic: allyn t
4th pic: zugals “toy bow”
Did I miss anyone? Did I miss any finished F/Ds?
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(https://i.imgur.com/zMI0ZlI.jpg)
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Good job finding all those Russell
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Nice guys! Awesome job putting all the FDs together!
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I don't know...should I throw "the Mouse Slayer" in here? ;D ;D ;D
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,69895.msg981048.html#msg981048
Got my latest attempt roughed out, from one of Allyn's hickory staves. Going for a de-crowned, rawhide-backed meare heath/sudburry style bow. The physically hard part is done; now comes the mental challenge. Wish me luck!