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« Last post by jameswoodmot on September 04, 2025, 03:48:21 pm »
Not my best bow this one, but it shoots. I was a bit of a rollercoaster. Just needs shooting a bit before I refinish the limbs
Ash, 60" long, started at 2" wide aiming for 40lbs ish. I knew i was pushing it a little with the length but I could have done with another 4-6" i think.
It started as a reflex deflex and just ended up as a deflex, i steam bend the handle and then fire hardened over charcoal to put the reflex in. I didnt want too much reflex because I already knew I was pushing it a bit so the tips ended up about 1/2" forward of the handle.
Tillered out pretty nice, nothing too challenging and the tips ended up half inch behind the handle so a total of about an inch of set which I can live with. There was no where obvious that was bending too much, just the limbs were a bit short.
I have a habbit of finishing bows before they’re shot in so I was sure to get a hundred arrows through it and i excercised it a lot when tillering. It took about another half inch of string follow but it came back overnight. not great but fine.
So i finsihed it up with the horn inlays and dye and leather handle wrap. I didnt oil it just incase. The nexy day after about 20 arrows both limbs, about 6" from the tips developed hinges, just inside where the limb thickened up for the tips and the whole of both limbs had taken set. Typical! I went back and checked my fottage and there is no sign of them just before the finsihing work.
200 arrows before finishing next time!
So re tillered and its down to about 32lbs at 26" now. I used dry heat to add some reflex back into the tips, though i expect the wood will not much like that at all.
This is the second bow ive made from this ash and it hasnt been great, i think i might make the same design from some wych elm and see how it compares. I was hoping the fire hardening would have upped its resistance to taking set more than it has.
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