2016 Primitive Archer Bow Trade Sign up and Information

[Fred Arnold]

Rich, you're way ahead of all of us. Nice bows!!! I'm going to hit you up for lessons on those Penobscot. I've got to try one of those.

I did finally get some work done yesterday. We've fortunately had some nice warm weather and most of the snow from our blizzard is gone except for drifts and other low areas. Should get more work done on a couple today. Both will be 60+ osage that should bend in the handle at full draw. And the sinew on the black walnut is dry enough that I should be able to start working i on the long string.

I did get one of the osage down close enough to bow dimensions that I removed the twist and lined the handle and tips yesterday. One heat session might be all that's needed on this one. The other will take a bit more work.

[ajooter]

Looks good fred!  I'm looking forward to putting some time into my trade bows today.  Hopefully have some pictures later.

[Loope]

The steam worked on my red bud handle.  Actually, I ended up overcorrecting and the tips were off in the other direction.  The steam opened up several drying checks in the handle.  I was planning to fill these with CA glue, smooth off the back of the handle, and add another overlay on the handle to get a little more thickness.

The deflex in one limb was enough that I am having a hard time judging the stiffness while floor tillering, so I decided to put it back on a caul to take the deflex out before proceeding with tillering, and decided to use the dry heat on the handle while working on the limbs.  Will pull it off this evening to see how well it took.

In the meantime, I am getting back to the dogwood.  I have the outer bark roughed off, leaving the cambium, going to be slower getting off this inner bark to get down to the first ring.

[---GUTSHOT--->]

Looking good Fred!! Glad your getting some warmer weather.

[PlanB]

Rich, I just saw your photos -- I don't know how I missed the last two pages of this trade thread yesterday. Wonderful bows! No wonder you were so quiet recently......

re. "plain" bows -- I like real looking bows that show where they come from and how they were made, and look like a real person made them, easily as much as the showstopper highly finished bows. Actually, I like all styles of bows, in different ways, unless they came off a manufacturing floor. But for building them, I've gravitated toward just liking the basic form of the wood and the tree or sapling it came from. And I appreciate seeing the maker's shaping of it with his or her instincts, and whatever trials and tribulations with the wood that got them there. Every bow tells a story. That's how I see it.

[DuBois]

JAnderson; Is that your lilac? looking good. Mine is a little thin in the handle so I am taking out of the race and will pursue a solution later.

Rich; yes I am a glutton but this thing is only 1.25" at the widest 

Looking good Gut, MW, Ajooter and on and on....

[half eye]

Hey Stuck....
     I have never made a take-down Mollegabet but have made a few of the regular ones. I dont think your levers are too long at all. But now that you have the limbs refined as far as you do I would recommend that you tiller from the lever fade towards the grip fade. I usually make my working limbs a round even bend.....if you start at the lever fades and work the bend in toward the grip you should minimize your high grip area stress, especially early on.
    Also you may wish to consider a thin "pad" between the limb and riser.....I've seen some that had a piece of hard, dense rubber maybe a 1/8" thick between them. Most of the old comercial models had a "blind pin" fit below the bolt to provide 2 points of alignment for each limb.
   Sorry could not be more help
rich

[PlanB]

I've made weight and draw, and had a chance to shoot the plan B bow enough to be happy with it. I guess it's time to finish it off. Here's a few last pics:

[stuckinthemud]

Hey Stuck....
     I have never made a take-down Mollegabet but have made a few of the regular ones. I dont think your levers are too long at all. But now that you have the limbs refined as far as you do I would recommend that you tiller from the lever fade towards the grip fade. I usually make my working limbs a round even bend.....if you start at the lever fades and work the bend in toward the grip you should minimize your high grip area stress, especially early on.
    Also you may wish to consider a thin "pad" between the limb and riser.....I've seen some that had a piece of hard, dense rubber maybe a 1/8" thick between them. Most of the old comercial models had a "blind pin" fit below the bolt to provide 2 points of alignment for each limb.
   Sorry could not be more help
rich

 

Thanks Rich, that's really useful, do you think leather would do for a pad?  The photos don't show the limbs disassembled but there is a blind pin in each one but good to have the concept confirmed

Andrew

[half eye]

Leather should work just fine sir.....but I think some really stiff stuff like shoe sole material and thin (even if ya got to sand it) I think that the pads are there for shock absorbers so even if they seem way too stiff they probably are just right.

Mr. B.....if ya need my address again be happy to send it
rich

[willie]

Plan B

nice looking birch bow. The original sudbury was hickory iirc? I think that I once read the estimated weight of the original was mid 40's ? it seems like you have got the design working pretty good in birch, and a few inches shorter, to boot?     Does the handle bend slightly?
Hope you get a chance to post a pic at full draw along with the specs. There are so many bows in this thread it's hard to keep up......but thats a good thing.

willie

[Drewster]

PlanB, that bow looks excellent......nice work man!

[DuBois]

PlanB, that bow looks excellent......nice work man!

+1 here

[Stixnstones]

PB, that things a real looker.

[mwosborn]

Yep - a nice looking bow PB.