Author Topic: Newbie here -- to the forum and bowyery in general!  (Read 6975 times)

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Offline Kalvek

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Newbie here -- to the forum and bowyery in general!
« on: March 06, 2017, 05:52:40 pm »
Hi everyone! I'm rather new to bowyery, and have been trying to do things solo, but have been having a bit of a difficult time with figuring things out, worrying if I have everything I need, and just general hesitation in getting started, because I worry about breaking a board I found.

I decided to finally take the plunge and join what I'm assuming is a good community for learning about bowyery and just talking shop in general. For reference as to how into this I've gotten, I went ahead and got the 4 volumes of the Traditional Bowyer's Bible, and the e-book version of Adam Karpowicz's book (the latter for much later in the future, when I want to give a composite bow a try). I've also been trying to follow Sam Harper's build-along on his website, since I don't have too much to invest into tools right now, and I also figured it would be a good starting point for my first bow (minus what he used to back his bow -- the material was just ugly and I'll be using linen instead).

I hope it isn't tacky to ask a question in my first post, but after picking through boards at my local Lowe's and Home Depot, I think I found a board with some promise. It has a few problems that I think are minor, and was wondering if anyone here would mind taking a look at some of the photos I took of it and giving me some advice? Link here: http://imgur.com/a/tl1SO (I hope it's alright to post that link. I didn't see anything saying we couldn't post image gallery links in the rules)

What I noticed in the board that's most concerning is that it has a very slight lateral warp when looking at the face of the board. If you guys can tell me if there's any other reason I might not want to, or should, use this board for my first bow, please let me know. Any constructive criticism or advice is welcome!

I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say!

Offline Stick Bender

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Re: Newbie here -- to the forum and bowyery in general!
« Reply #1 on: March 06, 2017, 06:08:16 pm »
First off I would like to say welcome, I'm no expert on boards I will let others comment but just wanted to let you know there's some board build alongs in the how to section I think George & Bubba have some there Good luck with your build !
If you fear failure you will never Try !

Offline stuckinthemud

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Re: Newbie here -- to the forum and bowyery in general!
« Reply #2 on: March 06, 2017, 06:08:51 pm »
Welcome to PA. I'm sure you will learn lots here. Afraid I haven't built a board bow, but hopefully you'll get lots of good advise on this.

Offline High-Desert

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Re: Newbie here -- to the forum and bowyery in general!
« Reply #3 on: March 06, 2017, 06:43:45 pm »
That looks like a pretty good prince of wood, and long as those checks don't go to deep or if they are in an area you can avoid. That lateral warp is nothing to worry about and easily fixed with some heat. The hardest part of building a board bow is picking out the board. Good luck!

Eric
Eric

Offline jeffp51

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Re: Newbie here -- to the forum and bowyery in general!
« Reply #4 on: March 06, 2017, 07:39:30 pm »
I would be worried about what looks like some good grain run off about 2/3 of the way down. and that check worries me a bit too.  Boards need to be really good to work well in my experience.  But don't be afraid to try--remember it is just a stick.  Just wear eye protection when you bend it 8)

Offline upstatenybowyer

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Re: Newbie here -- to the forum and bowyery in general!
« Reply #5 on: March 06, 2017, 07:42:06 pm »
I'm not the guy to ask about board bows either but I do want to say welcome! I can't tell you how much I've learned here on PA. You certainly did the right thing by joining in. Happy bending!
"Even as the archer loves the arrow that flies, so too he loves the bow that remains constant in his hands."

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Offline BowEd

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Re: Newbie here -- to the forum and bowyery in general!
« Reply #6 on: March 06, 2017, 07:53:48 pm »
Welcome Kalvek...Your starting with more ammunition then most getting all of that literature.Sometimes it's got to be reread over and over and to catch what you need.I'm not one making board bows but there are a few just mentioned earlier here that have tons of experience with them.
BowEd
You got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.
Ed

Offline GB

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Re: Newbie here -- to the forum and bowyery in general!
« Reply #7 on: March 06, 2017, 08:38:10 pm »
Welcome!  Grain looks pretty good to me, about the same as the red oak board I made my second bow from.  I didn't back it and it never raised a splinter.  I wouldn't worry about that slight warping.  Just draw a center line and make sure that your string will bisect the handle.  I've made another 30 bows since that one and quite a few have been from boards.  I like maple or ERC and back them with hickory so I can glue a couple inches of reflex in.  If you get the tiller right, board bows make for good, durable shooters.
Yeah, I remember when we had a President who didn't wear a tinfoil hat.

Offline Kalvek

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Re: Newbie here -- to the forum and bowyery in general!
« Reply #8 on: March 06, 2017, 09:53:45 pm »
Wow, lots of replies! Thanks for the warm welcome guys! Sorry I wasn't able to reply sooner. I was working on making my tillering stick in the garage, and then went out to pick up some food.

Stick Bender -- I'll be sure to check them out! I think I did see George's build-along when I was combing through the forums prior to joining, and it looked pretty in-depth.

stuckinthemud -- I hope so! I know I've still got a long way to go, so any advice is welcome.

High-Desert -- I'm assuming that by checks you mean the cuts in the side of the board? Yeah, I don't think they run too deep, and even though one of them is a little closer to the center of the board, I think it's far enough up that it will be in a part of the bow that I'll be trimming down with my rasp. The other check is much farther up the board, near the end of it. Could you explain what you mean when you say that the warp could be fixed with heat? Do you mean something like a steam box? Because I'm not quite sure I could afford to make something like that just yet. And I definitely agree that picking out a board is the hardest part. I picked through three stores, and only found one board at one store the week after I checked.

jeffp51 -- Do you think you could point out where you see the grain run off? I had thought the board looked like it had a fairly straight grain. Will do! I hope that it doesn't break when I start shaping and tillering it, but I understand that breaking bows is something that's understood to happen a lot for beginners.

upstatenybowyer -- Thanks! I certainly hope to learn a lot from you guys.

Beadman -- Hehe, thanks! I'm the type that likes to be well-prepared before I tackle something new, and I did a lot of research into what good resources were -- now I just have to read them in full, or piecemeal as applies to each project!

GB -- Thanks! Personally, I'd rather be safe than sorry in regards to a backing. If I back it and it does end up breaking, then I figure the break won't be anything catastrophic, though I'd still wear eye protection while tillering. Besides, I think that it might look rather nice when backed with some black linen. Could you elaborate on how I would draw the center line? Do you mean a straight line from the unwarped portion of the board straight up until it (hopefully) meets the other slightly warped end, and then shaping it around that center line? I'd love to find some maple or hickory, but I just don't know where to find any around my location in Northern Florida. I don't know about ERC, but I can always check if my local Lowe's or Home Depots have any available. Barring that, there is a cabinetry place in my city that stocks lumber in the rough. I hope I get the tiller right on my first bow. I might make a tillering gizmo that I've seen to try to help with that.

I'm actually making this bow as a gift for my best friend's birthday, so I hope all goes well. I've been interested in bowyery for a while, and with this birthday coming up, I figured it was the perfect excuse to finally get started!

Offline jeffp51

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Re: Newbie here -- to the forum and bowyery in general!
« Reply #9 on: March 06, 2017, 10:22:52 pm »
Kal,
First, also welcome.  Look at the last picture you posted. If you follow the grain from the very center, it looks like it leaves the board in the middle of the black and white carpet.  There look to be two or three more run offs on the right side just over your hand.

If those checks go too deep they will cause problems too.

Offline Morgan

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Re: Newbie here -- to the forum and bowyery in general!
« Reply #10 on: March 06, 2017, 10:29:16 pm »
Kalvec, welcome! One of the great things about this is that You don't need a lot of tools! On my last bow I used a Vaughan half hatchet, 4 way rasp, drawknife (only used as a scraper, so you could use scissors), chainsaw file, and sandpaper. If you have a table saw you should look at this build along for board bows, I'm going to try it on some ipe that I have. http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,35312.0.html
Where are you from?

Offline GB

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Re: Newbie here -- to the forum and bowyery in general!
« Reply #11 on: March 06, 2017, 10:42:55 pm »
Yeah, I just meant that when you mark the center of the board to keep that center mark shy of where it starts to warp and draw your line with a straight edge through it.  You'll wind up with more material on one side of the line than the other.  But you'll be narrowing to the tips there anyway if I'm looking at the board correctly.  And if so, a little grain runoff there shouldn't cause a problem because the tips don't bend much.  I've never used linen, but have seen a few done that way.  Some guys buy silk ties from the Goodwill and use that for backer, too.
I've only used hickory strips or cherry bark for backing.  Making a gizmo is a great idea.  I've always had a hard time seeing the less obvious weak or stiff areas when my bow is on the tillering tree.  A gizmo is a big help.

Hickory is good wood for a board bow, too.  I used to get it from a local big box store in my area.  Then I found a hardwood lumberyard an hour's drive from me that stocks it plus hard maple and ERC.  No osage though, unfortunately. ;)
Yeah, I remember when we had a President who didn't wear a tinfoil hat.

Offline penderbender

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Re: Newbie here -- to the forum and bowyery in general!
« Reply #12 on: March 06, 2017, 10:59:18 pm »
Welcome to PA. Take everything with a grain of salt. I've never made a board bow, but I agree with jeffp about the grain running off. That being said you might be able to lay it out diagonally so as to stay with the grain. Try the worst you can do is learn something. Cheers- Brendan

Offline Pat B

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Re: Newbie here -- to the forum and bowyery in general!
« Reply #13 on: March 06, 2017, 11:14:03 pm »
Welcome Kalvek. You have some of the best wood bowyers in the US and from around the world at your fingertips here on PA. Ask questions, we love pics and just join in on the fun. What part of the country(world) are you from. Might be some bowyers or events near you.
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline selfbow joe

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Re: Newbie here -- to the forum and bowyery in general!
« Reply #14 on: March 07, 2017, 06:18:58 am »
Welcome to the PA