Author Topic: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"  (Read 8421 times)

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Offline Stickhead

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Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
« on: December 14, 2017, 01:20:23 pm »
Hi, all,

I decided to push the limits on this one and see how much weight I could get out of this 15 year old osage stave without it breaking or taking a lot of set.  It ended up puling a full 75# at 25", which is about maxing out my arm (I actually draw slightly under 25".).  In fact, I'll have to do some upper body work to be comfortable shooting more than a few arrows out of this one.  Maybe I'll use it as a pig-sticker - those critters can be tough to penetrate sometimes.

I finished this one up in October, in between Oktoberfest celebrations.  Since then, I revisited the tiller and refinished it, so I think it's done this time.  Around here, there was an Oktoberfest every weekend all month, and local breweries were all coming up with their own festbiers (Oktoberfest beers).  I wanted to do some sort of dye job, while still using the golden color of the osage.  So after getting inspired over a festbier, I got into the spirit and did a tricolor scheme to match the colors of the German flag.  Hence the bow's name, "Festbow."

It's 59" ntn, tapering evenly from 1-1/2" to 3/8".  After shooting it in, it held a bit of the recurve I had added to the tips, ending up with a slight R-D gull wing profile, with the tips just about even with the back of the handle.  I put on deer antler tips at a pretty aggressive angle, but it held together anyway.  I found some red leather lace in my scraps drawer that matched the color, so I did a simple handle wrap with it.  After some experimenting, I rubbed some string-saver waxy stuff into the wrap to seal it a bit and give it a better feel and appearance.  Shoots well, and definitely with authority.

Thanks for any critique or advice.

...Tom
 
« Last Edit: December 15, 2017, 07:32:31 am by Stickhead »

Offline Stickhead

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Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2017, 01:23:02 pm »
More pics...

Offline Stick Bender

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Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2017, 01:32:40 pm »
Thats a beast of a bow at that weight very nice festive look bet it shoots with great cast !
If you fear failure you will never Try !

Offline DC

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Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2017, 01:36:23 pm »
I like it! Still haven't figured out how you guys pull these heavy things though.

Offline Mo_coon-catcher

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Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
« Reply #4 on: December 14, 2017, 01:56:47 pm »
Looks awesome! And I love the weight you got out of it. Congrats!

Kyle

Offline bradsmith2010

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Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
« Reply #5 on: December 14, 2017, 02:08:32 pm »
looks great congrats,,, (SH)

Online Pat B

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Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
« Reply #6 on: December 14, 2017, 02:45:23 pm »
Looks good but hurts to think about the weight.  :OK
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
« Reply #7 on: December 14, 2017, 03:07:32 pm »
Mighty fine. My 75 lbs days are over before they started. :) Jawge
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Offline joachimM

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Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
« Reply #8 on: December 14, 2017, 03:47:54 pm »
Not so sure about the color  ;), but that's a mighty fine bow. The tips are coming out nicely!

Offline mullet

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Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
« Reply #9 on: December 14, 2017, 04:02:57 pm »
Very sweet! I love the dye job and like Jawge, my heavy weight days are over, too.
Lakeland, Florida
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Offline Marc St Louis

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Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
« Reply #10 on: December 14, 2017, 04:06:07 pm »
Really nice Tom.  Very well tillered and 75# @ 25" should make it around 85# @ 28".  Like some of the others, my days of pulling those weights are over.
Home of heat-treating, Corbeil, On.  Canada

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Offline Nidhoggr

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Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
« Reply #11 on: December 14, 2017, 05:04:06 pm »
My critique:  Worst bow ever.  I'll happily take it off your hands to spare you the shame of owning it.  You pay shipping of course.  >:D

In seriousness that bow is absolutely gorgeous and I want it lol.   That is just beautiful and I love that it's a high draw weight at a small draw length.  I too have a short draw length.  The way the wood fades is insanely nice.

Offline selfbow joe

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Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
« Reply #12 on: December 14, 2017, 06:29:10 pm »
Good looking bow.like the color of the bow.

Offline jeffp51

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Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
« Reply #13 on: December 14, 2017, 07:10:25 pm »
Ach du Liebe Stockkopf!  Das ist aber ein schöner Bogen--I wish I had thought of those colors.  That's a Bogen des Jahres  for us who are German at heart.  Gut gemacht, Junge!

To all you native Germans out there, sorry for the gemischte Sprachen.  I hope it doesn't hurt zu viel.

Offline Badger

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Re: Osage "Festbow" - 75#@25"
« Reply #14 on: December 14, 2017, 07:18:01 pm »
   Good job on that bow, I am struggling right now to see if I can build up to the new 70# flight shooting class. So far I am 10# low but have several months to go.