Author Topic: Back with a new bendy handle project (bow no. 109) <pic heavy>  (Read 5914 times)

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Offline simson

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After a long period of struggle with massive health problems I’m back. Hope some of you remember me and like to see my work again.  I haven’t finished a bow in the last months, but sorted out my staves, prepared now and then some of them. So I came over to a pile of staves and bow blanks thought for bendy handle bows. This collection are more or less short (at least the most) staves/blanks, some of them were laying in a corner for years.

What I found so far:
ash, bamboo, barberry, black locust, black walnut, buckthorn, checker tree, cherry, cornelian cherry, cypress, dogwood, elderberry, different sorts of elm, golden chain tree, hawthorn, hazel, hedge maple, holly, juniper, lilac, mulberry, norway maple, osage, different sorts of plum, rowan, serviceberry, sloe, spindeltree, thuja, tree of heaven, walnut, wayfaring tree, yew.

E
xcept osage and bamboo all others are native growing trees or bush in my homeland. Some of them came out of the bio junk container from our local community.
Of course there are a lot more suitable bow woods, I simply do not have staves from all available.
But still have now more than 30 species to choose from. Perhaps I find more in dark corners of my shop/garage, we will see.
I will do lighter weight bows with different designs, symmetrical and asymmetrical and mostly more or less shorties.

Well, I got started already and work on 20 or so parallel to compensate waiting periods (steaming, glueing, sinewing, heat treating, …).

What a good feeling to be back in the shop!!!

Here is the first one.



Holly flatty “holey holly” 34/28 (No. 109)

Some years ago I got some holly (ilex aquifolium) staves donated from my friend Andi (thanks bro!). One of those was split in halves, one half was a good one and made a nice bow. The other half was full of dead branches and I laid it in a corner and forgot about it. Over the years of seasoning the dead branches got loose and could pushed out easily, below and above the knots/holes deep cracks had developed going through the entire wood.

After examining this cool piece again, I couldn’t throw it into the fire wood. I scraped the bark away, leaving some cambium on. The back is an up and down humpy bumpy all the length, I followed bellyside as good as I could.

No steam, no heat, no stain is on wood.

The nine holes gave this stick its name “holey holly”.

ntn: 57”
bh: 6”
symmetrical
mass: 390 gram
w/d:    26/16 mm handle
   44/14 mm max
   12/10 mm tips
bendy handle


08”: 03,0
10”: 06,5   (+ 3,5)
12”: 09,2   (+ 2,7)
14”: 12,1   (+ 2,9)
16”: 14,7   (+ 2,6)
18”: 17,5   (+ 2,8)
20”: 20,6   (+ 3,1)
22”: 23,6   (+ 3,0)
24”: 26,6   (+ 3,0
26”: 30,0   (+ 3,4)
28”: 33,5   (+ 3,5)


























































Simon
Bavaria, Germany

Offline silent sniper

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Re: Back with a new bendy handle project (bow no. 109) <pic heavy>
« Reply #1 on: March 24, 2020, 05:47:45 am »
Incredible work on such a tricky stave!

Offline Swampman

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Re: Back with a new bendy handle project (bow no. 109) <pic heavy>
« Reply #2 on: March 24, 2020, 06:23:06 am »
Beautiful!  Glad you are back in your shop Simson.  I bet that does feel good.

Offline Del the cat

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Re: Back with a new bendy handle project (bow no. 109) <pic heavy>
« Reply #3 on: March 24, 2020, 07:14:23 am »
Wow... just wow. :)
Del
Health warning, these posts may contain traces of nut.

Offline bradsmith2010

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Re: Back with a new bendy handle project (bow no. 109) <pic heavy>
« Reply #4 on: March 24, 2020, 07:21:01 am »
Very beautiful,,,one of my favorites,,congrats ,,.so glad u back

Offline BowEd

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Re: Back with a new bendy handle project (bow no. 109) <pic heavy>
« Reply #5 on: March 24, 2020, 07:23:51 am »
Simson....An example of patience and more patience into a piece of functional art.A unique piece of wood made into a bow not seen too often on this site.Very nice work.Wise not to heat treat.IMO heat treating a knotty stave is a risky business.
Good to hear your health is back on a good track.It sounds like you are in bow wood heaven.This is part of IMO what self bows can offer more so than any other form of bow making.
Beautiful pictures too I might add.Did the site take a while to download all of those?....Ha Ha.I might wear my scroller out looking at all of those pictures.
« Last Edit: March 24, 2020, 09:15:13 am by BowEd »
BowEd
You got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.
Ed

Offline PaSteve

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Re: Back with a new bendy handle project (bow no. 109) <pic heavy>
« Reply #6 on: March 24, 2020, 07:51:33 am »
Wow Simson, that's beautiful. Glad your health is better and you're making bows again. Love seeing your work.
"It seems so much more obvious with bows than with other matters, that we are the guardians of the prize we seek." Dean Torges

Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Back with a new bendy handle project (bow no. 109) <pic heavy>
« Reply #7 on: March 24, 2020, 10:22:28 am »
Its good to hear you are feeling better. Hopefully are your health concerns are no longer a concern. Stay well, Simon.
Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline DC

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Re: Back with a new bendy handle project (bow no. 109) <pic heavy>
« Reply #8 on: March 24, 2020, 10:58:25 am »
Glad to see you back. Beautiful bend. I love the third picture with the sun shining through the holes :D. With nine holes I was expecting a golf reference, maybe "Front Nine" Great job, Really glad to see you're OK, I was missing your bows.

Offline willie

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Re: Back with a new bendy handle project (bow no. 109) <pic heavy>
« Reply #9 on: March 24, 2020, 12:35:39 pm »
Quote
I was missing your bows.

and I was also, very nice.

Offline rps3

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Re: Back with a new bendy handle project (bow no. 109) <pic heavy>
« Reply #10 on: March 24, 2020, 12:36:37 pm »
Simson, and pic heavy...thats a great combination. Wonderful looking bow, and I hope your health is heading in the right direction.

Offline lonbow

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Re: Back with a new bendy handle project (bow no. 109) <pic heavy>
« Reply #11 on: March 24, 2020, 01:27:59 pm »
HOL(L)Y MOLY !!! That´s a really nice-looking bow!

I´m glad to see you back again and I´m also happy that your health is better now. Your bows are always real works of art. So how could I forget them?

Many greetings from Innsbruck,
lonbow
« Last Edit: March 24, 2020, 01:45:37 pm by lonbow »

Offline Rākau

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Re: Back with a new bendy handle project (bow no. 109) <pic heavy>
« Reply #12 on: March 24, 2020, 01:38:25 pm »
 I really struggle to comprehend the work that must go into getting a stave like that bending so wonderfully. Just the other day I needed a fix and went through your website, it is such a treasure trove, but it is even better to see you posting again. hope all thise health scares stay in the past.

Could you give some information about the other holly bow you made? I have a stave or two at home and have seen mixed reviews regarding holly as a bow wood.

Zach

Offline RyanY

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Re: Back with a new bendy handle project (bow no. 109) <pic heavy>
« Reply #13 on: March 24, 2020, 03:55:32 pm »
Stunning work simson. Glad to have you back and in good health!

Offline Parnell

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Re: Back with a new bendy handle project (bow no. 109) <pic heavy>
« Reply #14 on: March 24, 2020, 03:59:45 pm »
Just beautiful, Simon.  It almost looks like a piece of driftwood!  Wonderful work and I am glad to see your post and pictures.  Best wishes for your continued recovery and well being.
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