Author Topic: Vine Maple sapling bow  (Read 16889 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Gordon

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,299
Vine Maple sapling bow
« on: January 16, 2009, 02:40:13 pm »
Here is a bow that I made for a friend of mine. Brad had surgery on his shoulder and will be unable to pull the 60-70 lbs bows that he is accustomed to for some time. While visiting Brad at his cabin in the Oregon Cascades I spied a vine maple sapling on his property that looked like it would make a lightweight bow in the primitive bow style that he prefers. I showed Brad the tree and he quickly agreed to my plan.

The stave started with a little bit of reflex, but after I roughed out a bow and let it dry it took on a whooping 7” of reflex.  But that’s vine maple for you – it grows naturally with a tremendous amount of tension on the wood and when that tension is released by splitting and drying, it will often curl up on you.  A lot of that tension induced reflex will come out as the bow is tillered, but it makes things interesting at first. The bow settled in at 2 Ύ” of reflex after tillering.

The bow is 59” ntn, pulls 42# @ 28” and bends through the handle slightly. The width is 1 Ό”, 1 3/8” and ½” at the handle, mid-limb, and tips respectively. I used a combination of green and light brown leather dye for the stain. I left splotches of cambium on the back to create a sort of camo effect. There are no tip overlays or arrow rest because Brad wanted a bow that he could use for primitive shoots. It is finished with 9 coats of Tru-Oil and has a Strunk-style handle wrap.
 













Gordon

Offline Bonsai

  • Member
  • Posts: 35
Re: Vine Maple sapling bow
« Reply #1 on: January 16, 2009, 02:47:42 pm »
Beautiful Bow!

Offline DanaM

  • Member
  • Posts: 9,211
Re: Vine Maple sapling bow
« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2009, 02:52:46 pm »
Very nicely executed D bow Gordon, love the full draw on it.
"Prosperity is a way of living and thinking, and not just money or things. Poverty is a way of living and thinking, and not just a lack of money or things."

Manistique, MI

Offline BryanB

  • Member
  • Posts: 71
Re: Vine Maple sapling bow
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2009, 03:09:03 pm »
That bow turned out great!
Still maintained a fair amount of reflex.
Brad will be thrilled.
Bryan

Offline El Destructo

  • Member
  • Posts: 8,078
  • Longhaired Crippled Hippie Biker And Proud Of It!!
    • Desert Sportz Primitive Archery
Re: Vine Maple sapling bow
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2009, 03:33:21 pm »
                  Gotta Love that Vine Maple.....some Spunky Damned Wood....I love it!! Very Nice Job Gordon........
As a species we're fundamentally insane. Put more than two of us in a room, we pick sides and start dreaming up ways to kill one another.Why do you think we invented politics and religion.
Think HEALTHCARE Is Expensive Now,Wait Till It's FREE
Do Or Do Not,There Is No TRY
2024...We Will Overcome

Offline Okie

  • Member
  • Posts: 601
    • Bear Creek Selfbows
Re: Vine Maple sapling bow
« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2009, 03:33:30 pm »
WOW!!!  :o Simply Beautiful, Gordon. You're a great inspiration.
Take a kid huntin' (If not who'll drag your deer out when you get old)
<---------<<<Founding Member Oklahoma Selfbow Society>>>-----------> Vice President OSS

Offline PeteC

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,014
Re: Vine Maple sapling bow
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2009, 03:39:06 pm »
Beautiful bow,I like it.Good Job.  God Bless
What you believe determines how you behave., Pete Clayton, Whitehouse ,Texas

Offline robbsbass

  • Member
  • Posts: 260
Re: Vine Maple sapling bow
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2009, 04:50:49 pm »
Nice bow Gordon,but then again, your bows are always beautiful
live each day the best you can

Offline Denham Archer

  • Member
  • Posts: 146
Re: Vine Maple sapling bow
« Reply #8 on: January 16, 2009, 04:58:42 pm »
Very good job! 

salad days

  • Guest
Re: Vine Maple sapling bow
« Reply #9 on: January 16, 2009, 05:33:11 pm »
Beautiful bow! I was lucky enough to have inspected Rick Trojanowski's vine maple over the holidays. I was very supprised to see how much curl and figure that wood has that you can't really see in pictures. The grain also has a ton of iridescence that looks stunning under True Oil. Well done sir.

Offline Blacktail

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,432
Re: Vine Maple sapling bow
« Reply #10 on: January 16, 2009, 05:36:43 pm »
the artist does it again...love it gordon...i hope your freind loves it as much as i would ;D.....thanks for sharing john

Offline Jesse

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,129
Re: Vine Maple sapling bow
« Reply #11 on: January 16, 2009, 06:00:01 pm »
 VERY Cool bow Gordon. 8) You got that tillering thing down :)
"If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere."
    --Frank A. Clark

Offline burn em up chuck

  • Member
  • Posts: 718
Re: Vine Maple sapling bow
« Reply #12 on: January 16, 2009, 08:14:10 pm »
      very very nice, keep the sapling bows coming. i've been studiing every one. i have some vinemaple and even a yew sapling i want bows out of.

                                                               chuck
Honored to say I'm a Member of the
         
                 Twin Oaks Bowhunters club

Offline Gordon

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,299
Re: Vine Maple sapling bow
« Reply #13 on: January 16, 2009, 09:18:03 pm »
Thank you Bonsai.

Thank you Dana, I really like how a D-bow looks and shoots.

Thank you Bryan - I was surprised at the amount of reflex the bow held

Thank you El D. I cut my teeth on vine maple so I guess I'll always have a soft spot for it

Thank you for the kind words Okie.

Thank you Pete, I'm glad you like it.

Thank you James.

Thank you Denham.

Thank you October. Vine maple grain has a lot of "character". On the plus side it is beautiful when stained. On the minus side it's a bit*h to scrape.

Thank you John. I can't say there is all that much artistry in this bow - with saplings you pretty much get what you see. The trick is in the tillering.

Thank you Jesse

Thank you Chuck. Sapling bows are fun, but they can be tricky because of the high crown and character.

Gordon

Offline Stickhead

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 940
Re: Vine Maple sapling bow
« Reply #14 on: January 16, 2009, 09:36:29 pm »
Every one of your bows is impressive and humbling.  This one is truly ELEGANT.
-Tom