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Author Topic: Getting a handle on it  (Read 4501 times)

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Offline JW_Halverson

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Getting a handle on it
« on: July 10, 2009, 02:08:57 pm »
I was recently at the Fort Union Living History event at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers.  I was scraping away on a bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) stave while the tourists wandered through camp.  I happened to be distracted a bit by a certain lovely Canadian gal, who shall remain nameless, and I ended up taking waaaay too much off the width of a handle. 

The handle is now about 5/8ths of an inch wide and a little over an inch deep.  There is nowhere near enough material to prevent flex in the handle and due to the wonderful character of this stave I really don't want to lose this fight.  I have thought about building up the back and sides of the handle with sinew, or even glueing on thin layers of osage. 

I may be getting old, but I am still young enough to learn new mistakes!
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Offline El Destructo

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Re: Getting a handle on it
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2009, 02:13:24 pm »
You could always wrap it with Rawhide Strips to give it more Stability and Strength....or you could cut it in half and build it up and make a Take Down Bow from it....I Myself would glue two strips on the Sides....shape the Handle the way you would like it to be....then wrap it with nice wet Rawhide Strips about 3/4" wide...and let it all dry and shrink up together....JMO
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coyote pup

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Re: Getting a handle on it
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2009, 02:43:00 pm »
My choice would be to do what you mentioned, and sinew the back and sides of the handle, and then do like Destructo just said and wrap rawhide on the outside for the actual handle.
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Offline venisonburger

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Re: Getting a handle on it
« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2009, 05:33:31 pm »
Dang women!
VB
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Offline Dano

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Re: Getting a handle on it
« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2009, 06:04:11 pm »
Yep women have been a distraction to me since I can recall.  ::) Oh yeah, all good advise from the guys above.
« Last Edit: July 10, 2009, 06:13:09 pm by Dano »
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Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: Getting a handle on it
« Reply #5 on: July 10, 2009, 06:06:25 pm »
I'd glue one some wood. At least an inch of wood is my guess. Jawge
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Offline El Destructo

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Re: Getting a handle on it
« Reply #6 on: July 10, 2009, 09:10:51 pm »
Quote from: El Destructo on July 10, 2009, 02:13:24 pm
I Myself would glue two strips on the Sides....shape the Handle the way you would like it to be....then wrap it with nice wet Rawhide Strips about 3/4" wide...and let it all dry and shrink up together....JMO
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Offline Eric Krewson

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Re: Getting a handle on it
« Reply #7 on: July 10, 2009, 11:08:25 pm »
I glue wood on where ever it is needed to fill a handle out.

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Offline hedgeapple

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Re: Getting a handle on it
« Reply #8 on: July 11, 2009, 02:43:38 am »
I learn something new everyday reading these posts.  I love the side view of the added wood.  AND I never thought of putting a guide line down the limb to aid in sanding down the rounded corner.
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Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: Getting a handle on it
« Reply #9 on: July 16, 2009, 08:41:05 pm »
Ok, seems like I will be building up the side of the handle with some osage or other really strong wood.  Gonna be a bearcat of a job since neither side is flat.  Whadya think?  Flatten the sides out to get a good tight glue bond or spend lotsa time carving the add-ons to match the curves?

And last question, what would you chose for glue?  I assume something that has really good gap filling capability.  ( I really hope you don't say Urac because I have been fighting a losing battle with the stuff on several projects)
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coyote pup

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Re: Getting a handle on it
« Reply #10 on: July 17, 2009, 12:20:52 pm »
I would sand flat and do it with any of the Tightbonds, but II or III would be best. Good choice, not so primitive but all the  reassurance and will look nice!
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Offline Pappy

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Re: Getting a handle on it
« Reply #11 on: July 17, 2009, 12:30:34 pm »
How heavy is the bow,I don't make the handles much bigger than that and don't have a problem with flexing,of course most are in the low 50's. :) and I have a small hand and like a small grip.
   Pappy
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Offline DanaM

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Re: Getting a handle on it
« Reply #12 on: July 17, 2009, 01:12:17 pm »
Did ya get her number eh ;)  ;D Sure hope so ::)
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Offline Eric Krewson

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Re: Getting a handle on it
« Reply #13 on: July 17, 2009, 07:22:41 pm »
it isn't a guide line, it if the glue joint where I added a piece of wood that ran from one fade to the other. Here is what the add-ons looked like before I shaped the handle.



I started with something like this, just to see if I could make a bow out of it. Nice limbs but not enough wood for a handle.

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Offline Eric Krewson

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Re: Getting a handle on it
« Reply #14 on: July 17, 2009, 07:31:57 pm »
Here is the same bow many years later. A guy in Chattanooga found it in an archery shop and sent me this picture to see if I had made the bow.

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