gum tree flatbow build along

[blades7558]

ok, so i mistakenly cut down a gum tree thinking it was an oak i figured i might as well use the wood. ii don't have any pictures of me trying to split the tree but any of you who have used gum for fire wood know that its impossible. those of you who don't know gum is a stringy, twisted and compact white wood. I tried splitting a 6 inch diameter log and it ended only in sweat and frustration with the wedge only in the log about 4-5 inches. Enter man's best innovation the chainsaw. I cut the log in half with that beautiful whining, sawdust throwing machine and had a smile on my face the whole time. not primitive by any means but primitives wouldn't be making a bow out of gum either.i let the wood dry for about 2 weeks with the bark on. I then cut a 70 inch peice off of the smaller end of the tree which had more sapwood.  then drew up plans on the flat belly side of the bow. here are the dimensions: 1 inch nocks (for now) 2inch mid limb width  2 -1/2 inch at the fades. a handle that is 4inches long by 1-1/2 inches wide and slope to the 2- 1/2 inch fades over one inch. there are very few knots in this wood which im happy about because me and knots are not friends at all. i cut down the belly of the bow to floor tiller depth  and im now patiently waiting for it to dry. my moisture meter says its at 22+ % and it doesn't have any conversion ratio for gum in the booklet so ill start tillering at 9-10 % here are some photos. Bear with me because this is my first picture post. the last photo is of a big knot on the very tip of the bow please give advice for what to do with that monster.



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[blades7558]

heres the knot 


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[HatchA]

That knot looks well and truly dangerous 

Does the strong difference in colour between it and the surrounding whitewood mean it's essentially "seperate" from the whitewood?  Reminds me of the kind of knots that have a habit of just falling out, leaving a hole.

[blades7558]

the way i figure it is its close to the nock where it won't be bending a whole lot and its not all the way through the stave i must have cut the knot in half when i shaped the bow so "fingers crossed" it won't be the demise if the bow.

[blades7558]

i think i have ran across a neat way to power dry staves. after i cut this stave down to floor tiller i put it in front of my box fan thats in my room on low for a day and a half. it went from 22+ % moisture contentin the limbs and handle to 16% in the handle and 9% in the limbs.im sure every one has cut the stave down to proper dimensions to dry out the stave, i was just amazed at how fast it dried in front of the fan. i have started tillering with a long cord and im following the tillering procedure noted in the bowyers bible and im at the #35 mark with #40 to #45 being the goal. here are some picture of it at an estimated 12 inches of draw on the tillering tree. im pretty sure the right limb is to stiff or isn't bening perfectly but your comments are welcome because i don't want to break this one to.  hopefully ill have more updates tomorrow or sometime this week.

[blades7558]

oh i forgot the pictures. duh here they are

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[blades7558]

well heres the bow pulling #45 on the long string. it seems to be at a good tiller but im not to sure so feel free to add your opinion. i had to bring the bow inside to dry it out it has been raining here for the last two days and the bow was out in the garage and picked up some of the moisture it took a set at 1-3/4. i think i might steam a deflex into the mid limb just to counter this but i might then just leave it alone and try it on another bow. tomarrow if the moisture drops enough ill brace the bow at 3 or 4 inches and begin final tillering.

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[Josh]

Cool, very anxious to see how this one turns out.  That knot in the tip would have scared me off from that one. Glad to see you pushin forward anyways.  Is that gum as in Sweet Gum?  The tree that drops those spikey-balls everywhere? 

[blades7558]

yes sir it is. it looks alot like oak with no leaves on the tree. i live in south jersey and they grow like wild fire here.

[blades7558]

well its done! finnaly! my first bow is complete! it came in way under weight at #30 at 30 inches  and it has taken a horrible set at 2.5 inches BUT it works..... im positive im going to put a deflex into the limbs and maybe even shorten the limbs. i was amazed at how well this wood  works. it didn't snap or pop or complain at all during the whole process. so i would highly recommend this wood to any beginning bowyer. if any one has any comments questions or ideas on how to go about the deflex please feel free to comment i belive i'll try the deflex either tomorrow or this weekend. here are the photos of it at full draw on the tree and the belly side of the bow.

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[youngbowyer33]

looks good but i think there might be some limb twist near the tip

[blades7558]

i steamed the bow and bent it over an old propane tank and clamped it in place over night. that took out some of the set. it looks as if its at 1 inch now. here are some pics of my steamer and clamp set up. i belive with the exception of sanding and lacquering the bow is complete. yes young it did have some limb twist in both ends the steam took out a little but i learned a lesson for next time. when i dry the bow out for the first time i will clamp it to a flat board. other wise im not concerned about it.

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[youngbowyer33]

sweet. looks great