OK...... so lets tiller the BACK of the bow/ It's DONE & ALIVE

[medicinewheel]

That is one good looking bow, and it sure is extraordinarily special!
Great accomplishment!

[half eye]

medicinewheel,
        Thanks for the compliment, I've been shooting some today and it shoots really acurately and pretty quick considering how short it is. I was shooting 650 grain arrows that are about 3" too long and it didn't seem to bother the bow a lick.
half eye

[Josh]

that's really an awesome thing Halfeye.  Break one, start another and finish it the next day... I am jealous of the time you get to devote to making bows and also your resilience to set backs.  Good work all around man! -josh

[elk country rp]

it's beautiful! i wish you were my neighbor....

[half eye]

Thanks you guys, it's kind of like Steve said, the fascination for me is in the making of them and sometimes I get my butt kicked but that don't kill the desire cause that doesn't end untill I can get it right. I've broke a bunch, built a bunch, swore at myself, swore at the wood (didn't kick the dog) thats why I like this retirement thing....and life for this old hillbilly is real good.

PS: Talking with all of you is icing on the cake to boot

Half eye

[tonys]

Half eye,
Looking at the dimensions that you gave - the mass principle says that for your bow a typical weight would be about 12 oz for a handle that bends. For a rigid handle it would be about 18 oz. The bow in the pictures looks as though it bends well through the handle so I would assume that the 12 oz would be correct. The groove would have helped you get down to the ideal weight for "best performance" while hopefully still being durable.

The latest pictures are great - I would not have thought that you would have put such effort into the great finish for an experimental bow.
Great job - very inspiring.

Tony

[half eye]

Tonys,
     That finish is my simple hunting type and doesn't take long at all. Rubbed in one heavy coat of minwax golden oak and rubbed the stuff out of it....then two coats of lacquer thinned 50/50 with acetone....dried in 30 minuets. very lightly sanded and then dyed with the wifes food coloring....blended together and dried with a hair dryer (10 minuets) then three coats of clear spray lacquer (about 1 hour total) when it's dry (totally cured) tomorrow....it's gets a couple coats of rain-x wax. Nothin to it.
half eye

[George Tsoukalas]

Good tiller and good job on the finish. Jawge

[half eye]

Thanks George,   The bottom limb is not that far off as it looks....I put the hide on the grip where my hand is suppossed to be right on the the top of the leather....course the dummy had to drop it down and the Mrs. said she wasn't takin no more pictures today!!!! ya know how that goes...it really does bend better than it looks....

Thanks for the encouragement, means a bunch comming from you.
half eye

[ken75]

well you have done it again , beautiful bow , and something new to boot. might have to start a" half eye bow school " ,i'll bring some hickory if it'll lower the tuition 

[half eye]

Ken 75
       You my friend are welcome to anything I know.....but you wont be gettin much How the heck is that walnut shootin anyway. I aint had any REAL hickory to play with, yet but heard I might be gettin some soon!!!!
half eye

[Dave 55]

A friend of mine just bought an A&H ACS ,a high end fg r/d bow and the limbs have that scooped out belly,very little mass to the limbs.Its a very interesting bow,tho nothing to due with selfbows.

[Jude]

That's another really nice looking bow.  I'm not sure how I missed this thread before, but I'm definitely impressed.  I was a little confused at first, since the pics are so small, but are they strung backwards?  I have to think that it was an alternate approach to trapping the limbs for a tension strong wood.  Great job as usual.

[sailordad]

Rich. i knew if it was possible ,you wuold be the one to figure it out.
DAMN nice bow.
im sure most of you have never realy seen one of his creations,well let me tell you there are incredible.
wish it would warm up here,our highs are like 2* above.i have a new bow i cant wait to get out and shoot the hell out of.
once i do i will post pics.

Rich,once again very incredible work

[half eye]

Thanks sailordad glad you liked it.
half eye