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Author Topic: Elm Bow - #2 Complete  (Read 6503 times)

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Offline Diligence

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Elm Bow - #2 Complete
« on: February 08, 2010, 12:57:00 am »
Thought I would repay the great advice received from all of you by posting some shots of bow #2.  Just at floor tiller now and about to start to string tillering.  Need to sand the back a bit and round some corners, but other than that - she's good to go.

American Elm (sub species Brandon Elm), will likely keep it around 68" to 70" N2N.  Going to make this a D-shape tiller....or so I hope.  I think I had beginners luck with my first bow, so I've tried to go back to basics and follow Tim Bakers, "first wooden bow" instructions.  We'll see how it goes.

This stave appears pretty good as it is fairly knot free and has some natural deflex.   There is a knot dead center in the limb at midlimb and one just slightly above towards the tips.  I have left extra width there for now and I'm trying to follow the undulations in the back of the bow at that spot to maintain a proper thickness.

Roughed out dimensions are:

Limb width from handle thru to mid-limb is 1-9/16" tapering to what will be 1/2" at the tips when finished. (left them a bit wide for now until I see how it tracks).  Thickness at handle is 1", and 13/16" at fades tapering to  9/16" at mid-limb, down to 1/2" at tips.

I'll keep you posted.

Cheers,
J

PS - this stave is also a street side casualty (as was my chokecherry).  It was knocked down in March 2009, and I saved it from the chipper.  I keep looking for more of these Elm knock-downs, but they seem to be few and far between this winter.


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« Last Edit: February 23, 2010, 02:22:50 pm by Diligence »
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Offline Pat B

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Re: Elm Bow - #2
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2010, 01:08:38 am »
Good luck Jaye. Looking forward to your progress. ;)
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Offline Diligence

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Re: Elm Bow - #2 Underway
« Reply #2 on: February 12, 2010, 02:11:26 am »
Progress Shot.

I think I need to get a clean wall to use for this.....

It's funny.  When I was eyeballing this one, I thought I had to get the lower limb bending more.  Looks like I need to get the top limb bending more at the handle.  The top limb has a bit of a twist to it, but there are no knots.  The lower limb has two large knots right at midlimb.

Overall this is currently 70" ntn and about 1 3/8" thru to midlimb, narrowing to 1/2" wide at the tips.  I'm using paracord for my tillering string, and I have not drawn it past 40# yet....I would like to end up with at least 50# at 26".

Anybody have any suggestions? Good advice, or general comments?

J

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Offline El Destructo

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Re: Elm Bow - #2 Underway
« Reply #3 on: February 12, 2010, 03:40:44 am »
OK...first off...in order to make this work...the Picture has to be straight...Bow must be perfectly Horizontal in Tiller tree...second...you have to start the Ellipse at the Beginning of one Limb Tip in order to get the right Perspective on the Picture...so here is my take...the Left Limb is Stiffer from the Fade to Mid Limb...but not nearly as bad as it was made to look...I don't know which is the Top or Bottom ...but the Left is the One that I would work on first...then get this to a Short String as soon as Possible to get a Better Idea of what it really looks like...Long Strings don't do as good a job doing this... and the Limb with the Twist in it...look and see if it is not thicker on the Side that is not bending as much....and remove wood sparingly until it does tart to bend evenly....JMO

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Offline Diligence

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Re: Elm Bow - #2 Underway
« Reply #4 on: February 12, 2010, 10:52:08 am »
Thanks El-D......very helpful post!  I'll be more careful to be level next time.  Great info on where to place the ellipse, that just seems to make so much sense now that you said it, and it's a great visual aid.

In the tiller view, the left hand side is going to be the top limb, as a result of how the string is tracking.

As for the twist in the upper limb, the twist exists when unbraced, as well as when being flexed.  Would you suggest removing wood so as to cause the limb to "un-twist" when being drawn?  Currently, I the limb remains in the same out-of-plane position thoughout the limb travel.

Might be a day or two until I get back into the shop, so would be interested to hear from anybody else as well.

Cheers,
J
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Offline El Destructo

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Re: Elm Bow - #2 Underway
« Reply #5 on: February 12, 2010, 09:26:00 pm »
Me....I would not mess with it a long as the String is tracking straight down the Middle....and the Limb isn't twisting sideways when Drawn....JMO
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Offline Diligence

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Re: Elm Bow - #2 Underway
« Reply #6 on: February 13, 2010, 03:03:41 am »
I'll have to take a photo of the string tracking, it's less than ideal although it does cross thru the handle...sort of.   ;D

I'm considering shaping the handle so that it "points" to the string a bit, but I'm not sure I left enough meat at the handle to allow me to do that.

J
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Offline Diligence

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Re: Elm Bow - #2 Underway
« Reply #7 on: February 15, 2010, 01:42:59 am »
Update:

Got it braced and tillered out to 28"....unfortunately, somehow or other I ended up with 45#ish at 28"....but I draw to just over 26".  I think it was using the paracord as a tillering string....or I don't know what?  I was so careful with the tillering.....hmmm....

Regardless, the right limb is the bottom limb and is bending just fine.   To get the left limb bending more, is there a specific area I should focus on?  Right at the fade area?...just outside that?  I had thought I had it nailed, until I finished sanding it and brought the photo to the computer.

I have not really narrowed the handle on this one, and the left limb is still twisted (the same amount from unbraced thru to full draw).

It's still 70" ntn,so I could pike it a bit, and I plan to toast the belly a bit as well.  That combination should bring me back up to 50# or so, I think.

Well, let me have the bad news......

J

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Offline El Destructo

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Re: Elm Bow - #2 Underway
« Reply #8 on: February 15, 2010, 01:53:03 am »
Pike it 2" on each Limb...with just a 26 inch draw...you can lose 4" no problem...retiller it...get them Limbs bending from the Fades to Mid Limb more...when you are Happy with the Tiller...Toast Her some....JMO
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Offline Diligence

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Re: Elm Bow - #2 Underway
« Reply #9 on: February 15, 2010, 03:34:30 pm »
I'll try to pike it tonight.  In order to get the left limb bending more, should I cut back the fade into the handle a bit?  I'm worried that if I take any off the limb at that spot, I'll end up with a hinge....hmm...learning, learning.

J
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Offline Diligence

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Re: Elm Bow - #2 Underway
« Reply #10 on: February 18, 2010, 12:47:27 am »
Decided not to pike it yet....but I did retiller the top (left limb) or so I thought, then I toasted the belly, sanded it lightly and put on some Danish oil.  Elm sure smells nice with the heat on it!

Anyway, here is what it looks like now.  I shortened the top portion of the handle too, which made the limb about 3/4" longer than the bottom limb....anyway, it looks so much worse than it did when I put an ellipse to it.......any thoughts?

J



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Offline El Destructo

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Re: Elm Bow - #2 Underway
« Reply #11 on: February 18, 2010, 01:36:32 am »
Jaye...from what I can see from the Picture that you sent...there is way too much wood not moving on both Limbs right at and after the Fades....look at how flat that Bow is in the Middle...there is little...to no movement for nearly 8-10 inches on either side of the Fades...I would work on these...and free up some of that stiff area...and get more working for you...also when you Toast the Belly...it will change the Tiller some too
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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
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Offline Diligence

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Re: Elm Bow - #2 Underway
« Reply #12 on: February 19, 2010, 02:30:48 pm »
yep- the toasting did change the tiller.

I'll pike a couple of inches this weekend and retiller the whole thing...see if I can get the area just outside the fades bending a bit more.

Cheers,
J
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Offline El Destructo

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Re: Elm Bow - #2 Underway
« Reply #13 on: February 19, 2010, 03:23:16 pm »
Remember....slow and easy!
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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 Diligence

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Re: Elm Bow - #2 Underway
« Reply #14 on: February 19, 2010, 04:46:27 pm »
Oh....I know, but I really want to shoot this one...and I definately do not want this one to break!

j
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"Always do your best and to everyone be kind and good" - Ernst Hjalmer Selin (1906-2000)....my grandfather's words of advice he wanted me to tell my children.
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