Mel's Bow

[Gordon]

Here’s a bow that I made from a piece of wood that Keenan gifted to me several years ago at our first meeting. At the time he wasn’t sure what kind of wood it was but thought it might make a good bow. Fast forward to the recent Central Oregon Bowyer’s Gathering where I met a young lady who expressed a desire to build and own a bow like the kind we were making.  I remembered Keenan’s stave and thinking it would be ideal, I handed it to her and promptly started her on her way.

I’ve helped many folks build their first bow, but rarely have I seen someone so focused. There was hardly a moment when Mel was not working on her bow and even had to enlist the help of her husband when blisters began to raise on her hands.  On the last morning I helped her floor tiller the bow. When I told her it was ready for its first bracing she could hardly contain her excitement knowing that her bow was about to be born in front of her eyes. But alas, one of the limbs was twisted and the string was badly misaligned. I told her that fixing these issues would require tools that we did not have at the gathering. Seeing the disappointment in her face I offered to take the bow home and make the needed corrections.

So here are some pictures of the finished bow. It’s made from a sapling that I determined to be a species of plum. It is 57” ntn, the limbs are 1 3/8” wide at the fades tapering to 3/8” at the tips. The bow pulls 40# @ 25”. The limbs are asymmetrical with the lower limb being almost 3” shorter than the upper limb. This was necessary because of the presence of a large knot that predetermined the position of the handle, and the fact that I did not want to shorten the bow anymore than I did. The tips are overlaid with a tropical hardwood, and the handle is elk hide with a Strunk style wrap. I used dry heat to create the bow’s r/d profile and the belly is heat tempered. The finish is Tru-Oil over a water-based stain.

The first picture is Mel working on her bow. I think she will be pleased with the result.

[George Tsoukalas]

Awesome, Gordon! Great looking bow and tiller. That's the way to pass it on too. Jawge

[PeteC]

Very nice bow.That was a great combination of effort.I like it. God Bless

[mullet]

 Great looking bow, Gordon. That came out nice.

[El Destructo]

Sweet Bow...and I bet that She will be proud of it too...knowing all the Work that went into it...and having been part of it....

[Blacktail]

holy cow,thats a heck of a stick...i beat she is proud of it..one of these days i want to get a bow from gordon and keenan...its really great to see ladys getting into it and opening new doors in the bow making world..john

[horseapple]

Sweet bow,  I would finish the bow for her also

JD

[ken75]

very nice gordan , tiller is beautiful ! as is the bow

[Gordon]

Thank you George. I feel strongly that it's our responsibility to pass our skills on.

Thank you Pete. Building the bow was a collaborative process and I think it is better for it.

Thank you for the compliment Eddie.

Thank you El, I'm sure she will be proud of it given the investment of time she put into it.

Thank you John. I am seeing more and more women getting into building bows.

Thank you JD - I'm sure you would 

Thank you for the compliment Ken.

[Josh]

That's a very beautiful bow, Gordon.  Way to go passing it on to a beginner.  If this bow doesn't get her hooked, nothing will!  She couldn't have had a better teacher either.   

[Pat B]

Cool little bow, Gordon. 

[bowkee]

Gordon that's about what I would like to make with this piece of juniper I have. I know I won't get it to be as Excellent as that Bow but I'm gonna try :)That's a great lookin Bow. .Phillip

[hedgeapple]

Gordon, masterful craftsmanship as aways.  The tiller on this bow just boggles my mind.  Intial glance I saw a well tillered, balance bow with a great arch.  Then remembering it was asymetrical, I looked closer at the limbs.  And wow. balance and completely different ark with each limb.  Truly amasing.

And now a question:  I have an osage limb with a pretty big knot, center limb, almost exactly 2/3 out the limb.  I know there's going to be stiff spot on that limb.  Now if I were to attempt an asymeterical bow, which limb should I put the knot on?  My first thought is to use the limb with the knot as the upper limb to allow for more bendable limb area for that limb.  Second, thought maybe doing it this way would create added leverage to that limb and over stressing the bottom limb.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Dave

[Gordon]

Thank you Josh. I'm afraid she is already hooked 

Thank you Pat.

Thank you for the nice compliment Philip. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with that piece of juniper.

Thank you Dave. I like your reasoning for putting the knot on the top limb. It shouldn't overstress the bottom limb as long as you adjust the tiller to compensate.

[Pappy]

Beautiful bow Gordon,sweet all of it ,finish,tiller ,grip.
   Pappy