First Bow (Privet) Help

[CherokeeKC]

This is a Privet stave that has dried for about year and a half and was given to me.  It is about 2.5-2.75 inches in diameter and 71 inches long.  What style bow would be best for this stave?  Remember this will be my first bow.  Do I just need to start debarking it and work it from its round form or should i split some wood off?  I ordered the TBB four volume set but they haven't come in yet so any help is appreciated.  The first two pics are sideways but it shows two views of the stave.

[Sparrow]

 Reackon to start,I would de-bark it. Figure out what the back is going to be, take a little wood off the belly side It might change character a little and you can see how she lays. Or; wait till someone who knows more than me(Almost everyone) chimes in, and go from there. '  Frank

[Pat B]

Are there any indications on the bark that is might have grown twisted? I would do like sparrow suggested and remove the bark first to see what's under it and determine which side is the back.
If you know it is not twisted you could saw it down the middle lengthwise and get two staves from it. If twisted it won't work.
 Make the crown the back and keep the belly flat reducing from handle to limbs and out each limb. Then you can start tillering just like any other bow.
  I'm curious to see how your privet stave works out. Privet makes very good hard arrows so I imaging it would make a good bow too.

[CherokeeKC]

Ok ill debark it and see if its twisted.  I was wondering if i could get two staves out of this or not.  But i didnt think i could because it wouldnt leave enough material for the handle.  What are the average handle dimensions?  So you think ill have enough material for the handle if i split it into two staves?

[CherokeeKC]

Can I make a Cherokee style bow from this (is it a good choice)? 

[Pat B]

Cherokee style bow would be excellent for this stave. No handle needed for that.

[Little John]

If it were me I think I would try a backwards bow by by using the inside of the stave for the back and being dble to get a good handle on the back. The knots would be on the belly and should be a non issue. Welcome aboard. I might also sugest you wait for your books to arrive and read up a bit before starting.    Keenneth

[CherokeeKC]

Thanks for the info Pat!  I ordered the 2 vol. set of Encyclopedia of Native American Bows, Arrows, Quivers but wont receive them for a couple weeks.  I know there are a couple pages in there on Cherokee bows with dimensions and cross section pics.  Do you have any pics you could post to help me out?

[CherokeeKC]

Kenneth:  Im on winter break from college and really wanted to start and/or finish a bow during my break.  I go back on Jan. 18.  I was supposed to get the books for Xmas but someone forgot to order them so that has put me back a couple weeks.  Im still debating on whether or not to wait for the books though.  But if i can get enough info online i might go ahead and start.

If you were to do a backwards bow like you suggested how would you orient the bow from the stave?  would you put the natural bend of the stave on the belly side or the back?

[Little John]

Use the bend or reflex to your advantage so that if you held the bow in the shooting position the limb tips would be farther from you than the handle. The bow I am sugesting might not be a beginer bow but just what I see in the bow and also a bow that I would like to make. I am like you and am impatient when I want to do something. You might try the library for A BOW BUILDING BOOK. If your books come soon  you will have plenty of time to make a bow before Jan. the 8th. The back of this kind of bow is like a decrowned stave and does not follow one annual growth ring. Hope I am not confusing you too much or steering you to a bow you are not ready for. Good luck.     Kenneth

[JackCrafty]

I've made many arrows from privet and I think it's better in compression than tension.  That means that you will probably get the best performance if the back is flatter and wider that the belly.  But since the stave is really long, I don't think it matters much.  There won't be too much stress on the wood if you make a tall bow.

Cherokee bows, from what I've seen, were mostly man-sized bows with a flat back and belly.  They were usually D-shaped bows with no "built up" handle.  They bent in a graceful, continuous arch at full draw.

[CherokeeKC]

So the Cherokee style D bows didn't follow a growth ring on the back?  Also if its a D style bow how are the back and the belly both flat?  I guess i don't fully understand what a D style bow is.

[Pat B]

The back will be somewhat crowned as it is what is under the bark.  Start out with 1"thick at the handle and reduce to 1/2" at the tips. Make your back prifile 1 1/4" at the handle tapering to 3/4" at the tips. From there start tillering. Simple side nocks(one notch on each limb tip) work well with this style bow. See "Osage Cherokee Bow", a recent thread here in "Bows".

[CherokeeKC]

OH OK!  I get it now.  So the Cherokee style D bow has a "rectangular" cross section with a D profile because it bends the whole length of bow. 

Pat:  So the side view should start out 1 inch at handle tapering to 1/2 inch at the tips (you didnt say taper but i assume thats what you meant)?  How do i decide where the handle or arrow rest will be?  I want to make it 64-70 inches long.  Is there much disadvantage to going with a 64 inch length over 70 inch?

[Pat B]

The longer the bow is(to an extent) the more stable and forgiving it will be. The Cherokee built their hunting bows 60" to 64" and their war bows 66" to over 70"(some approaching 100#)
  Yea, a taper to the tips. You will probably reduce all the thickness dimensions I gave you so the bend is the arc of a circle through the bow but with the last few inches of the tips stiff.  Be careful during early tiller not to take off too much near the handle. The leverage stresses of the limbs are strong there.You will know where the arrow pass should be when you build the bow. You can feel even limb bend in the handle and on the string. I've built a few and without string nocks; just shooting by feel. Sometimes the simple stuff will surprise you.