Birch longbow rebuild(not for BOM)

[DEllis]

I had built this birch longbow and it pulled 70# at 26 inches but fretted in a small section of the limb......so I put it in the corner and left it there. Well, as I am waiting for some wood to arrive and needed to keep my hands busy, I decided to redo this bow for friends to shoot, or as a loaner. Tillered it to 57# @29 inches......fret is not getting any worse and it has been shot several hundred times since, so we'll see if it survives. I never sanded it too nice, I scorched it while heat treating, and it is pretty crude but shoots nice. 69.5" NTN 1.25" wide tips are 3/8" wide.
The full draw pic looks weird, like the bottom limb is way shorter and not stiff enough, must be the camera angle. I am drawing it to 28 inch..........I max out at about 29"........the trials and tribulations of being a garden gnome
I decided to try Timo's tennis racket handle wrap.......I used a piece of elk leather with a simple leather strike plate.
Darcy

[Timo]

Sometimes cameras can make something look as it's not. I bet it shoots well. Did a good job on the handle wrap.

[Arrowind]

Nice.  I've been thinking about trying Birch. Glad to see it. 

[sailordad]

very nice bow
especially considering the material of choice
i am impressed at those demensions that birch could pull that kind of weight
like i said nicely done 

[DEllis]

very nice bow
especially considering the material of choice
i am impressed at those demensions that birch could pull that kind of weight
like i said nicely done 

Thanks guys,
I do not love birch, but it is availiable here in the north. It works best for me to make them narrow and longish.......it is very stiff wood but frets easy. If you make it wide it is really tough to tiller well as it gets too thin. It also seems to help a lot if you heat treat it.
Darcy

[dbb]

Nice longbow! And good information on birch as im also stuck with it living "up north"

/Mikael

[Arrowind]

I was thinking of trying birch one day.  Nice to see your work.  And as others have said it's nice to hear about the details to shed some light on using birch for a bow. 
Good job!  Nice bow. 

[hillbilly61]

I just learned something about Birch. Everything looks good about the bow, except 1 thing. That nasty white stuff