Author Topic: Take two (finished more pics)  (Read 7800 times)

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Offline dbb

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Take two (finished more pics)
« on: April 30, 2011, 11:34:53 am »
My second try to make a bow.
Its birch,pretty long at 5'10" and 1 3/4" at the widest.The tips are wider than i like but i dont know how narrow i dare to make them.
I also played with heat a bit and flipped the tips just to try it ,its only floortillerd but bends nice and even so far.



/Mikael
« Last Edit: May 06, 2011, 10:54:56 pm by dbb »
It's better to ask and look like a fool than not to ask and remain one...

Offline half eye

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Re: Take two
« Reply #1 on: April 30, 2011, 11:50:11 am »
dbb,  looks pretty darned good to the old guy....dont think there is anything wrong with the tips...most of my NA Woodland bows have at least 3/4" tips and they are fast and hard shooters....but they are a whole bunch shorter.

Nice looking bow there, and I personally like the Noethern European grip shape.
rich

Offline Sparrow

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Re: Take two
« Reply #2 on: April 30, 2011, 11:55:19 am »
Looks like a bow. What weight are you shooting for ? Are you going to back it ?  '  Frank
Frank (The Sparrow) Pataha, Washington

HatchA

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Re: Take two
« Reply #3 on: April 30, 2011, 12:51:31 pm »
That is NICE!!

Offline gstoneberg

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Re: Take two
« Reply #4 on: April 30, 2011, 12:59:22 pm »
That looks nice to me too.  Darcy has experience with birch, I suspect he'll be able to help with the tip question.  Larger tips aren't that big a deal, on a long bow you'll pick up a little  hand shock.  On your second bow I wouldn't worry about it.  I think you're doing a very nice job.

George
St Paul, TX

Offline DEllis

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Re: Take two
« Reply #5 on: April 30, 2011, 03:22:49 pm »
You can go very narrow at the tips. As narrow as 1/4" if you use tip overlays. Then just cut nocks in the back and very little in the the sides.
Here are a couple pics of what I mean, this on an osage bow but you can go this narrow on birch too.
And a pic of antler tip on a 70# birch longbow. Less than 7/16 diameter just before the nock.
Your bow looks real nice so far.
Darcy :)
Darcy Ellis
Fort Fraser BC Canada eh!

Offline dbb

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Re: Take two
« Reply #6 on: April 30, 2011, 05:25:58 pm »
Thanks guys for the confidence boost and the info on the tips :)
 Very nice pics DEllis!
@ Sparrow i aim at 40# max that way i have a all day shooter and my brother can borrow it too.
And im not gonna back it unless i have to,i have a finish in mind i want to test on this one

/Mikael
It's better to ask and look like a fool than not to ask and remain one...

Offline NTProf

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Re: Take two
« Reply #7 on: April 30, 2011, 06:14:57 pm »
What kind of birch is it?

Offline dbb

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Re: Take two
« Reply #8 on: April 30, 2011, 08:42:56 pm »
What kind of birch is it?
I got it as a log with no branches so im not sure,but i think its downy birch (Betula puescens) but it could be a smooth specimen of silver birch (Betula pendula) too.

/Mikael
It's better to ask and look like a fool than not to ask and remain one...

Offline bubby

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Re: Take two
« Reply #9 on: April 30, 2011, 10:55:35 pm »
look's nice, need more pics :D, Bub
failure is an option, everyone fails, it's how you handle it that matters.
The few the proud the 27🏹

Offline ErictheViking

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Re: Take two
« Reply #10 on: May 01, 2011, 01:57:24 am »
coming along nice. like the flipped tips-keep us posted.
"He that but looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart"  C.S. Lewis

Offline dbb

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Re: Take two
« Reply #11 on: May 01, 2011, 09:24:04 am »
I think i will have to take a break from this bow and let it dry up some more.When i was straightening up the fades from the handle the wood was feeling a bit too green still,so now i think i have to find a board to play with because unlike you guys that been doin this for a while i dont have a stash of wood to choose from. Besides if i go around eying that stick i dont think i could resist doing something stupid ;D
Its funny this bowmaking..I have made gunstocks,knifehandles and other stuff like that and alvays looked for "character" in the wood,and now suddenly i find myself drool over the straightest most booring grain!...weird!

/Mikael
It's better to ask and look like a fool than not to ask and remain one...

Offline gstoneberg

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Re: Take two
« Reply #12 on: May 01, 2011, 10:09:35 am »
unlike you guys that been doin this for a while i dont have a stash of wood to choose from. Besides if i go around eying that stick i dont think i could resist doing something stupid ;D

Mikael, I'm sorry to have to inform you that having a big stash of wood does not prevent one from doing something stupid...rather it allows one to be stupid on a grander scale.  :D  ;D

Seriously, it is wise to let a bow sit from time to time while you let it dry more, or clear your head, or get in a better frame of mind.  I have chased a ring on osage staves hundreds of times, and the other day I stopped working a stave because I violated the ring for the 4th time.  Granted the rings are extremely tight, but still...it just wasn't the right day to work on it. :(  But, a better day is coming... :)

Good luck with your bow.

George
St Paul, TX

Offline MWirwicki

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Re: Take two
« Reply #13 on: May 02, 2011, 01:56:20 am »
Yep.  We used to tell the friend beginning to rush his bow along, to go get a bucket of water.  When asked what he was to do with that bucket of water, we'd reply for him to stick his head in it.  The idea of course, was to slow down.  Another saying was, "It does not matter to the wood, how long it takes to make the bow." 

I liked Gstoneberg's reply.  He's right.  Sometimes with a bunch of wood on the pile, we take it a bit for granted.  If we only had one or two pieces, we might be more cautious as you are being.  Nice bow so far.  Keep up the good work and keep us updated with pics.
Matt Wirwicki
Owosso, MI

Offline dbb

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Re: Take two
« Reply #14 on: May 02, 2011, 06:00:50 pm »
Mikael, I'm sorry to have to inform you that having a big stash of wood does not prevent one from doing something stupid...rather it allows one to be stupid on a grander scale.  :D  ;D
Ha ha,had a good laugh at that  ;D.But i understand what you getting at,its easy to say"Well there is more where that came from"when something goes wrong..kind of inflation in wood :)
And i agree that you have to be in the right frame of mind to work with wood in this way,i made some extra work for myself a couple of times when i was making laminate gunstocks stressed or irritated.
But i still wish i had at least something to work on while waiting.This bowmaking is exciting and fun and i dont want to stop ! (Hmm i sound like an addict of some sort)
For now i better go and fill a bucket with water... ;D

/Mikael
It's better to ask and look like a fool than not to ask and remain one...