Questions From an Absolute Beginner

[Freebirth]

I've been working on this bow for the last month or two (well, 9 months if you count felling the tree and splitting it). It's shagbark hickory and hard as nails, so the wood removal has been slow-going to say the least. Add to that the fact that I probably switched from hatchet to drawknife a little prematurely and you've got one loooong project. I have The Traditional Bowyer's Bible Vol. 1, but it tends to focus on woods like Osage with only a small section devoted to whitewoods. That leads me to have a lot of questions for you fine folks!

I'm wanting to make a flatbow at about 68 inches long. I'm not going to be too picking about the draw weight right now, though I'd love it to be able to take down a whitetail at least. Anyway, on to the questions.

1. What's a good way to shape the handle? I've found it fairly difficult to maneuver my drawknife to shape it. I don't want anything fancy, just the standard bump-in-the-middle to fit in the palm of my hand.

2. Knots on the belly, should I cut through them? Knots are an area I'm a little confused about. It seems some people work through them like they are no big issue, while other people warn that they will cause the bow to fail.

3. For future reference, how far should I remove with the hatchet before I switch to drawknife?


That's all I can think of for now, though I'm sure I'll think of more as I continue.

Thanks guys,
Adam

[Matt S.]

Welcome Freebirth! I have an affinity towards shagbark hickory since I grew up around many and enjoyed eating their nuts as a kid. They're quite rare down here in Kentucky though 

Anyway, I would recommend using a rasp to shape the handle. I use a rasp that is rounded on one side and the other side is a flat file. Works well for removing and shaping wood.

Sorry, can't help you with question #2, as my experience with stave bows is limited (most mine are lumber board bows).

As for a vague answer to #3, I would switch from hatchet to drawknife when you get close enough to roughed out shape that you worry about an errant strike ruining the bow.

[Ifrit617]

I agree with Matt. I use a rasp to shape my handle and fades... It works great and will give you more control over the final product.

[Del the cat]

1. Cutting a grip, a series of sawcuts (bandsaw or hand saw) will help, the area can then be cut out with a chisel and cleaned up with a rasp.

2. Knots on the belly cut through 'em clean, but take care as the wood can tear. A rasp/file is best as you get past the roughing out stage. You leave extra wood on the back or width to compensate for any weakness, knots are usually strong in compression (E.G on the belly).
5. You should remove a tad more than you dare when you are a beginer, but just enough when you are experienced .
Seriously, the common beginers mistake is to work too slowly early on which slows the job down and makes you impatient. Then too fast at the later stages which leaves you with an underweight bow.
Hope this helps
Del
BTW, Check out my website (google delsbows) and my bowyers diary (google bowyers diary) where I blog my bowmaking warts and all. The pic above is from the one I'm working on at the moment.

[SA]

i think knots in the belly should be ok , but  knots in the back should be worked around and knot"pardon the pun" cut through .  I also super glue all knots , I read that on this site and have done it ever since.

[Freebirth]

Matt and Ifrit, thanks for taking the time to respond. Looks like I'm going to be breaking out the ole rasp soon. I need to see if I can find one like yours Matt. the one I've got on hand only has a flat side. A rounded rasp sounds like it would be mighty useful for shaping rounded handles

Also, for others here's a picture of one of the knots I'm working through right now. It doesn't go all the way through to the back, though I do have one that does.



Seems I've gotten some replies while I've been working to get a picture up. Awesome advice Del! Never thought about using a series of cuts. I'll check out your blog too.

And sa, I think I'm definitely going to super glue these knots. Better to be over-cautious than break a bow, haha.

[Jim Davis]

Freebirth,

Now that IS a bad knot. You need to clean it out one way or another and glue "Ductchman"  (a plug) into it, unless you are so blessed as to find it doesn't go much deeper and will just be cut away.

You might find your work easier if you don't try to keep the belly flat just yet. You can work away angles on the sides of the belly for a while, then take the middle down.

You are much more ambitious than I am. I use a band saw to get close in all dimensions. I did use a rip saw ONE time before I decided I had to have a band saw.

Work with the grain too. Looks like you have been doing that around the knot, for sure.

Jim Davis

[Freebirth]

Jim, I think this particular knot doesn't go too deep and I might be able to get through it completely before I get it down to tillering thickness. At that point though, I may be begging for advice on how to deal the the decent size knot I have on the back of the other limb.

It's not all ambition. Some of it is lack of more powerful tools, haha. Necessity sometimes makes you take the long way around.

[Freebirth]

Well I've done a little more work with my drawknife and I'm convinced that this knot is probably going to be completely removed before I get to tillering. It's almost gone now and I've still got quite a bit of thickness to take off.

[sweeney3]

Working those knots on the belly, use the rasp rather than a knife.  With a drawknife you're likely to goug out deep furrows that you don't want.  In your tillering, just try to get the knot very flat and smooth and it'll *probably* be alright.  You can leave it domed up a bit if you want, but this will cause a stiff spot.  I just happened to notice a while back on my Owl bow that there were some knots that had just been worked very smooth.  I figured if Mr. Scott thought it would be alright, I'd try it too.  No trouble so far.

[Del the cat]

That knot is showing you how it wants to have wood left to the side following around it. There's not enough wood to let you leave a hole, and it doesn't look very sound. So I agree, it look like a job for a plug.
I've had knots which looked sound but turned out to have a lot of rot around the edge of the central core, so a good clean out is safest.
Del

[Parnell]

Good points, just wanted to include a bit on the handle shaping.  If you have an old piece of belt sander paper, rip a long strip and you can sand the handle like your giving it a shoe shine.  Works nicely.