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Author Topic: Long Trade bow story! (with Pictures)  (Read 2491 times)

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Offline Mark Anderson

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  • Mark Anderson Buckie, Scotland
Long Trade bow story! (with Pictures)
« on: March 07, 2012, 05:13:38 pm »
You know those times when you say "crap I cannot believe I just did that. I knew better."?
Had one last night.
Pictured is what is left of my trade bow. It is Sassafras, been wanting to try it and I think it can be a great bow wood. It started as a clean 78" X 3.5" split. the other side didn't split as well so this one went up in the rafters about 1 1/2 years ago.
started thinking about what to do for a trade bow and this is the first one that came to mind.
got her all floor tillered and some of the sap wood scraped down (it just didn't look real good right under the bark) did some bend tests on it and the sap wood just needed some help. So on went the silk. got her tillered out to the desired draw length and then some more, and she was a good smooth shooting bow, not lightning fast but good enough to hunt with for just about anybody. and smooth, I know I said that but just to make a point!
Well I sat there thinking last evening that this bow was a bit long for the recipient, thought I'd do some tweaking, shorten up the length, add a few pounds re-tiller maybe make her a bit more efficient (it was 68"). So I piked her down six inches - still had plenty of room to work with at 62"-and re-tillered her just a bit. got the tiller good so I thought I'd shoot some arrows through her.
Marked them at the correct draw length and boy now she's a bow!
The silk backing just didn't look smooth enough for me so I heated it a bit, loosened the glue and took it off. No problem, I enjoy laying silk backing on-really I do.
Well it was time to head back inside so I just gathered her up to take back to the house.
Got in there and my lovely wife asked how it was going so I decided to show her how well it was tillered after shortening it.
Strung it up and promptly forgot I had taken the backing off.
Three little pin knots all in a cluster.
and the rest of the story in pictures.
Mark
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"Mommy some guys just don't know how to shoot REAL bows so they have to buy them, probably at Walmart and they have wheels on them."  Caedmon Anderson (4yrs)

Offline Onebowonder

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Re: Long Trade bow story! (with Pictures)
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2012, 04:55:43 pm »
Ouch!  That's sad sir...
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Offline Youngboyer2(billyf)

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  • Live by the man-née and the sa-wa.
Re: Long Trade bow story! (with Pictures)
« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2012, 05:09:43 pm »
eeeeeeek... just the thought. im sorry man, well, aaah god the carnage...
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"You speak Treason!" "Fluently"-Robin of Locksley
When people ask "why didn't you do that the first time" you can be sure that they  have never made a bow before.

Offline Pat B

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Re: Long Trade bow story! (with Pictures)
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2012, 05:51:55 pm »
Is that the sapwood delaminated from the heartwood? That shouldn't happen.
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

blackhawk

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Re: Long Trade bow story! (with Pictures)
« Reply #4 on: March 08, 2012, 07:22:33 pm »
wow....yikes...and suck....but wow...it does look like it chased a ring on its own when she went,and totally delamed itself along one ring....if so..could you glue the silk back on over that and make a kids bow? crazy break man
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Offline Mark Anderson

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  • Mark Anderson Buckie, Scotland
Re: Long Trade bow story! (with Pictures)
« Reply #5 on: March 08, 2012, 08:49:43 pm »
Yes it was a clean delamination of all the sapwood. Crazy how it did that. I was thinking that I might cut it a bit shorter say 56-58" and lay a few courses of sinew on it jut to see what that would do. Any thoughts from you sinew guys? I've never backed with sinew before so might be a good experiment.
It is about 28#@28" now if I shortened it 4" and laid 2 or 3 courses of sinew on it could I get it to around 40# or so?
Mark
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"Mommy some guys just don't know how to shoot REAL bows so they have to buy them, probably at Walmart and they have wheels on them."  Caedmon Anderson (4yrs)

Offline tattoo dave

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  • Rockford, MI
Re: Long Trade bow story! (with Pictures)
« Reply #6 on: March 08, 2012, 08:56:22 pm »
That's a bummer! Sorry to see it. I had a sassafras bow once too...it had the same fate yours did. I haven't tried it since, but wanted to. Maybe not anymore. Better luck next time friend, it happens to all of us, seems like me more than others. ;)

Tattoo Dave
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Rockford, MI

Offline Gaur

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Re: Long Trade bow story! (with Pictures)
« Reply #7 on: March 08, 2012, 09:05:16 pm »
wow sorry for you but that is kinda cool how the sap wood all came off like that.  Seems like it would be a good trial for sinew if you still have enough poundage from the heart wood.   Could add some more recurve to it too.  Since we have til July to deliever the bows you would still have time to get it on and let it cure.  Might want to make a back up bow too though.
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"...He made me a polished arrow and hid me in His quiver." Is 49:2

Offline Elktracker

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  • Josh
Re: Long Trade bow story! (with Pictures)
« Reply #8 on: March 08, 2012, 09:40:14 pm »
Sorry to see that Mark!

Josh
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my friends think my shops a mess, my wife thinks I have too much bow wood, my neighbors think im redneck white trash and they may all be right on the money!!

Josh Vance  Netarts OR. (Tillamook)
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