Author Topic: a honey locust and a white oak - last week's bows (Read 6519 times)

H Rhodes · « **on:** June 28, 2012, 10:15:55 am »

Here are two bows that I built last week... The addiction took it's toll last week and I built two bows, both from half splits of six inch trees. I wanted to see if I could finish one from honey locust, and it proved to be quite challenging. The other is a heat treated white oak, that is quite possibly the best shooting bow that I have built so far.
The white oak is 68" NTN, a pyramid bow with a little character around a big knot about ten inches fromt he handle, about eight inches of non bending handle. I applied a dark walnut stain with spar urethane over that. It has osage tip overlays and if I had a decent camera I would show them to you.... This bow is 65# at 29" and has a little over an inch of string follow. I think it will be my hunting bow this coming season.

The honey locust came in at 40# @ 28" and is also 68" NTN. This yellow wood is a pleasure to work with, but it began to splinter near a big knot, and I ended up wrapping it with B-50 and superglue. I put some more on the other side just to balance out the appearance. I got nervous and backed the bow with green linen canvas and it shoots pretty sweet. The bow took a little less than an inch of string follow and I feel fortunate that it held together..... honey locust is not black locust.... not at all. It is beautiful wood and and I am glad to have that out of my "woods that I want to try" list.

I had to wear my party shirt when the honey locust held together!

Pappy · « **Reply #1 on:** June 28, 2012, 10:35:56 am »

Nice work,love the shirt.

Pappy

H Rhodes · « **Reply #2 on:** June 28, 2012, 10:52:50 am »

Thanks Pappy. Everybody needs a hot pink palm tree shirt.....

Pappy · « **Reply #3 on:** June 28, 2012, 10:57:01 am »

By the way love the tiller and color on the white oak,very nice. I have tried Honey lo. but wasn't impressed,looks like you done ok on yours.

Pappy

H Rhodes · « **Reply #4 on:** June 28, 2012, 03:37:01 pm »

Thanks Pappy.

I am not into finishing work... I stained it dark since I plan to hunt with it this fall. I don't even sand with anything finer than 250 grit. I like building and shooting them, but for some reason the finish work just doesn't appeal to me! I think that white oak might just be my favorite wood. I made another bow from a sister stave to this one and it took quite a lot of set - really sort of below average performer.... This one I heat treated by toasting the belly over the stove and it shoots great.
I had to really be careful with that honey locust. It is sort of brittle and it started to get some scary looking cracks near the knots, even before I had stressed the bow at all. I just wanted to see if I could make a bow out of it. The yellow wood is beautiful stuff, and I think if you got a really straight stave, it would make a fine bow.

Badger · « **Reply #5 on:** June 28, 2012, 03:49:12 pm »

Nice bows, honey locust is a funny wood, very brittle and not very dense. Iwil also chrysal in a hearteat. If you are successful with a honely locust bow it will be a screamer as are many brittle woods.

half eye · « **Reply #6 on:** June 28, 2012, 04:44:12 pm »

excellent Mr. Rhodes, That Oak bow is a deer killer for sure......dont know for positive, but I bet there has never been a bow killed deer that bitched about gettin killed with a "ugly" bow. Think they taste the same in the pan too

rich

H Rhodes · « **Reply #7 on:** June 28, 2012, 05:05:50 pm »

Thanks fellas. This little honey locust bow had to be somewhat overbuilt. It is two inches wide over sixty percent of it's length and then tapers to 1/2 inch nocks. It shoots pretty good, even with all that mass. I might try another one if I can find a stave that is close to perfect. The wood is really pretty stuff and is easy to work.

Rich, I reckon you are right about that. My bows are built to shoot and I don't worry too much about the comsmetic perfection, but I do admire the patient craftsmen on here that build these works of art. Maybe one day I will slow down and pretty one up real nice.... Meanwhile, I plan to put some protein in the freezer with this white oak bow! I am counting days til our season opens...... come on October....

Badger · « **Reply #8 on:** June 28, 2012, 05:20:44 pm »

Howard, I am like you. I don't get too involved in pretty but I do admire those who do.

H Rhodes · « **Reply #9 on:** June 28, 2012, 05:33:21 pm »

Even though I am not into it.... honey locust could really be beautiful if the right guy got hold of it. The heart wood is almost a pink color while the rest of the wood is sort of yellow colored. Here is a pic of the handle.

lesken2011 · « **Reply #10 on:** June 28, 2012, 07:51:50 pm »

You've been a busy guy, Howard. Good job on those!!

soy · « **Reply #11 on:** June 28, 2012, 11:29:04 pm »

I like em! And further more i belive that a party shirt such as that shuld be a prerequisite for the full draw shot

i have not tryd honey locust yet but i figure with that many mean thorns on the outside there must ne somthing worth protecting inside! Good job

H Rhodes · « **Reply #12 on:** June 29, 2012, 10:12:24 am »

Thanks Kenny and Soy. It was sort of precarious getting by those thorns growing out of the trunk! I don't know if the juice was worth the squeeze, but I had been wanting to build one from honey locust for a while. Yep, the party shirt is only for celebration, and i was feeling festive when that one didn't come apart. It actually is pretty snappy for a 40lb bow, but it feels like you are toting a Garand rather than a bow!

Josh B · « **Reply #13 on:** June 30, 2012, 10:37:02 am »

Nice work sir! I don't enjoy detail work either. That is, I don't enjoy doing it myself. I can certainly appreciate it if someone else does it. That honey locusts is beautiful wood. Country gave me a stave awhile back, but I blew it up.

I will try it again, but i will definitely overbuild it. Nicely done on both bows! Josh

H Rhodes · « **Reply #14 on:** June 30, 2012, 12:15:31 pm »

Thanks Josh. I enjoyed working with it and if I find one of those "close to perfection" type staves, I might try honey locust again. I thought about heating the belly on it, but decided against it. I was taken with the appearance of the wood and just couldn't change it much. I put a little spar urethane on it and that was it. I am sure that a really good bow is definitely possible with h l.

Primitive Archer