One simple bow

[Stalkingfox]

Well this is a bow some of you helped me fix and mend.   Dave Weiss Helped me build the bow itself its the first and only bow Ive ever made and only bow I own. No backing, its 46" long when strung and draws @ 24" @ roughly 50# Im looking to do a little more with it, add wrap to the handle. I thought about bringing the weight down to 45#, but after it broke on me Im sure thats no longer an option. I may add white tail antler to the tips. other than that I dont think theres anything else I can do. She isnt true one limb definately bends more than the other.

[Bryce]

Woah! Bud get that handle bending ASAP!

[Stalkingfox]

How do I go about that?

[Bryce]

Slowly remove wood from the stiff parts of the bow. Mostly in the handle.

[Stalkingfox]

Im a little worried on it breaking somewhere else.. Where the sinew wrap is on the lower limb is where it broke last time.

[Dictionary]

Yeah i agree, these short bows really need to be working in the handle having no areas that are stiff........ Id remove wood from the handle and inner limbs.

[Stalkingfox]

Ok... I'll post when its finished.

[blackhawk]

Unfortunately the damage is already done and I'm sure it has taken some serious set and string follow.....that upper limb is hinged bad...and the fades and handle need to be bending more...but I think by the time all of those areas are corrected your gonna have less than a 30 pound bow...and this is another reason why osage is king...I'm assuming that's osage.

[Stalkingfox]

LOL!! Blackhawk... Yea apparently I typed out osage in my head and not here,  I do agree if I do anymore work the bow will be really weak and I dont want it less than 45/40#s.

Scott thats not a bad idea. I do have a hackberry in the works and maybe thatll turn out better off.

Thanks again guys!!

[rossfactor]

Yup, chalk it up as a victory and move on to the next one. (Victory because it held together).

Gabe

[bushboy]

My godness,only osage would take that kind compression force before fretting out ! Is it shot in?

[gstoneberg]

Any chance we could see an unstrung picture?  I'm curious how much set that amount of bend forced.  I'm feeling a little silly worrying about bending my osage considerably less than that.  However, my most agressive bow sure did take some set.

George

[Stalkingfox]

It is very well shot in, its the only bow I have so I shoot it often, I tillered alot and worked it more so in between tillering a few times til I got the poundage I wanted. Took a very long time because I knew the risks of making such a short bow with the draw I wanted.

[ionicmuffin]

the tiller on this one looks like my first one  its got hinges on both limbs and yet it shoots just fine.

[Del the cat]

Don't beat yourself up too much over your first bow. At least it shoots!
It's got what I call a square shape, which often happens with peoples first few bows.
By squre I mean it's a bit like three sides of a square, the grip being one side and the two tips being the other, with nearly all the bend a tmid limb.
An arc of a circle is a better shape to aim for, it's not perfect according to some theories, but it's a good target. It's easier to check for than other shapes too, just hold a CD up in front of the bow or a picture of it and you can move it back and forth to try see if it follows the curve.
If you want more draw length you need to get the inner limbs and outer limbs moving more, this will loose you some draw weight but gain draw length and also take some of the strain off the middle of the limbs.
Till ering is all about getting you eye attuned to seeing the curve and spotting problems before they get too obvious.
Good luck
Del