Author Topic: Christmas tree bow build along: in progress  (Read 19703 times)

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Offline Squirrelslayer

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Christmas tree bow build along: in progress
« on: January 04, 2013, 11:12:05 am »

ok everyone im new here and this is my first post :laugh: anyway last year i thought why not make your christmas tree into a bow so last year i left theese two logs to season and now i have got round to start making them into some bows. let me know what you think. oh and another thing, i wont be using ANY power tools in the making of this bow.

"http://www.youtube.com/embed/7SteQ9FBpK8"       part 1

"http://www.youtube.com/embed/3GqpYzncx2w"       part 2

"http://www.youtube.com/embed/mR1sN_dBu_c"       part 3

"http://www.youtube.com/embed/cYjw2lL2OHU"         part 4
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Christmas tree bow build along: in progress
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2013, 11:26:25 am »
I think you will need LOTS of luck. So.....good luck and stay safe.
Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline WillS

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Re: Christmas tree bow build along: in progress
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2013, 12:14:40 pm »
As you messaged me asking to take a look, I shall tell you what I think!

As Pearl said, you're in for a pretty tough challenge.  I'm not sure how many bows you've made before, but even if you're pretty experienced, you're using a wood most bowyers would avoid.  That's not to say that it can't be done with something like pine or spruce, but you need to make sure you alter any design you're working from to suit the wood.

Either make it MUCH wider than you would with a normal hardwood, or much longer.  Thimo made a 7ft pine longbow with a very rectangular cross-section over on PP a while ago, but even with his expertise and experience the bow started taking quite a lot of set and had very little cast.  What style of bow are you hoping to make?

This will obviously be a great learning curve for you, but it may not produce much in terms of efficient, quick bows.  Just dealing with those knots will teach you a huge amount.  I'd use these logs as practice for laying out a bow within a stave, splitting in the right place, getting experience with drawknifes and rasps and perhaps even learn how to heat-treat, flip tips or even billet as you haven't got anything to lose.  Once you've picked up a few lessons through doing, get yourself a proper bow wood and you should be off to a flying start!

Best thing I can possibly suggest is to make sure the bow design suits the wood.  You definitely won't get a classic English longbow out of this wood, and you'll struggle to get a traditional flatbow profile either, so you'll have to alter and adjust designs to suit wood like this.  I hope that's correct, and I'm sure more experienced bowyers than me will be able to correct me if I'm wrong.  You might need to trap the back as well, so read up on that.

Offline Squirrelslayer

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Re: Christmas tree bow build along: in progress
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2013, 12:26:33 pm »
yep i belive this is gonna be difficult i have a design that i altered which will work around the knots and produce a good bow, although im not saying it will be super quick and fast high preformance hunting bow im just seing whats possible. the problem i have is i dont get any good wood were i am this is all i can realy get, but if someone would like to send me an osage stave that would be great. lol. :D im am fairly new to bow building and this is my second bow that im making but if i had good wood i could make a really good bow. the other bow i made was an osage bow from a 70" stave someone gave me it was a recurve bow 56" and 45#@28" but gave it to a friend for christmas. thanks for your advice and guidence
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Offline Squirrelslayer

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Re: Christmas tree bow build along: in progress
« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2013, 12:31:21 pm »
heres another update on the bow

"http://www.youtube.com/embed/FWxCbou8F9c"
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Offline WillS

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Re: Christmas tree bow build along: in progress
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2013, 12:32:31 pm »
If you've got a suitable design, and you're patient and careful there's no reason it won't work.  Best of luck!

Offline Squirrelslayer

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Re: Christmas tree bow build along: in progress
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2013, 12:54:46 pm »
i know im doing ok with removing the bark with the box knife but are there any easyer/quicker ways to do it
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Offline Squirrelslayer

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Re: Christmas tree bow build along: in progress
« Reply #7 on: February 13, 2013, 02:48:46 pm »
HORRRRRRRRRRRRRRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. OK I THINK YOU CAN TELL IM EXCITED! IVE BEEN TILLERING USING THE LONG STRING AND I HAVE MANAGED TO GET MY X-MAS BOW TO A POINT WHERE I CAN BRACE IT AND THE TILLER ON IT IS PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!. WHICH IS NOT BAD FOR AN UNBACKED, YES I SAID UNBACKED BOW WITH 40+ KNOTS IN EACH LIMB AND MADE OF PINE! ALL THE ODDS WERE AGAINST THIS BOW BUT IT HAS COME OUT WITH FLYING COLOURS. ONE THING I DO SAY IS I WISH IT WERE FINNISHED, THE REASON I SAY THIS IS BECAUSE AS I WAS TILLERING A BRAVE SQUIRREL WONDERED ONTO THE ROOF OF MY WORKSHOP AND I THOUGHT IF THIS BOW WERE FINNISHED I WOULD SO SLAY HIM. THE ONLY THING I WILL SAY IS THAT WHEN I FINNISH THIS BOW IT'S GONNA BE ARROUND 45-50#@28" WHICH IS TOO HEAVY FOR ME SO ONCE IT'S FINNISHED ILL HANG IT ON THE WALL AND HAVE IT AS A REMINDER TO ALL THAT THERE ARE BOW MAKING MIRACLES. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY A HUGE THANKYOU TO THOOSE WHO HAVE HELPED, GUIDED AND SUPPORTED ME WITH THIS BUILD AND TO THOSE THAT DIDN'T WELL ALL I CAN SAY IS... I TOLD YOU SO :P...THANKS EVERYONE. ESPECIALY MIKE FROM BOARRIORBOWS, GEORGE TSOUKALAS, PEARL DRUMS, SAM HARPER AND MANY MANY MORE FOR ALL THERE GREAT ADVICE. SS
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Offline turtle

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Re: Christmas tree bow build along: in progress
« Reply #8 on: February 13, 2013, 02:53:36 pm »
Why cant you make it lighter than 45-50#. I would think that going lighter would give it a better chance of surviving.
Steve Bennett

Offline sleek

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Re: Christmas tree bow build along: in progress
« Reply #9 on: February 13, 2013, 02:55:01 pm »
Ok, now what you need to do is carefully set your stave in a corner, get a bucket of cold water and stick your head in it.

I say that cause you need to realize, you havent even begun to stress this wood yet. And I would say go for 40 lbs, rather than higher as a safety margin. I would hate to see your bow break only because you made it too strong. Brace and full draw are two completely different amounts of stress.

That being said, WHERES THE PICS? I wanna see this thing at brace!
Tread softly and carry a bent stick.

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Offline WillS

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Re: Christmas tree bow build along: in progress
« Reply #10 on: February 13, 2013, 03:14:33 pm »
you havent even begun to stress this wood yet.

+1

Also hope you're not actually planning on bow-hunting squirrels here in the UK.  Completely illegal, as I'm sure you know...

Offline sleek

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Re: Christmas tree bow build along: in progress
« Reply #11 on: February 13, 2013, 03:30:55 pm »
Awww, just call it pest control... JK of course, but, wonder if that would work...?
Tread softly and carry a bent stick.

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Offline Squirrelslayer

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Re: Christmas tree bow build along: in progress
« Reply #12 on: February 13, 2013, 05:11:28 pm »
you havent even begun to stress this wood yet.

+1

Also hope you're not actually planning on bow-hunting squirrels here in the UK.  Completely illegal, as I'm sure you know...

don't worry i was joking but i have set my traps and will dispatch with air rifle. there is a video of me tillering it and ill put it up here
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Christmas tree bow build along: in progress
« Reply #13 on: February 13, 2013, 05:24:33 pm »
Wow, you've come many miles in only a few days. You must be one of those prodigys.
Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline Squirrelslayer

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Re: Christmas tree bow build along: in progress
« Reply #14 on: February 13, 2013, 05:26:13 pm »
ok i fuigured something else out while tillering, if you use a really long string and dont cut it you can put the remander string thorough the other loop on the bow and it tells you where your brace hight will be. it is more clear in the video that i upload, but this only works if you use a tillering stick. im going to call this "squirrels brace hight finder" hey i only built three bows and invented my own tillering tequniqe SS
« Last Edit: February 13, 2013, 05:30:18 pm by Squirrelslayer »
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