Author Topic: "Fall Feast" first red oak board bow  (Read 2390 times)

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Offline Barefoot_Jake

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"Fall Feast" first red oak board bow
« on: August 25, 2013, 09:49:07 pm »
So this is the first time I have made a board bow and learned some good stuff I will bring to my next bow, especially using good tools now I am trying to find the best tools for making bow instead of just a cheap surform rasp! the one limb had some hinges in it I wasnt able to fully get rid of i felt like i would taking too much wood off.

 It was a blast to make even though it took alot longer than I wanted to make it.  It took on bout 3-3 1/2 " of set I dont really know why. also it is 31# at 28" what causes the bow to have certain poundage is it I took off too much wood or because of the set? it would be nice to have a clearer understanding about that.

Heres the pics thanks for looking!

I stained it with dark walnut and spray painted fall leaves on the back then sealed it with poly




I tried some wood burning its a arrow with my initials behind it.
















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Need any help with anything? I will gladly try to help you

Offline twisted hickory

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Re: "Fall Feast" first red oak board bow
« Reply #1 on: August 25, 2013, 10:10:39 pm »
Looks good.
I haven't made but 12 bow so far but the last one I did had little set. What I did was after floor tiller I would just pull the string till I saw a flaw in tiller and then fix it and get it to bend correctly to say 8 inches w a long string. As soon as I could get it to brace without going more than 15 lbs UNDER the draw weight I got the bow to brace. from there it was several hours of carefully scraping/sanding the bow and not going closer than 5 lbs of my intended draw weight. For example in the beginning stages I didn't go higher than 45 lbs to get the bow to brace. The bows intended weight finished was 60 lbs. After brace I didn't go over 50 lbs till I got to 20 inches of draw.  From there I would go up in weight slightly correcting tiller the whole time. The bow did not see 60 lbs till 25 inches. Next I did a nice final sanding, shot the bow about 100 times then final tiller, final heat treat then varnish.
Other who have much more experience may chime in but that is what I found works for me.
Hope it helps,  ;)
Greg

Offline Joec123able

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Re: "Fall Feast" first red oak board bow
« Reply #2 on: August 25, 2013, 11:29:39 pm »
Hey ! My surform rasp is my key tool to removing just the right amount of wood easily every bow I make is probably 80 percent just straight rasping lol Anyways hey that's a pretty sweet bow I'd say you did a good job on it
I like osage

Offline Dvshunter

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Re: "Fall Feast" first red oak board bow
« Reply #3 on: August 25, 2013, 11:39:08 pm »
Congrats on another bow. This one looks pretty cool. A bit light isn't bad as long as you learned with it. Taking off to much wood is always an issue in the beginning. So is having large chunks ripped out. Don't ask how I know.  Nice jobon that one.
"There is a natural mystic blowing through the air; if you listen carefully now you will hear." Robert Nesta Marley

Offline WillS

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Re: "Fall Feast" first red oak board bow
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2013, 07:34:10 am »
If you're ok with a couple of tips, the set will have come as a result of a few things:

Firstly, where is the set happening? I wouldn't be too surprised if you're getting most of the set at the fade on the bottom and just above the fade on the upper limb.  This is because those are the areas that are working the most on your tiller.  The bottom limb is pretty stiff apart from right on the fade itself and 2/3 towards the tip.  The upper limb is much better, but still working more just above the fade, rather than through the whole limb.

The other main reason for getting the amount of set you've seen with this is tillering method.  If the limbs weren't bending perfectly evenly (and we can see that they weren't from the full draw pic) at any stage during the tiller, but you pulled the bow further anyway, that will over-stress the areas bending too much.  This is a guarantee to get string follow, so just bear it in mind next time perhaps.  Basically, the second you see one area of a limb not bending evenly or bending too much, never pull the bow further until you've corrected that area.   It's super tempting to think "I'll pull it a bit further to see if it looks worse or gets better" at which point you've done irreparable damage and will end up with set.

The final reason for set (and not at all likely with a board bow unless you're unlucky) is using green wood.  Wood that hasn't been seasoned, or has too high a moisture content will follow the string far more than a seasoned, dry piece of wood.  More common with staves than board bows however. 

Your bow isn't bad at all, and heck you've made a bow!  Always be proud and take what you've learned on to the next bow, and the next.  We never stop learning!  I hope you take my points as constructive criticism, and not just a dig at your work!