Hack-berry Shortbow! first proper attempt at a bow PICS

[rabbitassasin]

Hello,
i just sorta finished the bow i have been working on, its a hackberry bow,
it pulls around #45- #50 at 23"-24"
it has 2" wide limbs for halfway down the limb which then fades to 3/8 tips
and it is 53" long with fully working limbs (camera doesnt show very well) and i was planning on a sorta bend in the handle but that didnt end up happening, but i still probably could but i dont want to ruin it at the last minute
i bought the stave of le-enterprizes on eBay as the lack of bow wood in australia...
have had a couple of shots and i very pleased faster and much more forgiving than i expected.
unstrung it has less than 1.5 inches of set and a little more jus after shooting but hat goes down (string follow?) but the stave started straight so that's okay




unstrung

video (too me the background gives the illusion of hinges but in the mirror it looks fine to me)

due to the fact it cost me alot of money to get a usable piece of wood for my first proper attempt at a bow im glad it didnt break yet!
a am also wondering, this bow is unbacked and unsealed, i was going to put one layer of sinew on but it hasnt come yet and i need to shoot it properly by next sunday!" i was thinking of using some rawhide from a petstore dogbone or should i just leave it as a selfbow and finish it with some beeswax? thanks for input

[Hrothgar]

Looks good for your first. 53" may be a bit short for hackberry. Sinew on the back would probably be a good idea.

[rabbitassasin]

Thanks, i used only handtools so it took me ages, and imo its completely fine lengthwise for how far i draw with it, hackberry bend very good actually, it has a sold but not to far bend and has settled in pretty well, also very quiet and suprisingly accurate, speed is fine, very fast at close quarters it has also been heat treated 3 times lol because i think i treated it to early and scraped it off the first couple times but it gives me very nasty stringslap on my wrist with 4" braceheight so i need an armguard (p.s. its not fully braced for the pics and vid)

[burchett.donald]

Rabbitassasin,
                     Twist that string and get that brace around 5-6" and see what she does. Congrats on your bow!  As Hrothgar stated I would back that bow if you want it to last. What is your full draw length.

[Joec123able]

Looks good for your first. 53" may be a bit short for hackberry. Sinew on the back would probably be a good idea.

You ever worked with hackberry ??

 If you do get the sinew then go for it but I think it would work fine as a self unbacked bow

[Josh B]

I agree that you should raise your brace height at least an inch, inch and a half maybe.  That will cure a lot of your string slap.  I don't see any need whatsoever for a backing of any type.  Your tiller is good and your set is pretty acceptable by my standards.  Finish, seal, and enjoy!  Well done!  Josh

[PEARL DRUMS]

Looks good for your first. 53" may be a bit short for hackberry. Sinew on the back would probably be a good idea.

Sinew and hackberry is a great combo. I made a extra short stiff handled static that is a killer. My friend owns it. I did a complete build along if your interested in trying it.

[Parnell]

Reminds me a lot of my first stave try.  It was Hackberry, also!  Good work RA.  Raise that brace.

[rabbitassasin]

thanks guys, yes i will raise the brace probs a smidge (its twice what it was in the pics but there still is stringslap) and if i get my sinew soon i will do that, and i usually draw 28" on my longbow but on this i just shoot it on 23-24" draw as its around 50lbs at that point, good for small game imo

[richardzane]

good job and all hand tools, makes it more so.
seems Hackberry does tend to set if you have sinew I'd check out Pearl Drums build along
In my limited experience, it can sure raise a splinter if limbs are stressed.

Pearl , how do ya get there? I'd like to see that one too.

[PatM]

Keep the wax away from it if you're going to sinew it. I would also brace it a bit higher and put a no -stretch string on to limit the wrist slap.

[DuBois]

I have yet to make a hackberry bow so don't know much but I agree that it looks good. Especially for a first attempt. Good work and keep em comin'. Whatever you end up doing, let us see how it works out. Thanks RA

[PEARL DRUMS]

good job and all hand tools, makes it more so.
seems Hackberry does tend to set if you have sinew I'd check out Pearl Drums build along
In my limited experience, it can sure raise a splinter if limbs are stressed.

Pearl , how do ya get there? I'd like to see that one too.

Its on the second or third page in the Build along section Richard.

[bow101]

Exactly what is Hackberry..............Freak what do I know I'm from the West Coast brother........

[PatM]

It's an Elm relative.