Author Topic: Mulberry stave-How to fix these Knots?  (Read 8620 times)

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Offline DuBois

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Mulberry stave-How to fix these Knots?
« on: December 12, 2013, 05:51:22 pm »
57" n-n mulberry with 2.25" reflex and slightly flipped tips. 1-3/4" wide at fades down to 3/8" tips. Moderately crowned with a little propeller twist and one concave part of back. Will bend through handle.

Should the belly be flat or somewhat rounded?

Also, do you keep a bendy handle flat and pretty much rectangular in profile before tiller and then build it up to fit your hand after tiller or round handle edges a little or....?





Thanks folks
« Last Edit: March 23, 2014, 01:59:43 pm by DuBois »

Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Mulberry flfatbow??
« Reply #1 on: December 12, 2013, 06:10:59 pm »
Did you make that thickness the same? Or is it deeper at the center?
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 DuBois

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Re: Mulberry flfatbow??
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2013, 06:31:55 pm »
It's and inch thick throughout the handle/fade area and thinnest is 5/8 toward the tip flares.

Offline Pat B

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Re: Mulberry flatbow??
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2013, 06:48:07 pm »
Mulberry can handle a bit of radius on the belly.  If you plan to reduce the width of the handle area do it before you start tillering but don't narrow it too much.
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Mulberry flatbow??
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2013, 07:49:53 pm »
That was my concern to Pat. Doob's when you dont have the handle thicker than the limbs you pretty much have to carry your width through out. So basically and 1 3/8" wide bow is max if you want a slightly more narrow handle. If you leave the limbs wide and narrow the handle all the while keeping the same thickness, the handle will be the weakest link, thats never good.
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 DuBois

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Re: Mulberry flatbow??
« Reply #5 on: December 12, 2013, 07:54:17 pm »
Thanks PD, so what poundage would you think is reasonable for a narrower bow like you're talking about?

Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Mulberry flatbow??
« Reply #6 on: December 12, 2013, 09:16:57 pm »
45-50 seems reasonable.
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 Danzn Bar

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Re: Mulberry flatbow??
« Reply #7 on: December 12, 2013, 10:08:41 pm »

IMO'....If it's 1" thick at the handle and 2" wide....I dough it's bending much at the handle.  you might narrow the handle to 1 1/2 wide min, don't make it any thinner than 1" , leave the fades 2" wide and start floor tillering from there. see how it's bending.  at 2 " wide, your short bow (59") 3/4 thk at 2" wide will not be bending much.  Go slow and take note where it starts bending. again just IMO.  I agree with Pat  that a "little" radius will work on the belly,  I think at 1" thick at the fades and 5/8" at the tips you have a good shot at a 50-55 # bow with 3/8" to 1/2" wide tips.  Its mulberry guys cousin to osage........... as long as it's bending through the handle...... Good luck.
DBar
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Offline DuBois

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Re: Mulberry flatbow??
« Reply #8 on: December 13, 2013, 11:30:33 pm »
Hey, thanks Pat, PD and Danzn. I'll let ya know how it goes.

Offline Hillbilly

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Re: Mulberry flatbow??
« Reply #9 on: December 14, 2013, 09:31:50 am »
That's a little short, but I think you could go a lot narrower. And yeah, mulberry will handle a radiused belly, I made a stacked-belly ELB from it once.
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Offline DuBois

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Re: Mulberry flatbow??
« Reply #10 on: December 15, 2013, 08:46:29 pm »
That's a little short, but I think you could go a lot narrower. And yeah, mulberry will handle a radiused belly, I made a stacked-belly ELB from it once.

OK, got her trimmed down a bit and overlays on. One tip had more natural reflex than the other and I was hesitant to push it any further than I did already so I thought I could even up the reflex by adjusting the nock depth  :-\ I hope that's an ok idea?

 The tip with more reflex also had a kind of burly knot where it looks like it split into 2 branches on the tree so I thought it should have overlay on it for that reason too. It is now 1 and 3/8" narrow in the handle by 1" thick, 1 and 3/4" wide at the fades down to 1/2" at the tips. The thinnest part of the bow is 1/2" and it is 7/8" at tips not counting the thickness of the overlays.

How do these dimensions seem to you?





Thanks, Marco

Offline DuBois

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Re: Mulberry flatbow-updated questions
« Reply #11 on: December 18, 2013, 11:53:09 am »
I cleaned it up around the edges and the back. There are tiny pits at 5 different pin knots where it looks like a pin head size bit of wood came up when I chased the ring I guess. Other than that it is a beautiful backside.
Can I sand these out or should I back it? I have thought about sinew since some think it seems a bit short anyway.
Thanks, Marco

Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Mulberry flatbow-updated questions
« Reply #12 on: December 18, 2013, 12:05:17 pm »
I prevent that tearing out by circling the area so I don't run through them like that, I did it plenty myself. I will go around them and come back later to clean them up perfectly. If it was my project? Id just fill those tears with good CA glue and sand it flat again. Leave the backing out.
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 Badly Bent

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Re: Mulberry flatbow-updated questions
« Reply #13 on: December 18, 2013, 06:53:37 pm »
I agree with PD, if the tears are tiny some Ca glue should be enough. I'm liking the way that bow is shaping up,
looking good.
I ain't broke but I'm badly bent.

Offline Danzn Bar

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Re: Mulberry flatbow-updated questions
« Reply #14 on: December 18, 2013, 08:29:08 pm »
What PD and BB said  :)
DBar
Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking