First bow - Version 2

[SeanStuart]

Hello, this is Maple. My second try at a first bow. Can you gents take a look at this and give your opinions/suggestions.

I left a lot of wood on the handle. I will take a bit more off this weekend, but is there a negative to having too large of a handle - other than it's ugly?

It is pulled down about 4 inches in the pic and seems to be bending more on the left side than the right, other than that, I don't see anything. Please let me know if you do.

At this point I am thinking of lightly scraping from about half way out to the ends, on both sides (bit more on the right than left). Working it a bit then drawing it to 6 inches.

Thanks!

[huisme]

Your fades need to be longer, or at least need to go past the edge of the riser. If the limb bends right up to and against the sharp angle you have there it's going to pop the riser off.

[SLIMBOB]

Your transition from limb to handle is far to sharp an angle. The limb should feather into the handle at the fade. The handle appears long to me. If I'm right you have room to rasp it down to get that smooth transition. Can you get a pick closer up of your handle and fades. I would fix that first. Sharp angles like this are an open invitation for the gremlins to get in and cause havock.

[Pappy]

Is that a board with the handle glued on or a stave ? Like was said the fads need to tapper in at a lot less of a sharp angle,if that is a board and it is the same thickness full length you will probably have trouble keeping the handle on anyway.
   Pappy

[SeanStuart]

It is a board with glued on handle. So I should reshape the handle more like the black line in this pic? Thanks.

[SLIMBOB]

Better.  As Pappy said, the handle staying on will be an issue.  The bow is going to bend right up into the edge of the handle which will cause it to pop off.  Let one of the board bow guys chime in on that.

[Pappy]

I agree SLIMBOB,the whole handle /fad area looks like trouble to me,if you cut the fad back as shown in the picture,I am afraid it will bend back into the cut out for the handle and you will get a pop up there on the back where you violated the longitudinal grain, and still worried the handle is going to pop off.I don't do boards so maybe some of them guys will chime in with some ideas on how to go forward.
 Pappy

[Badger]

  I agree it looks like the handle will pop off. If you shortened the bow to maybe 62" and dropped the weight to maybe 35# it might stay on. I would cut the fade according to your black line but I wouldn't get my hopes up too high for the bow.

[George Tsoukalas]

Looks like the board proper is too thin to do the handle properly. The fade needs to extend into the board itself with the handle sitting on top of it.

If the handle pops off you can pin it with dowels and do a handle wrapwith some B50, etc.

I have always advised beginners, if they want to start with a board, to make a bend in the handle bow. The width is the same through out, no narrowed handle, taper to 1/2 inch nocks about mid limb.

You can change these directions to 1 3/8" wide for 45-50# ...potentially.

http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/boardbowbuildalong.html

Jawge

[SeanStuart]

Looks like the board proper is too thin to do the handle properly. The fade needs to extend into the board itself with the handle sitting on top of it.

Jawge

This seems to be my major mistake. I should have made the board thicker, glued the handle on, then cut the limbs to thickness.

Thanks for the link George.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Just leave that board a full 3/4" thick next time and you'll be all set. Id suggest leaving the above bow as is and starting another. It will only lead to heart ache.

[Blaflair2]

Also from what I can tell u have some figured maple. Which the grain is gonna be a problem. Try a simple red oak board next. Straight grain.

[DarkSoul]

This seems to be my major mistake. I should have made the board thicker, glued the handle on, then cut the limbs to thickness.

Exactly how thick is the bow in the limbs? What's the thickness of the original board, minus the glued on handle, in the grip? You might still have enough thickness for a light weight bow.
Either way, I wouldn't leave this bow as is and start another one. You're already nearly done, and you might get lucky. Worst case scenario: the handle pops off violently, the bow breaks and you still have to start another. But perhaps the handle pops off slowly, so you can replace it with a longer handle, composed of several 1/8" lams instead of one thick block.
By the way, shorten that long string until it is nearly touching the handle. It'll give you a more realistic view at the tiller.

[Crogacht]

Have you got TBB's? In the tillering chapter in volume 1, there are some really good pictures of how the width and thickness should taper around the fades.

[SeanStuart]

Removed