Author Topic: Help me with my hickory build  (Read 6192 times)

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Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: Help me with my hickory build
« Reply #15 on: August 22, 2014, 05:44:48 pm »
I would try to put some reflex in that other limb. I don't use a caul. I use my wood vice and dry heat.

I put grease on the belly and heat with a heat gun. Heat until it is too hot to touch. Then out the tip in the vice and  bend it. Easy does it. You can always heat again.

Unless your rig something up to hold the stave in the needed position you will have to hold it until it is cool. Be creative :)

I usually heat the other limb but not bend it...just for balance.

Let it rehydrate about a day or so before tillering.

Jawge
Set Happens!
If you ain't breakin' you ain't makin!

Offline burchett.donald

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Re: Help me with my hickory build
« Reply #16 on: August 22, 2014, 06:26:15 pm »
Puckaway, Here's a few pics of a very simple caul built from soft pine so as not to damage the thin rings on this stave...I used a heat gun and a series of clamps to attempt straightening this piece at heavy floor tiller. Like the character of your hickory and looks like a good start ;)
                                                                                                                            Don
Genesis 27:3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;

Offline Puckaway

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Re: Help me with my hickory build
« Reply #17 on: August 23, 2014, 01:02:17 am »
Any recommendations for the first one in the pics? the one with the big backset in the limb? That's a nice nearly knot free piece. I have a feeling the knotty one may turn out nice. I put the good one aside and got the knotty guy bending some.

Offline Puckaway

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Re: Help me with my hickory build
« Reply #18 on: August 23, 2014, 03:05:57 am »
Thanks for the advice and visual ideas. I'm going to set up a form like that. progress will continue on the knotty one, and the nice clean one will continue when I get a heat gun and a form made. Stay tuned.

Offline Puckaway

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Re: Help me with my hickory build
« Reply #19 on: August 24, 2014, 02:51:44 pm »
I've gotten the knotty bugger to low brace height. I'm really not sure where to go from here. its so uneven. I've been using a gizmo a bit. those huge knots worry me. Any ideas?

Offline Puckaway

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Re: Help me with my hickory build
« Reply #20 on: August 24, 2014, 02:55:11 pm »
notice on my tillering tree the right limb sits much higher than the left one which is bending nicely. Should I just tiller the snot out of the right limb until it pulls the same length?

Offline Josh B

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Re: Help me with my hickory build
« Reply #21 on: August 24, 2014, 07:52:26 pm »
First off, that gizmo thing is worse than worthless on a character stave such as this one.  Save that for the straight and clean bows.  As I said earlier, put symmetry out of your mind on this one.  All those bits of character need to be reflected at brace and throughout the draw.  This means that the deflex kinks will look like hinges and the reflex areas will look like flat spots when drawn.  I think your close to understanding that already. I'm just confirming it for you.  This is a really tough one to explain with just words.  The character is gonna give you fits, but you can do it with patience.  The two things that your looking for at this stage is that the entire limb is doing it fair share of the work and that the limbs are balanced.  Meaning that your right limb tip is travelling the same distance as the left and vice versa.  It's important that you get each limb bending properly before you get them bending equally.  Getting the limbs to bend properly is always the hardest part on character bows such as this.  Your brain will keep wanting you to make it bend in a nice smooth arc that is pleasing to the eye.  Resist that notion the best you can.  As I said, the character has to be reflected throughout the draw.  I hope I didn't just confuse you worse.  Josh

Offline burchett.donald

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Re: Help me with my hickory build
« Reply #22 on: August 24, 2014, 08:57:56 pm »
Well said Gun Doc...Well said sir...
Genesis 27:3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;

Offline Buckeye Guy

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Re: Help me with my hickory build
« Reply #23 on: August 24, 2014, 10:08:21 pm »
The doctor has spoken now listen up!
He wont steer you wrong
Guy Dasher
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To God be the glory !

Offline JoJoDapyro

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Re: Help me with my hickory build
« Reply #24 on: August 24, 2014, 10:54:54 pm »
Like Josh said, I am also working on a bow that does about the same thing. One limb is straight and has no knots, one limb has deflex, knots up the wazoo and is 1/2 inche wide next to 3/4 inches wide as it snakes around knots. Tiller it like each side is it's own bow.
If you always do what you always did you'll always get what you always got.
27 inch draw, right handed. Bow building and Knapping.