Author Topic: Bodark selfbow :tillering advice?  (Read 10598 times)

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Offline wazabodark

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Bodark selfbow :tillering advice?
« on: September 24, 2014, 09:25:51 pm »
I have literally killed a dozen bows before ever shooting them so please help me out here. This bow is Bodark, 64"ntn,1 1/4"at the fades tapering to 1/2"at the tips, 5/8"at the fades to1/2"at the tips belly taper. Mostly symmetrical.  I'm shooting  for  50#at 28". Right now I have it at a low brace and I'm reading 23# at  10".my question is, what now?  I'm at that part where I usually wind up destroying my bow, and I've really got allot of hope for this one. Can Someone please help me  before make yet another batch of yellow toothpicks? Here's some pictures.

Offline wazabodark

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Re: Bodark selfbow :tillering advice?
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2014, 09:30:04 pm »
Okay, we'll tackle this one problem at a time. Can someone tell me how to post my pictures?

Offline osage outlaw

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Re: Bodark selfbow :tillering advice?
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2014, 09:30:21 pm »
Are the limbs bending evenly?  Any hinges or stiff areas?  If so, get them evened up. 
I started out with nothin' and I still got most of it left

Offline osage outlaw

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Re: Bodark selfbow :tillering advice?
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2014, 09:31:06 pm »
Use photobucket to upload pictures. 
I started out with nothin' and I still got most of it left

Offline IndianGuy

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Re: Bodark selfbow :tillering advice?
« Reply #4 on: September 24, 2014, 09:36:06 pm »
Bodark.......bodark! Where you from?
That's what we call Osage here in Oklahoma.
E

Offline H Rhodes

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Re: Bodark selfbow :tillering advice?
« Reply #5 on: September 24, 2014, 09:38:40 pm »
Some pics will really help with getting you some proper advice.  There are some really knowledgeable folks on this site that can help.  Go slow and make sure that you have not violated the back of the bow - if you do a good job chasing a ring and have that back all slicked up and your limbs are bending evenly, it's hard to bust a good piece of osage.  I save my photos to my desktop first.  Click on Attachments and other options.  Open it and save it in your post.  You may have to resize your pics down so that they will fit.  Good luck with it and hang in there.  You have come to the right place.
Howard
Gautier, Mississippi

Offline wazabodark

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Re: Bodark selfbow :tillering advice?
« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2014, 10:55:26 pm »

Offline wazabodark

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Re: Bodark selfbow :tillering advice?
« Reply #7 on: September 24, 2014, 11:04:54 pm »
And BTW, Indian Guy,  here In Texas, where the tree is originally from, we call it Bodark, because that's proper. You can't kidnap a Texas native, change his name, and expect us not to recognize him for one of our own.

Offline ssgtchad

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Re: Bodark selfbow :tillering advice?
« Reply #8 on: September 24, 2014, 11:22:20 pm »
And BTW, Indian Guy,  here In Texas, where the tree is originally from, we call it Bodark, because that's proper. You can't kidnap a Texas native, change his name, and expect us not to recognize him for one of our own.lol try rounding off those squared edges. Take a few pictures of the belly and back will help a lot too.
Always learning something new.

JacksonCash

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Re: Bodark selfbow :tillering advice?
« Reply #9 on: September 25, 2014, 03:48:54 am »
Bodark comes from the French name for the tree:
Quote
The trees acquired the name bois d'arc, or "bow-wood", from early French settlers who observed the wood being used for war clubs and bow-making by Native Americans.[9]

off of the Maclura pomifera page on Wikipedia

Offline J05H

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Re: Bodark selfbow :tillering advice?
« Reply #10 on: September 25, 2014, 06:33:20 am »
Looks like a good start to me. An unbraced pic would help. Just go slow and steady.

It would help if the pictures were here where everyone could see them. If you'd like, I could walk you through the process via pm.

If you never have time to do it right, you'll always have time to do it over.

Offline Pappy

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Re: Bodark selfbow :tillering advice?
« Reply #11 on: September 25, 2014, 08:07:56 am »
Looks pretty good to me, i never really put a pre tapper on the limbs,especially on a pyramid design,I just get the limbs bending even and let the wood tell me where to take it off.Some rely IMO to much on that instead of remembering it is just wood and pre anything don't work most of the time. Just keep doing what you are doing,slow and easy,like was said pictures on site would help and more would look,usually if they aren't here I don't look,just curious this morning I guess. ;) ;D ;D
 Pappy
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Offline bradsmith2010

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Re: Bodark selfbow :tillering advice?
« Reply #12 on: September 25, 2014, 02:36:59 pm »
yes but in east texas we call it Horse Apple  :)

Offline DarkSoul

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Re: Bodark selfbow :tillering advice?
« Reply #13 on: September 25, 2014, 03:45:48 pm »


It looks pretty good already. I don't see anything that can't be corrected, but there are some small issues that should be fixed before you continue.
- Those string grooves are cut into the back of the bow, which is a big no-no. You can file grooves into the sides of the bow, but not into the back, UNLESS you apply nock overlays. Since I don't see overlays, you need to fix those nocks. File the back flat again to get rid of that groove. Then glue on a small piece of wood (osage is fine as well) as to create a small additional thickness. Then file grooves into the sides of the bow, slowly curving into the back.
- The corners appears sharp and square. At this point, once the width taper is accurate, make sure all four corners of the limbs are rounded to about the size of a pea.
- The left limb appears a bit stiff near the handle. It's difficult to say for sure, since you didn't include an unbraced picture. But I'd scrape the inner half of the lefthand limb a bit.
- From this point onwards, put away the draw knife, rasp, spoke shave and SurForm. Use only tools that remove small amounts of wood. A scraper tool is excellent, especially when combined with a fine (half round) file. Re-check the tiller often, after every ten minutes of scraping at least. Keep applying the same amount of draw weight, but monitor how much the draw length increases after each successive wood removal.
"Sonuit contento nervus ab arcu."
Ovid, Metamorphoses VI-286

Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: Bodark selfbow :tillering advice?
« Reply #14 on: September 25, 2014, 03:59:39 pm »
Mark a nice big pencil line at the end of the fades and watch that area as you begin to pull to 10" that area should start to move.

If you are doing a pyramid design it should appear more circular in tiller. That means you need to get that near handle wood out to mid limb moving more.

You should now be suing a scraper-like tool.

More on my site. Jawge

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