Del's HHB Cherokee

[Del the cat]

I'd just had two bows explode on the tiller, one after the other . One was bad wood, one was poor bowyering.
Something simpler was needed so I thought I'd go back to what I know... but with a twist .

I looked out the HHB stave that Steve and Eric (Otter and Turtle... or is that the other way round? ) had kindly given me (that's "gifted me" to you guys ) from the back of their truck at the Classic last year. (Cheers guys )
I said I'd post it up when I made a bow, so here it is.

An ELB would have been the easy bow, but I thought maybe a Cherokee style longbow, close enough to an ELB to put me in my comfort zone.
The main diferences, the Cherokee has less width taper giving wider tips and a flatter belly. (Hey, I once had a flat belly )
I don't normally work fast, but I was so annoyed at having 2 blow up on me, that I set too and got it roughed out and tillered in a day .

The next day I got a string on it and shot a few arrows, it punches 'em out pretty hard, very much like an ELB.
71" ntn
It's 50# @ 28", although I get the feeling she'd pull back to 30 no prob' 
1 1/4" wide. 7/8" thick at the grip.
7/8 x 7/16 at the nock. (I think I can thin the last 5" or so a bit more)

There were a couple of nice features on the stave, a waggle in the lower (left limb) and a knobbly patch on the back of the upper limb with a dark stain and small hole in the belly corresponding to it. The back was lovely and clean with the underbark (cambium?) still present. I see some staves where the bark has been butchered off, so it was a joy to have a stave from guys who know what they are doing

I may bring it down a pound or two by getting the outer limbs (especially the right) moving a little more.
It's not really finished yet, I'm thinking maybe a cord grip and some feathers or horse hair as embellishments. I wouldn't mind painting it, but it seems like it's only the shorter wider NA bows that were decorated?
Any suggestions or ideas on grip, decoration and finish would be welcomed.
Del

[PEARL DRUMS]

Love it Del. HHB is great bow wood, yah I said it, great bow wood!

[bambule]

I think you've done very well.
It's the same way I would build a bow that style and that kind of tiller shape.
And I also love how you write your story - flat belly guy :-)

Greetz
Cord

[Aaron H]

Very nice Del.  That back looks really cool

[half eye]

Hey Dell,
    Very nice NA bow right there sir. You asked a couple of questions there so thought I'd give ya my two cents worth I would not worry about the tips coming back any more unless you need/want more draw length. The bow will be faster with slightly stiff tips and your circle tiller is really nice as is. I can only imagine what your skill set thinks when ya look at those wide flat tips anyway
    Most of the Eastern Woodland bows did not have grip wraps and were "little decorated"....BUT having said that the decoration of a bow was strictly at the caprice of the "carrier of that bow". The exception would be a presentation bow given by the tribe for some great deed done by the recipient. One aside is that most of the bows having horsehair decoration were from people of "horse-cultures", generally eastern tribes would decorate with feathers, fur or perhaps hair/fur from thier dodem animal.
    Since you chose a Cherokee bow perhaps you could "google" their nation website and see what colors are incorporated into their national emblem and use that as astarting point. Hope that helps you out.

By the way, ironwood is my first choice in bow woods (maybe an exception of a lovely piece of yew in my bow rack)
rich

[Onebowonder]

Have you put any heat to that HHB yet?  If you were to toast the belly, (not toast like 'cheers' but toast like 'make it quite hot'), you might actually INCREASE the poundage of such a bow.  I was very exceptionally impressed with how much HHB likes to be heat treated.  It was much more effective on HHB than I found it to be on either Hickory or Ash.

Lovely curve to this bow by-the-by...

OneBow

[Del the cat]

Have you put any heat to that HHB yet?  If you were to toast the belly, (not toast like 'cheers' but toast like 'make it quite hot'), you might actually INCREASE the poundage of such a bow.  I was very exceptionally impressed with how much HHB likes to be heat treated.  It was much more effective on HHB than I found it to be on either Hickory or Ash.

Lovely curve to this bow by-the-by...

OneBow

Nope, I did this as a "do nothin' to it" bow. No heat treating, no reflex, no fillin' knots.
Must admit I'm tempted to put a tiny hint of reflex into the upper limb to match the natural shape of the lower.
On a long bow like this there isn't much set anyway, and the poundage is fine.
With the belly against a flat wall I can just get 1 finger between the wall and the grip.

And here's the pic of the belly streak and hole.
Del

[Del the cat]

@ Rich.
Cheers, I just happened to gather some horse hair this morning from the barbed wire fence as I walked up to town. I was looking for feathers too, not a single one  . Mind I saw a nice pair of Jays and a rat running along the cycle track.
I'll polish up my caprice and see what turns up
Cheers for the input.
Del

[Josh B]

Very nicely done Sir!  The Bennett boys are good as gold for sure.  Oh...and it is the other way Steve=turtle, Eric = otter.  When you trimmed that stave down to size, I rescued an off cut from it that made a similar style bow, albeit smaller in dimensions.  I intend to follow PatB's lead and put it on the table at the classic.  As soon as I finish putting the lipstick on it, I'll post it.  Josh

[Pappy]

Yep that is some good looking HHB. Very nice work Del.  I do also hate them double whammies had a few and I don't like it a bit, just have to get up dust yourself off and build another bow, looks like you figured that out. Nice.
 Pappy

[Parnell]

Looks great, Del.  I'd swear it was one that I'd made sometime in the past.  Nice bow.

[blackhawk]

I do also hate them double whammies

At least there not as bad as a triple whammy         a lot of us have been there,n when it happens it gives ya revenge fevor.

Looks good Mr kitty. 

[Marc St Louis]

Very nice Del.  How is the hand-shock?  The problem with longer bows made out of dense wood is that if you have too much outer tip mass then you get a bit of a thump

[Del the cat]

Very nice Del.  How is the hand-shock?  The problem with longer bows made out of dense wood is that if you have too much outer tip mass then you get a bit of a thump

Hi Marc,
Doesn't seem too much different from an ELB, but does seem smoother with my 11/32" shafts rather than the 5/16". (both with 100gn points)
Just tried it with one of my "pretend medieval" 32" long 3/8" diameter shaft modkin point arrows V nice, smooth as silk ... whoosh thud... no Spanish conquistadores to try it on tho' 
It would be interesting to to chrono it and then slim the tips to ELB horn nocks and repeat, but I won't do that as it's my only HHB Cherokee style bow.
BTW. That Hedeby style bow I made for a lady, went to her eventually (she was rather slow communicating as she'd been doing examinations for work), said it was fantastic So I never got to try it with slimmed tips.
I do have another unclaimed bow... I hate it when people don't communicate, but then bows seem to have a way of finding a home one way or another  .
Del

[GlisGlis]

Real beauty.
the more bows of this style I see the more i like. Love the semplicity and outrightnessof of this design.
Definitly my next project. I just have to decide what wood use