Building the Vine Maple Bow - Finished

[Gordon]

When I get the thickness taper more or less where I want it I begin to remove wood evenly along the length of the limb. I do this by first drawing a line along both sides of the limb about 1/32" in from the belly. Then using a micro-plane I remove wood to the line along each side of the limb. When both sides are done, I take a micro-plane or rasp flat across the belly to remove the bevel. This technique allows me to reduce the belly quickly but in a controlled manner.











I repeat this step multiple times until the belly is reduced to the point that the limbs are just about to bend under pressure. It is important to recheck the thickness taper between steps to make sure it remains even. If high or low spots develop you need to fix those before removing wood across the length of the limb as described above.

Before I begin floor tillering I bring the width of the limbs closer to final dimensions.





Next up - floor tillering

[IdahoMatt]

Man gordon I sure love you build alongs.  I learn so much.  Thanks for taking the time to do this.   

[Cloudfeather]

Will that thickness taper work on other woods with a similar design?

[Gordon]

Will that thickness taper work on other woods with a similar design?

The techniques I use here apply to any wood. Just the dimensions vary somewhat. I start a little thinner with Osage and a little thicker with yew. Other woods like hickory and elm would be about the same dimensions as vine maple.

[portlandfire]

   Where do service berry and cascara (buckthorn) fallin your dimensions?  Thanks

[Gordon]

Service berry would fall between Osage and vine maple. Cascara would be similar to yew.

[Gordon]

One of the risks of working with vine maple is that it will pull into even more reflex as you remove wood. Since working down the belly the stave has taken on an additional 2" or so of reflex. With all that reflex this bow is going to be a challenge to bring to brace.





I continue removing wood from the belly using the micro-plane all the while making sure that I maintain a thickness taper  for each of the limbs.  After 5-6 wood removal sessions the limbs begin to bend.

[Gordon]

The handle is quite a bit off center and normally I wait until I get the bow braced before I start making alignment adjustments. But leaving the handle off center will make tillering this high reflex bow even more difficult. So I'm going to correct the alignment now.

I begin by making a mark down the center of the handle. I then fasten a chalk line to the center of the tip and make a straight line through the center of the handle. I repeat the process for the other limb. These lines will be my reference marks when I bend the handle to align the tips.





I make a mark on the side of the handle I need to apply pressure to and then I steam the handle for about 45 minutes.

[Gordon]

After streaming I quickly move the bow to my handle press and begin bending the handle using a pipe clamp. This will cause the tips to move in the opposite direction.



Using a straight edge as a reference I keep bending the handle until the chalk lines align with each other. Then I bend the handle a little more because the handle will come back a bit when it is removed from the press.



I leave the bow in the press for about 24 hours to make sure the bend will stay.

Next up - getting the bow to brace.

[missilemaster]

Great build so far Gordon. I completely agree with what you said about thickness taper. My thumb and forefinger are my most used tools!

[vtbow]

I really appreciate this thread, Gordon. It's extremely helpful.

I have a couple beginner's question about your blank -- you said you split it and debarked it -- was it curved to begin with, or did the curve develop after splitting?

If it was curved to begin with, is the other half of the split timber usable for a bow, too? Because it seems like it might be just as deflexed as this one is reflexed.

[Gordon]

vtbow, the stave was not reflexed when it was cut. The tree was leaning and the side facing up (the tension side) is what is now the back of the bow. The wood pulled into reflex as it dried and then more as the belly was reduced. That said, you can make a perfectly serviceable bow from the compression side.

[vtbow]

Ah, thank you, Gordon.

If a small timber has grown naturally somewhat curved but not from a leaning tree, just grew that way, does the same thing hold true -- two useful bows can be made from it if the curve is say a 3 inches over 6'?

[Gordon]

I would certainly not hesitate to make a bow from a stave with 3" of reflex - that's perfect. I don't generally care to make bows from deflexed staves however.

[Aaron H]

Great build Gordon, your attention to detail is incredible.