Hi all,
Well, I've been away for a few years, but recently got back into the workshop and decided to dust off a stave and some tools and try to make a bow that actually works.
So this is my first finished bow, but my third attempt. I was aiming for 50lb, but I braced it way too late and ended up coming in light, which I am OK with. I don't have a lot of experience shooting bows, so 35lb is probably better to be honest.
I had to steam bend both limbs to correct a bit of lateral and propellor twist. It's still a pretty crazy piece of wood, but it's acceptable. Quite a few knots too, a couple in the tips, working limbs and handle. The fades look a bit strange because there was a couple of branches nearby so the grain bulges pretty severely and makes it look quite distorted.
I'm amazed by the properties of Black Locust, it just seems infinitely resilient. The design isn't perfect, the layout isn't perfect, the tiller isn't perfect, the finish is far from perfect, yet it bends all the way to 27 inches with what appears to be pretty minimal set, maybe 1 inch at worst (so far anyway).
I've learnt a huge amount with this one, so I'm keen to get working on another and try to get something around 45-55lb that would be suitable for hunting.
Thanks for looking
