Author Topic: American Elm Bow  (Read 2841 times)

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Offline hoosierf

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American Elm Bow
« on: February 08, 2018, 09:44:54 pm »
I watch all the time, but haven't posted any of my bows.  Figured it was complicated, but I'll give it a go.

67" TT
46# @ 28"

linen and faux snakeskin backed american elm harvested in Taylor county Wisconsin
Texas ebony, (IFIRC) tips and rest

Made for birthday gift for a Wisconsin native living in Oregon

Elm is tough to rough out, only hand tools on this one.  The bow gained weight for about 10 days after I thought I was done tillering even though it had been cut and debarked for two years.  It maxed at 53# but wanted 45# so I had to go through another round of tillering.
I'd move the flipped tips out 2-3" if I had it to do over and I'd wait to flip them after brace to make tillering easier.  All things considered I'm happy with it.  It didn't take much set and shoots very nicely. 
« Last Edit: February 08, 2018, 10:20:18 pm by hoosierf »

Offline hoosierf

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Re: American Elm Bow
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2018, 10:11:05 pm »
The 1st pic is stretched. Let’s try this.


Offline hoosierf

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Re: American Elm Bow
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2018, 10:32:32 pm »
I’m not too good at this picture stuff.

Offline sieddy

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Re: American Elm Bow
« Reply #3 on: February 09, 2018, 01:54:54 am »
That looks like a fantastic bow well done! It looks like you toasted the heck out of the belly!  :)
"No man ever broke his bow but another man found a use for the string" Irish proverb

Offline bjrogg

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Re: American Elm Bow
« Reply #4 on: February 09, 2018, 06:06:07 am »
Nice job Hoosierf, it does look like you did a good heavy toasting on the belly. That's probably what gained you the weight. You did a very nice job on the finish work to. Thanks for sharing. Now that you know how. We expect to see more.
Bjrogg
A hot cup of coffee and a beautiful sunrise

Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: American Elm Bow
« Reply #5 on: February 09, 2018, 07:16:44 am »
Your transplanted Badger is going to be happy. Good for both of you.
Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline ksnow

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Re: American Elm Bow
« Reply #6 on: February 09, 2018, 07:19:15 am »
Nice looking bow.  Your friend should be very happy with that. Elm is a great wood, but yes, very tough to work.

Kyle

Offline tattoo dave

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Re: American Elm Bow
« Reply #7 on: February 09, 2018, 09:31:08 am »
Great looking bow. Nice work!

Tattoo Dave
Rockford, MI

Offline NorthHeart

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Re: American Elm Bow
« Reply #8 on: February 09, 2018, 09:57:23 am »
Good looking bow sir!

Offline BowEd

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Re: American Elm Bow
« Reply #9 on: February 09, 2018, 11:33:02 am »
Nice work on your elm.Looks like a very good shooter to me.
BowEd
You got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.
Ed

Offline upstatenybowyer

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Re: American Elm Bow
« Reply #10 on: February 09, 2018, 11:50:40 am »
Looks great!
"Even as the archer loves the arrow that flies, so too he loves the bow that remains constant in his hands."

Nigerian Proverb

Offline Jackpineboyz

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Re: American Elm Bow
« Reply #11 on: February 09, 2018, 01:01:45 pm »
like the belly toasting.
I am a Wisconsinite in Wisconsin, do I qualify for one of these?  Or do I need to move to Oregon?
Nice job

Offline ohma2

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Re: American Elm Bow
« Reply #12 on: February 09, 2018, 02:49:59 pm »
Nice :D

Offline Springbuck

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Re: American Elm Bow
« Reply #13 on: February 09, 2018, 03:17:42 pm »
That is some of the better looking faux snakeskin I have seen.  Looks good!  Why did you back it?  Just for looks?  Because if so, that worked.  Good looking bow overall!

"Elm is tough to rough out, only hand tools on this one."  Yes it is.  Even worse when knotty or snakey.  It really fights you, clogging rasps up after a few strokes, peeling up long slivers that twist if you hit against the grain, etc... but I LOVE the stuff otherwise!  I have learned to mostly "chop" it to shape.  I like my a machetes, farriers rasp, and a small, heavy knife I have, and to use big, sharp scrapers instead of the drawknife/ spokeshave combo, planes, and stuff like that.   Esp  if there are any knots or lumps.  However, if you heat temper your belly, it acts different, and will take the spokeshave and rasps nicely.

"I'd move the flipped tips out 2-3" if I had it to do over and I'd wait to flip them after brace to make tillering easier."
This style is the main bow style I make, kind of by default due to wood availability. (Lot's of elm saplings where I live and less of everything else.)  I do just what you said you'd do next time.  I usually have some heat straightening to do before I can get past floor-tillering, so I count that as belly tempering.  I get em very close on tiller and draw weight, say out to 26" draw or more.  I usually have just about 1-1.25" set by then on a 66-70" bow.  I flip the tips about 1" ahead of the handle, finish tiller, and maybe touch up the belly temper.  Flipping almost finished tips is easier than narrowing and tillering flipped tips.  It's too easy to create a thin spot where the reflex angle starts.

Welcome.

Offline Philipp A

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Re: American Elm Bow
« Reply #14 on: February 09, 2018, 05:07:55 pm »
great looking bow! I hope you will be posting your future creations as well.