Hatchet Bow contest...

[PaulN/KS]

Hmmm, a trade of hedge for some vine maple....I'll PM ya Joe.

[jeduffey]

Hey, while you are busy trying to toss all that vine maple out of your State, I'll take some. 

I am also curious about the make and ship option on playing in the hatchet game. Now that I think about it, anyone sending a bow to an event, without going in person is either really trusting, or expecting the piece to wind up as donated prize for some of the contests at the event.....

So, remind us in this thread what the due date is?

[PaulN/KS]

MOJAM is the weekend of July 18-20. The hatchet bow judging is on Saturday in the afternoon. I see no reason that a "mail in" entry couldn't be done if you know someone going there. Course you might miss out on gettin' your picture in a magazine if you win and are not there...

[Gaitanson]

Thanks to Pat B, Joe Klink, and especially John Strunk for the ideas, the bow and the pursuit of simplicity and what, in my mind, is what "primitive" archery ought to be. Of course, there are a lot of other fellows (and gals?) out there who are getting way down to basics (Mark in England and others) and building bows with minimal tools. Wish I could attend this MOJAM gathering and see what everybody produces...and I certainly hope that the magazine will dedicate an article and lots of pictures on the bows made with a hatchet, B-50 and beeswax.  May I suggest the Gransfors mini axe for the following reasons: It will certainly cut down a stave of 3"-4" in diameter and it allows one to perform extremely fine (knife-like) work including shaving or scraping. They are not cheap but most certainly worth the price. I use mine for making spoons when I'm off camping and if they'll work on spoons then they'll work on bows. In fact, I'm starting work on a "chapote" (Texas persimmon) bow and might just use the mini for the entire project.

[servicebeary]

I'm brand new,  where is this contest?  Figured I'd add: For those of us that can't afford a $170 hatchet, I love my light (I live to pack around the wilderness) gerber hatchet,they come really sharp (almost too sharp if you're chopping hard stuff) and I'd imagine that they'd scrape reasonably well.  bout $30   oh yah, they fly like a champ too, and the handle is indestructable, I'll get a grouse with it eventually:)

[PaulN/KS]

servicebeary,
The "contest" is held at the event known as MOJAM which is held the third weekend of July in Marshall Missouri. It is a for fun and bragging rights challenge that got started some years back as a "what if" all you had was a hatchet, roll of B-50 and some beeswax, could you make a bow to feed the family with. Kind of a Y2K,(remember that?) scenario...

[servicebeary]

not sure I catch your drift bout y2k, but it sounds like something I'd like to attend if it was a little closer to Idaho, thanks for the info.

[PaulN/KS]

Y2K was the "Uh Oh" that some folks were worried about when we went from 1999 to the year 2000 and they were afraid society would shut down cause all the computers would quit due to the century change.
Not that that would be a "bad thing..."

And we have folks come from all over to Mojam. As far away as the west coast, even had a couple from Germany and Denmark one year.