Hello gentlemen,
greetings from Slavic Europe. A newbie so far but count me in!
There was an ash board leftover from paddlemaking (I have built 16' wood& canvas canoe and a short dozen of wooden paddles so I am no greenhorn in woodworking) so I got an idea, before making a pair of Ojibwa snowshoes, to try a bow.
Fast forward 2 months. I got 3 volumes of TBB and few other books. I keep 2 broken limbs as test beds for various finishes, cut off bow handle serving as a handle on my tillering pulley and I shoot 3 functional flatbows of 36lb, 36lb and 42lb weight.
So here is my last one, "Snakeye"!
Wood is hard maple board, walnut sapwood glued-on handle and tips. Length is 66" ntn, slightly recurved tips, 2" wide to mid limb and pulls #42 at 26". It is a bit overbuilt as reaction to previous failures but I like the wider front profile. There is faux rattlesnake skin on the back and finish is BLO-spar varnish-turpentine mix, then 3x shellac and bees/carnauba wax on top. Arrows are spruce shafts Rit-dyed scarlet red, since you shoot a bit and then look for lost arrows, you know it.
I present it as "heavy hunting bow" to scare off kids. Dogs hate me on sight, whether they remember the bow look from prehistoric times or they think the rattlesnake sucks.
I am improving in shooting somehow, in the meantime enjoying the "Hunting with bow and arrow" from Saxton Pope. As soon as present situation allows, I go to lumberyard to try some different wood and copperhead snakeskin.
Take care and see you soon!
Juraj
