Show off your NON-heat treated selfbows!

[RyanY]

As some of you know, the bow building communities on facebook are very active and growing. With that there are a TON of new bowyers out there. It has become extremely common for these new builders to heat treat on their second, third, or even first bow! Seems like it has become so pervasive that some believe it is necessary to make a good bow before learning to tiller well. I think it would be fun to show off our favorite non-heat treated bows as an example that it's certainly not necessary and better to walk before we run. I'll start off.

I made this bow at my third MOJAM in 2011. It is still the hardest osage I've worked and I recall clearly how my drawknife left a glass like surface on the wood. I've always wondered about the speed so if I ever test it and it performs well I'll share that at some point. From the original post. The second bow, the darker one, is, I guess you could say, an American flatbow. It’s 66” tip to tip and about 55#@28”. It’s 1.5” at the fades tapering to 1 1/8” at mid limb and tapering to 3/8” nocks. It is also 22.5oz and took about an inch of set. This piece of wood in particular I got from Timo and is by far the most dense piece of osage I’ve worked with. Use of a cabinet scraper left a glossy smooth finish. It was a pleasure to work with.

[Morgan]

Nice job on those bows. No, it’s not a necessity to ht the belly, but with certain woods like hackberry and elm, you will come away with a totally different performing bow. I don’t know if you gain much if any benefit out of heat treating Osage.

[Eric Krewson]

I made about 150 bows without heat treating, it wasn't in vogue at the time, I do find heat treating a nice addition to one's bow making arsenal though.   

[RyanY]

Nice job on those bows. No, it’s not a necessity to ht the belly, but with certain woods like hackberry and elm, you will come away with a totally different performing bow. I don’t know if you gain much if any benefit out of heat treating Osage.

Good point. White woods are definitely the ones being used most. Here's an old hickory board bow I made that took very little set. 50#@28" 66" ntn.

[sleek]

I only locally heat treat spots that need a little correction. I get high 170s out of them without a heat treat. Thats osage though.

[Hawkdancer]

How far back does heat treating originate? 
Hawkdancer

[bownarra]

Just goes to show what can be done by matching front profile and tiller
Very nice bows there.
I've got a few hours to burn this morning whilst some glues cures...i'll see what I can dig out of my collection.

[Dances with squirrels]

I've never heat treated a bow. Don't really have any plans to either.

[Eric Krewson]

I don't waste osage and have a stock of what I call the good, the bad, and the ugly, some is what we all wish for, hard and buttery, some is soft and whimpy.

In the last few years since heat treating came on the stage I can heat treat that substandard wood and make it into a good performer.

One place heat treating shines is on a BBO that once finished just doesn't have it, slow and lower poundage than I wanted when I started. I make BBOs out of wood that is not quite up to the selfbow quality.

The last two I made to donate to charity just didn't have it, the limbs kept shifting and wouldn't settle in, by the time I got them corrected I was low on poundage and had string follow. I thought " I can't donate these, they are dogs" and got out my heat gun, my reflex form and went to work.

I really toasted these two, I made them about 2 years apart. 5 years down the road bow #1 is still a stable rocket launcher with "0" string follow. Bow #2 followed suit with the same results.



 

[PatM]

How far back does heat treating originate? 
Hawkdancer

 Probably as far back as bows have been made to some degree.   
     More recently it was used back in the 30s to rejuvenate old tired yew bows.   It was 2002 when a small excerpt from a Ye Sylvan Archer mag was published in PA and Marc started experimenting and improving the technique.

[Selfbowman]

I think if you put heat on it to straighten or even put it on caul to achieve a certain shape . Then you need to heat the entire bow. No it does not have to be dark brown or smoking hot.  If it’s a pretty even heat on the belly you are not chasing the hinges. Now we need to hear from the man himself. Marc .

[RyanY]

I'm certainly not trying to say that heat treating doesn't make good bows awesome. It just seems that it's become such a common trend that some people may not be learning to make those good bows first to take full advantage of the technique. The investment in time to heat treat is not insignificant. I think to get people into this hobby, making bows should be as easy as possible and this includes dispelling myths such as needing backings on boards or that heat treating is needed to prevent set.

Keeping the ball rolling, here's an infamous poplar bow. 66" ntn and about 50#@28". 10" handle and fades and 2.5" wide at the fades with a convex taper to 1/2" tips. Tip overlays are poplar as well. Took just over an inch of set and shoots pretty good.

[Selfbowman]

Ryan no beginners don’t have to start heat treating with there first bow. It’s an acquired talent for sure.  What I was saying I think if you start with heat for any reason continue on the whole bow. Again maybe Marc can shed some light on this. I’m still learning by the way. Like I said it’s an acquired talent. Arvin

[RyanY]

Ryan no beginners don’t have to start heat treating with there first bow. It’s an acquired talent for sure.  What I was saying I think if you start with heat for any reason continue on the whole bow. Again maybe Marc can shed some light on this. I’m still learning by the way. Like I said it’s an acquired talent. Arvin

That makes sense Arvin. Especially in areas where there's notable bend it could change the wood even slightly.

[Selfbowman]

I started 15 years ago trying to dry green wood on the caul! Not knowing anything about bow making. If there is a mistake I’ve made it. Learned a lot bough. Arvin