Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: George D. Stout on December 30, 2008, 12:00:14 pm
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Just a hello to all here. I've been into archery since I was about eight years old....lilac bow with binder twine string as the first one.
Still dabbling with a few selfbows, the latest being a 66", 55#, solid hickory beauty. It was a gift just this year and it is beutiful. Will post a photo for your perusal. Will drop in and see what's going on in this neck of the woods.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v134/oldearcher46/misshickory006.jpg)
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Welcome to PA George. Nice to have you here! Pat
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Welcome, George. Nice to have you here. Jawge
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Hey George, nice to see you here. Do we have a convert? Steve
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Good to see you here George!
I know from seeing your posts over the years over on the LW, you're primarily a glass bow (especially the older ones) kinda fella. 8)
Beware! Dabbling with these selfbows can become addicting ;D
That's a fine looking hickory bow there. Please post more whenever you can. Saw Filer
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Hi George ! Nice to see you over on PA !
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Yep, I'm a fickle archer, but I started shooting selfbows (lemonwood) in 1992 and took a nice whitetail buck with it that year. I've hunted off and on with some all wood bows since then...even made one out of osage in the mid 90's, and this year I received this hickory as a gift. They certainly have a aura about them, and that has a pull of its own. I'm feeling an extra connection with this white wood bow, as it came as a suprise....an unexpected gift from a person I did not know personally. I was particularly struck by how well it was made and the inherent beauty of it. I want to spend some time with it this year and just ordered some cedars for it.
I shot it yesterday for several hours; it's very lively and has as little handshock as I've ever encountered, which tells me it was designed very well. I'll try to keep you posted on my experieces as they come along.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v134/oldearcher46/hickorybow002-1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v134/oldearcher46/hickorybow003-1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v134/oldearcher46/hickorybow007-1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v134/oldearcher46/misshickory012.jpg)
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Great to see ya over here George.
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Well evidently some little Johnny Appleseed hit his mark. Good to see you here George.
I don't know about these other fellars, but I got a strong suspicion, having someone fall in love with a bow you made is just about as high a calling as a bowyer can aspire to, and is most fulfilling personally. And a man needs fertile ground to make a crop, and for that I thank you.
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Hi George, nice to see that you and I seem to move in the same circles. lol ron w
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Hey George, are you gonna tell us who built that beauty?
Welcome to PA (the website, not the state).
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Well....yes. DCM (David Mims) who just posted above made the bow. Dave is from Mississippi and apparently makes a great selfbow. He could tell you more about the bow and how it was made...how long ago, etc. I'm going to name it "Hickory Miss" since it's from Mississippi and is made of hickory.
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Howdy George. Great to have you here. Sounds like you'll fit in fine :)
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Welcome aboard, George, I think you'll like it over here. That's a great looking bow, looks like an easy one to get attached to.
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Well, George, there's no "apparently" about it. That's a great bow made by a great bowyer. Enjoy! Jawge
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I made that bow in early '07 from a stave of pignut hickory Ryan O'Sullivan gave me, or traded me I don't really recall. Was not real dense hickory, more like ash probably and old Ryan reckoned he hated it. I made a little sliver bow outa it which fretted some. In fact I think this longer bow has a few small frets as well but is built with a little more wood for it's weight. Don't recall the limb width but it's a modified alb, perhaps 1 1/4". If I recall correctly it may be a little whip tillered which is probably appropriate, I think it may be closer to 67" ntn for George's 27" draw. That should mitigate it's tendancy to fret as well. I've shot it quite a bit drawn as far as 29". Makes fair cast, is mild mannered with ~3/4" string follow. Ole George is prolly seeing 35% Rh up there this winter. When he takes it to the 3d in July where it's humid and hottern nine kinds 'o hades, he'll have a different opinion of it I imagine. ;-)
I will say, to have an experienced and knowledgable person appretate your work is very gratifying. Beleive it or not, relatively few people are good candidates to be gifted a selfbow. And I know most of you will appretate when you invest what you must in a stick of wood in order to make it into a bow, you want for it to find a good home where it will be used but not abused and appretiated for what it is.
Hopefully George will be motivated by his experience enough to get back into bowyerin' a bit. That wasn't my initial motivation, didn't even realize he'd already taken a poke at it. If so, I expect he'd find a cooperative audience here for that! LOL If you do George, I got bow wood I'm ready to send you. With the internet, digital pics, and sites like this one it's become fairly easy to turn out a fittin' bow without a whole lot of prior experience.
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Pignut hickory is prevalent here in Pa. I have four of them in my lower back yard...also shellbark and shagbark. The ash are being worked over up here by the Emerald Ash Borer and many are dying. I made an osage, english longbow style in the early 90's from a stave I got from Bernie at Mystic Archery when he was at Denton Hill. I didn't tiller it very well and it split on me after a season's hunting. It hangs above my daughter's mantle now as a conversation piece. I'm not a patient person when it comes to such things and seem to want to hurry....a personal cross that I seem to bear. Perhaps I'll slow down when I get closer to seventy...I'm only 62...well, until Sunday.
Dave, I put a TS-1 string on the bow and like the way it behaves with that. It is not so different from the string you included, but it seems to be more friendly to arrow spine. Because of the width at the shelf, the bow shoots true with a 50# spine at 29" and 160 grains up front. I can hold it vertically and hit center with that setup, which is how I set up my bows, that way I know I'm getting correct paradox. You may enjoy this next photo. It was a perfect hit from about forty yards in the oak woods. Problem is the blunt tip stuck about an inch or more in the dead tree and is about fifteen feet or more about my reach. The bow has great "whallop" at that distance 8^). The shot was from atop a small ridge down into the vally below, that's why the angle is downward though it's high in the tree.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v134/oldearcher46/misshickory004.jpg)
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George,
Looks like you need to pick your marks a lil closer to the earth.
Have you tried those ACE hex heads? Not sure it would have mattered if a blunt stuck, but they are killer heads for stumping and small game. Not quite as forgiving as a Judo, but will not run under grass easily. And will poke a hole in the odd armidilla or whatever no worries. Not sure how they'd do on squirrels, which are darn near impossible to kill without an really good hit, but I'd imagine perty good.
I want a shellbark stave or two, if you run up on a tree that's otherwise healthy but being taken down.
TS1 huh. Sounds high tech. LOL Thought I missed the green and yellar string on one of the other shots. Figured for sure you done put B50 on it.
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I'll keep an eye out for a proper shellbark. I want to try a B-50 but don't have one the proper length yet....maybe later, just for curiosity's sake. I had several TS-1 strings for my other home made longbow...a 68" nock to nock, laminated glass/maple and they fit the hickory well. I just got my shafts in the mail today from 3Rivers so will work on them the next few days so I have good matched arrows to fine tune Miss Hickory.
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DCM, it is also good to see you hop back on that bow horse. Take care . Happy New Year to all. Jawge
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Glad to see you made it over hear George. Also glad to hear from you David. ;D Funny that stave went from Pennsylvania to MS and back again, but in bow form this time....... ;D I knew that was a DCM bow the moment I laid eyes on it, didnt even need to read any farther.... 8)
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Good to see you too Ryan. Not surprising you recognized that bow, as you were the first person besides me to shoot it. Probably the only person besides me and now George.
Hope ya'll had a great holiday.
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Welcome George. David makes some great bows that is for sure.
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Welcome George,very nice looking bow. :)
Pappy
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Took "Miss Hickory" for a walk today and caught this feller hiding in a fence row clump. Hope to be the first of many for me and the bow. Bow was made by David Mims of Mississippi and is self hickory. So....it's "Miss Hickory." ;)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v134/oldearcher46/bunny004.jpg)
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Outstanding George.
That must be your new shafting. White on white is striking.
Fine job on bustin' that bunny. Missickry done took a likin' to you right off.
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David, you can probably see them flying in the dark. ;)
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Hello . Glad to have you aboard. I too live in beautiful Pennsylvania. Clarion county to be exact!
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whitewoodshunter, I lived in Dubois from 2000 until mid 2003. Spent some time in the gamelands between Dubois and Brockway during those years. Big woods for sure.
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Hunted there many times myself. Ever get over Strattanville way?
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Don't get up that way much anymore. I was in retail management at the time and now I'm back in Bedford County, semi-employed. I retired in March of 2008 and just work enough to pay insurance....about one day a week. We have more farms in this area, along with lots of ridges and creek bottoms.
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Welcome, or "Wilkomen", George. Glad to have you aboard. That is indeed a nice bow. DCM, That is beautiful work. I can see how George wold fall in love with it. Looks, like a natural meat getter.
Wayne