Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Dauntless on May 27, 2009, 12:43:34 pm

Title: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: Dauntless on May 27, 2009, 12:43:34 pm
Well guess who is on a roll?  I finished this one yesterday and took the pics this morning.  It's another sugar maple board I chased a ring on.  I would have made a bend in the handle bow but the lower limb had to be 2 rings higher...

The riser is fir, the tips are cedar I think.  The bow is 65½" long, 64" ntn and 1¼" wide at the fades.  The tips are 3/8" wide.  Pulls 65# at 28" although when I finished chasing the growth rings I thought I only had enough wood for a 30 pounder. :D   It has taken exactly 1½" of just unbraced set for now but I haven't shot more than 100 arrows out of her yet.

The finish is Danish oil.  It is a little darker than I wanted, especially on the fir riser.  I'll go over with some steel wool this afternoon. (in the sun, with a beer ;) )

As usual I'm pretty insecure about the tiller.  The unstrung and braced pics have the lower limb to the left.
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9094.jpg)
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9093.jpg)
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9086.jpg)
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9087.jpg)
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9088.jpg)
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9091.jpg)
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9090.jpg)
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: knightd on May 27, 2009, 12:49:10 pm
Tiller looks good. I like the darker riser..
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: Josh on May 27, 2009, 12:57:23 pm
nice bow.  The stain looks really good being darker like that. 
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: Pappy on May 27, 2009, 12:57:29 pm
Looks good to me,I also like the darker color.Nice job. :)
   Pappy
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: Pappy on May 27, 2009, 12:58:24 pm
By the way you look to young for a beer. ;) ;D
   Pappy
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: Bear on May 27, 2009, 01:30:47 pm
I like it. Very nice. What is the string material?
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: Dauntless on May 27, 2009, 01:42:16 pm
By the way you look to young for a beer. ;) ;D
   Pappy

I would be if I lived in the States.  ;D

The string is a worn out black B-50 tillering string.
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: first-timer on May 27, 2009, 02:30:38 pm
Haha, nice bow, and lucky you. States and Canada you got to be 18-20 to drink, depending on province/state :P Of course, that doesn't stop most people from doing it anyways :P The darker riser looks nice too.
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: Dauntless on May 27, 2009, 02:52:38 pm
I turn 21 in June anyway.

Well I shot the bow some more after lunch and heard a ripping sound at full draw...

The riser tried popping off on me on the thinner side (top limb).  At the same time one of the overlays cracked from having the string too thick (timber hitch).  I'll make an endless string or maybe a Flemish with two loops and prevent that from happening again.  As for the handle, I'm going to have to do something I haven't done in years: Make a leather or string handle with an arrow rest.  The few arrows I whipped were removing the finish.

I'm lucky the bow didn't just break there on the spot.
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: Josh on May 27, 2009, 03:33:59 pm
The riser popped off of the one I am working on too.  It popped off during full draw but i think i fixed it.  Good luck.
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: radius on May 27, 2009, 04:04:07 pm
i like the look of this bow...you say it steps down across the handle?  that's cool...

maybe in part the trouble with the overlays is that cedar is a very weak wood, not quite up to the stress and pressure of being a string nock...

i'm surprised the handle tried giving way, because it looks like your tiller is good, and that the bend starts outside the danger zone...ah well...

radius
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: George Tsoukalas on May 27, 2009, 06:17:29 pm
Very nicely done! Jawge
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: OldBow on May 28, 2009, 11:35:59 am
Nice job! and bookmarked, too, for May Self BOM fun.
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: orcbow on May 29, 2009, 08:42:20 am
Good work brother!! Keep it up  ;D
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: Keenan on May 29, 2009, 08:57:44 am
Great looking bow. Yes you are on a roll and they just keep getting better and better, Congratulations
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: Little John on May 29, 2009, 09:30:27 am
Nice bending bow. I had a glue on riser that I was worried about, I wrwpped it with gut hafting material set with TB III glue. I like it pretty good how it turned out and am sure it will never pop off.    Kenneth
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: George Tsoukalas on May 29, 2009, 09:53:09 am
You can pin the riser with dowels and then wrap it. Did I give you directions on another  site? Jawge
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: Dauntless on May 29, 2009, 12:32:21 pm
Yeah Jawge, you gave me some great directions over at Paleo Planet.  I put in 4 dowels yesterday, resanded the handle and reapplied the finish.  I'd like to try an arrow rest and strikeplate for this one too.  I have some nice thing jute string to wrap with, just need to go digging for some thick leather scraps.
Title: Re: A run of the mill board bow
Post by: Dauntless on May 30, 2009, 12:18:41 pm
Well I found some leather scraps (from those little squares of leather you have on the back of jeans) and made an arrow rest and strike plate.  I glued the strike plate and three layers on before carving it all up.  I wrapped with jute twine then singed off the little extra fibres like if it was a bowstring.  The handle now smells a bit like strong bacon  ;D.  I just hope Manny hasn't patented this kind of handle.

Getting her braced (with a new 8 strand double reinforced loop Flemish I twisted up) I heard a crack :-\.  The other side of the handle (thick side) now has this big crack running across it.   I think Fir is incompatible with my incompetence.  I'll be sanding both sides flat and gluing on a thin lamination that will feather out somewhere on the limb.

I have a fir riser glued up on another floor tillered bow I shall be planing off as soon as I can.  I'll be sticking to hardwoods from now on.

(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9101.jpg)
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9097.jpg)
(http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/Dauntlessbows/IMGP9098.jpg)