Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: greenstick on January 18, 2010, 01:59:08 pm

Title: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: greenstick on January 18, 2010, 01:59:08 pm
Hello guys, I have finished the Honeysuckle bow from the wood that was cut in the past summer. It's not perfect, and  I have a lot to learn, but it shoots great. Approximately 45# @ 28", 64"long.(http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/bow/th_bow5honeysucklebush007.jpg) (http://s664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/bow/?action=view&current=bow5honeysucklebush007.jpg)(http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/bow/th_bow5honeysucklebush006.jpg) (http://s664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/bow/?action=view&current=bow5honeysucklebush006.jpg)(http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/bow/th_bow5honeysucklebush002.jpg) (http://s664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/bow/?action=view&current=bow5honeysucklebush002.jpg)(http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/bow/th_bow5honeysucklebush005.jpg) (http://s664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/bow/?action=view&current=bow5honeysucklebush005.jpg)(http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/bow/th_bow5honeysucklebush.jpg) (http://s664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/bow/?action=view&current=bow5honeysucklebush.jpg)
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: Pat B on January 18, 2010, 02:02:44 pm
Looks pretty good to me. Well done!   8)
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: Keenan on January 18, 2010, 02:05:23 pm
 Very nice bow Greenstick. I like the look of the back and you did a real good job on the tiller. Also like the hardware on the door. ;) very nice. Congratulations on the bow.  
 Ps.  We are all learning no matter how many bows that we've made. Each piece of wood is different and presents it's own challenges.
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: barebo on January 18, 2010, 02:16:25 pm
Wow !!! The tiller does look great, and if it's a shooter, then you've made yourself a winner !! Was that the Honeysuckle that flowers in the spring, and grows in a large shrub form??? I've never seen a piece of that diameter before. Looks Great!!
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: Josh on January 18, 2010, 02:17:14 pm
awesome bow and from honeysuckle to boot!  great job man!  Keep em coming!   :)  -josh
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: half eye on January 18, 2010, 02:20:24 pm
what everybody else said....I dont see anything wrong...it'll make meat I'm sure....very well done
half eye ;)
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: zenmonkeyman on January 18, 2010, 04:01:18 pm
Outstanding!  I'll have to add honeysuckle to my list of woods to watch for.  I have one tiny little insignificant concern...  It looks like you're pulling the string from pretty high up, and I wonder if you pinch on a nocking point and pull from there if the tiller will look as good.  I'm no expert, though, so feel free to lay the smack down. :P
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: greenstick on January 18, 2010, 04:17:45 pm
Thanks guys, At first I didn't even know if it would make a bow, but we have a lot of it around here.(http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/th_MTLaurel001.jpg) (http://s664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/?action=view&current=MTLaurel001.jpg)(http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/th_MTLaurel002.jpg) (http://s664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/?action=view&current=MTLaurel002.jpg)(http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/th_MTLaurelandCherry010.jpg) (http://s664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/?action=view&current=MTLaurelandCherry010.jpg)
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: sulphur on January 18, 2010, 04:24:17 pm
looks pretty great to me.  tiller looks great.  i am always amazed by the number of woods that will make a bow.  I keep waiting for someone to say i made a bow from stinkweed and some dandelion arrows to boot.    :D  great job!
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: zenmonkeyman on January 18, 2010, 04:25:26 pm
What's the specific gravity of it, roughly?  You can figure it out by carving a cylinder or square rod out of a dry piece and floating it upright in water.  Whatever percentage is under the waterline is the specific gravity. 
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: greenstick on January 18, 2010, 04:43:20 pm
Thanks Keenan,I made the door.
Zenmonkeyman, That test was done by Orcbow, the findings- .85, and Wodpow made one,but didn't see it. Don't know about the string, just where I grabbed it.
The flat bow type seems to work for this dense wood,but I open for any wisdom in this area.
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: Dean Marlow on January 18, 2010, 06:39:09 pm
Is that what I call Bush Honeysuckle? Does it have a bunch of red berries on it in the fall and the leaves stay green on it way into late fall early winter? I have some kind of bush ruining my woods here that looks like that. I hope it is the same so I have another reason to cut it. Dean
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: greenstick on January 18, 2010, 06:46:54 pm
Yep,  that's the stuff.Berries, vines and not very big or straight.
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: richpierce on January 18, 2010, 06:51:54 pm
good work, the one I made snapped KAPOW so you did great.
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: barebo on January 18, 2010, 07:38:39 pm
I'm lookin' for a piece of "StinkWeed" big enough to try!!!!!
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: Pappy on January 19, 2010, 06:24:25 am
Nice job on a challenging piece of wood,sweet looking bow.Congrats. :)
   Pappy
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: wodpow on January 22, 2010, 07:50:16 pm
Went and cut me one nice long section about as big as a basetball one of the bigger limbs I have seen on a Amur honeysuckle and nice and straight looks about the size you cut Greenstick .  after it gets dry maybe a sinew back will make a bow that will take a deer and not brake .
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: orcbow on January 22, 2010, 09:46:19 pm
Great Job with the honeysuckle bow-I still may try it again. So how wide are limbs near the handle?
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: Rich Saffold on January 22, 2010, 10:13:13 pm
 ;D  Never seen one from Honeysuckle, and you did a great job! Like Keenan said, the learning never stops unless you want it too..
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: greenstick on January 26, 2010, 10:30:44 am
Good luck on your bow Wodpow , I hope you have great success and get a deer. The width of the limbs at the handle are 2 1/2" , Orcbow.  I didn't back it because I was reluctant in covering up the nice deep groove pattern. (http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/th_5thbowhoneysucklebush003.jpg) (http://s664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/?action=view&current=5thbowhoneysucklebush003.jpg)
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: DanaM on January 26, 2010, 01:18:18 pm
Cool bow I love seeing different woods :)
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: brownhillboy on January 26, 2010, 03:52:24 pm
Looks nice, good job. :)
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: mullet on January 26, 2010, 11:12:53 pm
 Wow! That's a cool bow from a different wood.
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: greenstick on January 27, 2010, 10:57:19 pm
FYI- just a little warning , this wood is hard on the tools, I had to keep resharpening the draw knife.
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: George Tsoukalas on January 27, 2010, 11:33:11 pm
Great looking bow. Well done. Jawge
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: wodpow on February 03, 2010, 12:43:06 am
Thats what I found out also something about mineral  crystals in the wood structure. Did you leave the crown full at 2 1/2  "the one I made was good just the back was knotty and a backing of even silk would of helped a lot but I really thought I was going to hold up all I did was remove the bark   I just thought man this wood isn't bad better than some Osage or Mulberry limb bows I tried to make.
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: wodpow on February 03, 2010, 01:01:21 am
Did you flatten the crown to get that deep groove pattern  looks like the growth rings is why I asked .I had a large trunk but with the high crown I had to make it 1 1/2 wide  and hit my draw weight of 60#@ 28".
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: greenstick on February 06, 2010, 11:05:39 pm
Did you flatten the crown to get that deep groove pattern  looks like the growth rings is why I asked .I had a large trunk but with the high crown I had to make it 1 1/2 wide  and hit my draw weight of 60#@ 28".
No I didn't have to , the grain was just like that.
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: wodpow on February 07, 2010, 07:38:35 pm
I took a bigger look and see that grains look is from leaving some of the inner bark on the back it didn't look like the back of mine . I steamed mine loose and rubbed it off  with a chore girl copper pot cleaning pad to keep from nicking the back with a draw knife beings it was kind of rough .
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: woodstick on February 07, 2010, 08:04:04 pm
saaaweet.looks good
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: greenstick on February 08, 2010, 10:03:09 am
Thanks , Looking forward to starting the other half.
(http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/th_CopyofHoneysuckleandCherry.jpg) (http://s664.photobucket.com/albums/vv9/dunstan88/?action=view&current=CopyofHoneysuckleandCherry.jpg)
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: wodpow on February 20, 2010, 04:01:23 pm
it was nice today so I worked mine down alittle
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: jamie on February 20, 2010, 05:14:29 pm
very cool. love to see new woods being used. great job.
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: david w. on February 20, 2010, 07:51:11 pm
Wow thats really cool.  I like seeing bows of different woods
Title: Re: Honeysuckle bow finished
Post by: OldBow on February 20, 2010, 09:44:55 pm
That is one fine bow and a great candidate for Feb Self BOM. Thanks!