Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: medicinewheel on March 10, 2007, 04:45:38 pm

Title: bamboo back and belly ELB... now finished w/new pics
Post by: medicinewheel on March 10, 2007, 04:45:38 pm
hey guys!  -  my friend chris made this blank and lost interest in it, so he gave it to me. it's an bamboo back and belly stickbow with a core of tempered vertical bamboo stripes sandwiched between two stripes of black walnut which is the typical cross section of a japaneese yumi. the limbs are 1 3/16" of an inch at the widest tapering down to 5/8". this very narrow-limbed bow pulls beleave it or not 65#@29"
i tillered the bow today and started shooting it in. great pleasure to shoot!! very smooth draw and shooting really hard, flat and accurate so that even i can shoot it!
here is a picture that shows the cross section of a bow i made the same way and unstrung and braced profile.
i'll post more pictures when the bow is back from the beauty shop, okay?!
frank

ps: the belly bamboo is heavily tempered
pps: the bamboo used is madake. that's the kind used in japaneese bows

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Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB
Post by: 1/2primitive on March 10, 2007, 05:30:20 pm
Very neat, looking forward to more pictures.
      Sean
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB
Post by: Justin Snyder on March 10, 2007, 06:35:13 pm
That is cool, encourage him th start anotherand hope he looses interest again.  Maybe this time you can suggest the type of stave he makes.  ;D I cant wait to see the pictures. Justin
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB
Post by: medicinewheel on March 11, 2007, 03:27:41 am
well justin, the story is a little bit longer then that. a while ago i tillered an osage recurve on his tillerwall when a hook came loose and my stave broke, so he gave me this blank to make up for that a bit. but most of all you should see his other bows: he makes the most exciting double-curved bows with cores like that. so he didn't care for the ELB much.
chris is a perfectionist. he is not using the internet so i guess i should post some of his bows for you guys.
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB
Post by: comix on March 11, 2007, 11:25:00 am
love to see them !!  ;D
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB
Post by: Dustybaer on March 11, 2007, 01:27:24 pm
absolutely!  i've seen one in bad kreuznach.  simply stunning.
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB
Post by: medicinewheel on March 11, 2007, 04:14:29 pm

yeah dusty!  -  you probably know chris glauben. i had initiated the koppedrayer seminar at chris' place. chris picked up this technique just like that.
frank
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB
Post by: Dustybaer on March 11, 2007, 04:19:55 pm
yes, and he's not only an excellent bowyer, he shoots well too.  he won the wood-bow class that day, and the kid with the bamboo bow took third place.
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB
Post by: Pat B on March 12, 2007, 12:21:47 am
Frank, How many vertical strips make up the core of your bow? I have a Vinson Minor Cane Dragon that is made with a simular set up. It is raw boo back, tempered boo belly and 5 strips of maple with osage strips on the outside, so its 7 strips in all. I believe this is the same set up as yours but yours is boo and black walnut. Do you have a close up pic of the handle?     Pat
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB
Post by: medicinewheel on March 12, 2007, 08:18:01 am

hi pat! - yes, that's the same principal used; with my bow here it's 4 stripes of bamboo between 2 stripes of black walnut.
the amount of set such a bow develops seems to be depending a lot on the woods used in the core. black walnut is lightweight AND keeps the reflex well.
here is the picture of the handle. it's build up with tapered stripes of osage on both sides: 3 towards the back, 2 towards the belly (slightly reverse handle)
frank

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Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB
Post by: Pat B on March 12, 2007, 10:21:12 am
Thanks Frank. She's a good looking bow and the color combo is beautiful.   Pat
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB
Post by: OldBow on March 13, 2007, 01:06:06 pm
Sure looking forward to the full draw on this one, Frank.
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB
Post by: heavybow on March 14, 2007, 06:18:40 am
Frank what a nice looking bow. Thanks for the email. marlon
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB
Post by: medicinewheel on March 14, 2007, 07:57:53 am

thanks marlon!  -  if further help is needed feel free to ask; ulli has my dates, too.
frank
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB... now finished w/new pics
Post by: medicinewheel on May 05, 2007, 08:31:48 am
well gentlemen, i didn't have much time to work on bows lately but i finally finished thisone here.
 i wanted it to be real fancy so i gave it a potassium permanganate dye first, coloured it up with a little red aniline stain.
the wrappings are of irregular patterns; black and brown linen and rattan (rattan makes a really good arrowpass, can also be used for handle wrappings)
the handle is red leather wrapping
the overlays are buffalo-horn

with the fulldraw-pictures it seems to be a constant problem that the tiller looks a bit off when you angle the bow even just a little bit. the bow is tillered with 8"-stiff tips.

the pictures i took while stump-shooting this morning at the Cat Stones, a celtic holy ground near where i live.
hope you enjoy,

frank



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Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB... now finished w/new pics
Post by: AndrewS on May 05, 2007, 09:26:27 am
Hi Frank,

you are building very nice bows. This bow is a beauty. I like the rattan wraps. I have a bundle of rattan in my shop and want to make one of the next handle of it.

And you are still made a good photo job.

Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB... now finished w/new pics
Post by: comix on May 05, 2007, 10:11:45 am
hi frank,
love this one... esp. the colors and the wrappings
love it when they get a personal touch

Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB... now finished w/new pics
Post by: welch2 on May 05, 2007, 12:15:14 pm
Really nice bow Frank. How did you make the core?

Ralph
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB... now finished w/new pics
Post by: Jbell on May 05, 2007, 01:42:13 pm
She's a bueaty. Nice job with the tiller and those colorful wraps. Congratulations.
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB... now finished w/new pics
Post by: Kev K. on May 05, 2007, 02:34:56 pm
Love the wrappings! Nice job! ;D
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB... now finished w/new pics
Post by: medicinewheel on May 05, 2007, 07:25:56 pm
Really nice bow Frank. How did you make the core?

Ralph


the core is made like a japanese yumi; the sidewood is black walnut

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Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB... now finished w/new pics
Post by: DanaM on May 06, 2007, 08:51:34 am
Outstanding bow frank, you keep pushing the bar higher and higher

DanaM
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB... now finished w/new pics
Post by: Gordon on May 06, 2007, 11:56:39 am
Frank,

I am impressed how you are able to effectively incorporate techniques employed by other cultures and create these highly functional works of art.
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB... now finished w/new pics
Post by: OldBow on May 06, 2007, 01:02:53 pm
Hervorragend!
That's outstanding in German (I think). Looking forward to seeing this one for May Backed Bow of the Month.
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB... now finished w/new pics
Post by: medicinewheel on May 06, 2007, 06:36:10 pm

hi guys!  -  many thanks for the compliments!!! yes it turned out to be a sweet-shooting hard-hitting bow that looks non-symmetrical (which it is) but balanced (which it is, also)

well gorden, these are really nice words but the credits in this case really must go to jaap koppedrayer from canada who adapted the japanese bowcore for both double-curved and straight-limbed bows. we got the know-how from him in a seminar i had organiced a year ago over here in germany. than again i take some of the compliment for myself since the bow looks sexy .... and i'm proud the words came from you  8)

frank

ps: yes don, hervorragend means outstanding  ;)
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB... now finished w/new pics
Post by: medicinewheel on May 11, 2007, 03:34:55 pm

yet another picture

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Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB... now finished w/new pics
Post by: DanaM on May 11, 2007, 04:14:07 pm
man that is outstanding craftsmanship Frank, that bow blows me away.

DanaM
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB... now finished w/new pics
Post by: medicinewheel on May 11, 2007, 05:16:07 pm

hey dana!  -  thanks again!
Title: Re: bamboo back and belly ELB... now finished w/new pics
Post by: medicinewheel on May 13, 2007, 02:17:32 pm

tried to get one better picture of the full draw, don't really think that worked out well  8)

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