Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: markinengland on November 28, 2010, 01:49:51 pm
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A while back, must be three years ago I was out hunting for bow wood and came across a failry unique piece of dogwood with a strange wiggle in it. I thought it just had to be made into a bow.
You'll see it there second from the left.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/100_0571.jpg)
It went into my loft to dry. Every now and then I'd take it down, have a look at it and put it back again. Was the wiggle going to go sideways and give a kind of window, shoud it form a handle? Eventually I decided it would have to be the handle to make a kind of natural pistol grip.
Eventually I took it to the Prehistoric Archery and Atlatl gathering at Flag Fen, debarked it, and started work on it, roughling it out to bow like dimensions.
This summer I took it with me to the Paleo Planet European meet in Bulgaria. There I finished it out. The handle made it bit arkward on the tiller tree, and seeing the shape was not msade easy by that off shape but eventually it looked like a fialry good shape at about my bow weight and I decided to leave well enough alone and call it finished.
I made up a linen string with linen serving and a bow was born.
I must measure the poundage. To be honest I can't remember quite what it finished at. Will post this later.
When I got home I give it quite few coats of Tung oil and I have been shootong it since on a failry regular basis and like it. A few problems. It has developed a few chysals on the belly, basically around knots. It developed a start of a tension failry around a very very small pin knot. I bound that area and it seems to be holding up OK. I guess the back is failry crowned. A a few others have posted about tension failures around pin knots with dogwood so maybe I'll make the next bow a bit longer.
Today while shooting it around the woods at the club I decided it was about time I took a few pictures and shared the bow.
Here she is at my draw length. Those are long arrows by the way!
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010221.jpg)
Another picture that maybe shows the shape a bit better.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010222.jpg)
Braces shape. It was a nice crips frosty morning in the woods.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010223.jpg)
The wiggle at the handle.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010224.jpg)
And again.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010225.jpg)
A view of the back of the bow.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010226.jpg)
I'll try to record draw weight and take some more pics this evening. Looks like that will have to wait. The batteries have gone on my bow scales!
A shot of the belly of the top limb.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010231.jpg)
Belly of bottom limb.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010235.jpg)
Back of top limb.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010233.jpg)
Back of bottom limb.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010238.jpg)
An interesting knot to work around.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010232.jpg)
The central pith tended to be a good guide.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010236.jpg)
I hope this shot shows the chrysal. Seems to be holding up though so I won't worry about it.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010237.jpg)
A bit more info who like dimensions etc. It is pulling about 47lbs at 29 inches. Limb width is 1 and 5/8ths narrowing in the outer half of the limb. total length 66 inches, nock to nock 65 and 1/4 inches. Pin nocks. Limb tips 1/2 inch (well one is actually 9/16ths).
A side view of the bottom limb.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010248.jpg)
A side view of the top limb.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010250.jpg)
A pin nock.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010251.jpg)
All in all I am impressed with dogwood as a bow wood. The back finishes up nice with the cambium showing through and it seems to shoot quite hard for it's physical size and mass.
Best wishes,
Mark in England
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interesting
use that area for the handle and it should come out center shot by the looks of it
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Awesome! Thats too cool :)
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Very nice! Good job.
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Nicely thought out and executed, sir
rich
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i guess my first post was before you had all the other pics up ;D
but you did what i was thinking you should do
nicely too i might add ;)
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WOW a natural pistol grip! 8) Gorgeous bow, Tiller looks beautiful. I REALLY like that bow.
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I'm not a huge fan of really funky crazy staves, but that has turned out very nice! Well done.
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i have to say dogwood is a great bow wood and i love the way you used the character in it...john
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hey mark,what is the weight,length,and measurements of that stick...thanks john
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I absolutely love everything about it ;D
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Very nice ;D
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Cool. I made one with a handle section just like that out of a black locust stave once. I recurved the tips on mine. Charlie "Cha- ching" Washer has that bow now and is still shooting it. ;D Cool bow.
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I like that handle! I have made 7 shooter from that dog wood. I went looking for arrow shaft one winter and found trees of some size and and just started cutting them to the pith and deer hide backing them after I removed the bark. Everyone I made as a selfbow has popped at the crowns peak and the belly knots always get a crack to form over them and the set they take is always the same for all dogwood bows I have made. haven't got a kill with one so far but it shoots fast enough to take a deer easy
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Cool bow, Mark. Interesting how you utilized that natural shape as a handle.
Is that dogwood Cornus mas or the American native C. florida?
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Hey Mark, cool bow!
Handle is fantastic.
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Very nice bow,lots of character,got to love that. :)
Pappy
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Yeah, wow, that's a real bow, brilliant I love all the little details like the pith line and the cambium streaks.
Really beautiful, clean and simple, let the wood do the talking.
Del
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Mark, excellent work. The tiller is right on and the natural pistol grip handle is outstanding. Jawge
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Thanks for the comment.
I added some dimesnions and stastics and views of the unbraced limbs.
I think it is cornus sanguinea which is our native species.
I may well give my next dogwood bow a backing. They do look nice, but the lovely bow I saw in Bulgaria that inspired my use of this wood broke at a pin knot. Perhaps a little tension weak, perhaps also a little compression weak, but oddly making a good bow until it breaks!
Mark
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Most everything has been said...Beautifully done, just beautiful!!!!
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Great looking bow Mark. I believe some of the best bowyers are the guys that are able to read the wood and work with what is given, to the best advantage. You have certainly done that with this bow. Also the reason that I love character bows so much. Character bows show the skills of the bowyer to overcome abnormal situations. Love everything about it Mark. Congratulations