Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: frankg on August 31, 2011, 06:10:39 pm
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Out of curiosity I had a Juniper limb I scrounged out of my limb pile from spring trimming . After some eyeball trimming in bandsaw it ended up around 45"x 1-1/8" wide and 1"thick through grip. I made the grip about 4" long and just started knocking off things not looking like a bow . I wasnt concerned with final wieght or length but rather if it would make a working bow . After getting limbs to work fair and sort of even I noticed it had lots of wow to it being with limbs nowhere centered in handle ! I remembered reading where PatB used Olive oil and heat to straighten limbs and so what the heck ! With a little back and forth , limb to limb heating belly only (smelled like popcorn) and tweaking while heating and holding till pretty cool , I took a lot out of it . Looks like about 1/2-3/4" to each end came out and I didnt want to press my luck !
Its a monster T Rex bow , 18# @ 23" 8) But I now know a little about the wood !
Shot some AL 1916 out of it and they are way heavy for it ! Ill get some straight grain 1/4" dowel for some arrows when in town next :)
Ill post some pics in a bit when its dry .
Heres added pics. Little fuzzy on stick , lower limb is a bit stiffer but for the experiment I found out I may be able to make a bow from all this stuff growing around me. Just need a bigger limb !
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/ModocWrangler/Bows/juni001.jpg)
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/ModocWrangler/Bows/juni002.jpg)
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wow thats a lot of bend for a shorty ;D. looks good
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Jeese Frank.....ya got a whole lot of work out that baby. If your gonna do more of them shorties, try goninwith a bendy handle ("D") bow, will save some stress on the overall bowwood....very nice first shortie, sir!!!
rich
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Wow, that's some bend. I didn't think juniper was up to that much bend. Cool.
George
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If you got juniper in your area that can bend like that unbacked then you need to find some more and make some sinewed backed bend in the handle bows with it. Go get ya some more of that stuff sir ;) wow
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Thanks fellers .
I have the other piece opposite this one which is the thicker one of where it split when I cut the limb . Limb was about 4" diameter. Ive had that hunk clamped about 2 months to a 4x4 trying to straighten it a little. Its same length as this lil fella.
Bendy handle .....hmmmmmm.........? How do you go about that ? Leave the eaised handle out and make handle thickness same as fades ?
Sinew ?? That would be a new experience ;D
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there is no sinew on that ...WOW....well if some thing does happen aleast you live in K-FALLS there should be lots of juniper around....john
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Yepper John , theres lots of Juniper around ! I thought all it was good for was keeping me warm till now ! Ill be checking the bigger limbs out real close from now on !