Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: armymedic.2 on August 21, 2007, 10:21:46 pm
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after a lot of consideration, reading, studying, and hard work, ii came out with my first all wood bow. ( i made one before with a weird backing that i think cracked). Anyway, i used hickory as bow wood, with a bamboo back. The handle and rest are made of mahogany. all tillering was done with a cabinet scraper. rest was with a 4-way rasp. the finish is clear coat.
Specs: 65# @26"
72" nock to nock
seems to like a 5 1/2"brace
i flight shot it today, and it made it 150 yards with my regular hunting arrows (there was about 5 mph wind) shoots to 20 yards just as fast as my 50# martin recurve
being that im a newbie, please feel free to criticise tiller and such so that i can improve next time. I just hope it holds up so i can take a deer with it in a couple of months! so excited!
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p38/armymedic2/August2007006.jpg)
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p38/armymedic2/August2007005.jpg)
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p38/armymedic2/August2007002.jpg)
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p38/armymedic2/August2007003.jpg)
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Looks a little over built, but it should be a reliable hunting bow.The tiller looks dead on.
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It looks great. You should be proud if it is your first or tenth. Like Eddie said, it looks plenty heavy built. Being boo backed hickory, it should last forever. Justin
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thanks guys, i am very proud. I left the handle large to accomadate my big paws, but im guessing you guys are saying it is overbuilt because of width? length? please feel free to elaborate. i am very interested in learning more and i promise i won't be upset with criticism. ;D
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Yesser! that's plenty stout, I think the overbuilt part is in the design combined with draw weight for most people - not something you'd shoot hundreds of times in a day ;). Pretty much guaranteed to take a deer down if you connect though. Love the bow and tiller - great job!!
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You did a fine job with this bow. The tiller is right on and like others said, a durable hunting bow. As you continue to build bows, you will experiment with width, length and design until you find what suits you best(sometimes you just keep building then just because! ;D). You will have no problems finding your way from where you are starting. ;). I prefer a less blocky handle riser but if that one works for your big paws then thats fine ;D. You shouldn't have to worry about it popping off. ;D Pat
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Armymedic, you did real good, and deserve to be as proud as you look in the pics. How long is the arrow you are shooting?
Rich
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hey, that tiller looks R E A L L Y good!
yes the bow seems a bit over-build, the handle looks clumsy for my taste....that's stuff that will come out better/nicer on your next bow and even better on the one after that! what's important for you to know right now is:
that tiller looks R E A L L Y good!
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Looks good to me,very nice job.Sounds like a real shooter. :)
Pappy
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Looks pretty good, a little bit overbuilt but a durable bow is better than a piece of fire-wood ;)
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nice bow. I would not use a bow that long for trailing and stalk hunting though. tiller is dead on.
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Great looking bow. I prefer a long stout bow and the boo/hickory is a combo I will try. I like poundage in the 60's and at my 28 inch + pull would give me a 70+ #. I "like" it. ;D
Dick
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The smile on your face in the last pic says it all. Great job.
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Hope someday I will be able to build something like this...! Great job...
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Great job especially on a first bow! Like others have said, the good tiller is the most important and impressive feature about your bow. It tells me that you have a great start and can only continue to improve your skills. The 72" is a little long especially for a hunting bow in my opinion, but a good length for a first bow as it is more forgiving of mistakes...not that I see any with yours. The handle area is non-bending and can have the edges highly radiused. I think that was what most were referring to due to a more rectangular shape with yours. What I strive for in a handle is comfort, which usually ends up more rounded especially on the belly side.
It should hold up well for you and make for a good hunting bow! ;)
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thanks for all of your compliments and comments guys. the arrow was just completed last night, so i slapped a point on it for pics but didn't have time to cut it down. it is probably like 31 inches or 30 (i cut mine to 27"). i was afraid to do much with the handle section because i didn't know if i could cut into bamboo without hurting the integrityof the bow. my main goal was to tiller right and not snap it in half! i will always leave a fat handle for my hands, but i could definitely have sanded more and faded it nicer. i wasn't thrilled with the rest, but it was the first try at that so i am satisfied. i think i will try it out of leather next time. with all of your advice i should have no problem! i have to go to IRAQ next spring, but hope to build one more before i go. i will do a build along so you guys can give me advice as i go! what would be your ideal lenghts for hickory/boo in a 65# draw? I LIKE HEAVY HUNTERS ;D
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Congrats! That's a durn site better than my first attempt. Looks like you got those yard birds nervous.
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Hickory/bo with a drawlength of 27 and 65lbs with a stiff non bending handle (I think a big one ;)) I would try a bowlength between 62 and 68 inches.
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That is just an awesome bow. You did a great job. Looks like you used a hickory board. With boards it is a good idea to round off the corners for safety. Tiller is awesome! Keep up the good work. Jawge
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Doc, you did a great job! I really like the arrow, as well. The tiller, as others have pointed out, is dead on.
Dane
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tiller is spot on. i think what everyone is saying about being over built has to do with your draw length vs. the length of the bow. grip shape is a personal taste thing so each to their own. for your 26" draw, a bow around 62-64" long would serve you better in hunting situations. you would not have any problem cutting into the grip to make a shelf. always remember, wood twice as wide is twice as strong - wood twice as thick is eight times as strong. you can get away with a lot of cutting if the area of the bow is non-bending. you could almost make that bow a center shot concidering the thickness of your grip.
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About the arrow rest thing, Have you ever tried to shoot with a bow that has no rest at all? I prefare shooting off my hand.
And good luck to IRAQ, you will need it if things are still going this way the next spring..
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ah i see, boy a 64" bow would sure fit in the blind nicer ;), i might have to give that one a try. would that be considered an ambush bow then?
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Great looking bow, you did a fine job.
VB
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fin,
i did try shooting off of my hand before i put the rest on just to check and make sure i didn't need to remove more tip wood for hand shock. i was very surprised at how accurate it was, and i actually considered not adding a rest at all, but wanted to stick to the original plan so i did. ----thanks for the luck. i got a great bunch of guys going with me, i trust 'em. we'll be fine ;)
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I was an 11B, and the docs were our best friends. Sounds like you are the guy to take care of your buddies. From me as well, the best of luck. Watch yourself there.
Dane
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Congrats on your first bow, that one turned out very nice. I'm impressed with the tiller - it looks right on.
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Looking forward to seeing this war bow considered for August Backed Bow of the Month!!
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You've done a fine job with that bow
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thsnkd guys, im enjoying shooting this bow more than any other in my arsenal of bought bows. really can't beat your own make, even if it is only 140 fps ;D part of the fun!