Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Jodocus on July 10, 2012, 12:14:59 pm
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Got my third bow done. Things have brightened up in general, plus I had a quiet afternoon shooting in and enjoying this bow. 8) It is 64 inches long and pulls 48 pounds at 27 inches draw.
It's made from a thin plank of bl from an runout split that had a pretty reflex. When I removed the sapwood, however, that reflex disappeared, the wood bent back and even had a little deflex in what is now the lower limb. :( plus, there was only a thin slat of heartwood I got, about three rings deep, just as thick as it is now in the handle area. The tree had been about 10 years old, growth had been quick and there was virtually only latewood.
So I glued on a branch of yew to make handle. It had been lying around in my workshop since november, yet, after I had cut it to size, i developed radial cracks from drying after it was glued on :-\
I also put on some tip overlays from the same piece of branch. I hope it holds up, especially since I also feel I should have had the riser protrude an bit further into the limbs. And this is my frist glueline as well. So maybe I should wear a helmet and gloves...
The bl was nice wood. A bit brittle, lighter than I expected, but with pretty straight grain and fat rings. And after both tillering and shooting 100 arrows (well, actually it was only 5 arrows that I shot 20 times each :laugh: and those look quite shabby now) it has taken almost no set, maybe 2/5. There are a couple of knots, two of them in the outer upper limb, so this area became a bit stiff. The deflex in the lower limb scared me because I have already ruined a bow with unevenly flexed limbs in the tillering, but I went slow and it came out ok. The grain had h slight bend over the entire lenght, which I kept. This resulted in a off-center stringline, and this the resulted in a drop-shaped limb cross section. It does not twist noticeably, however.
After the shooting today I've put on a layer of beeswax. It was hot and dry a while, but now that's gonna change. Thunderstorm is hovering over!
I'm very pleased with how it shoots, by the way. 8)
So here's your pics:
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handle is gonna pop off more than likely..be careful
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I like knotty bows, nice work
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Beautiful grain and color in that wood. Nice finish but have to say that the narrow handle with the cut in shelf and the knot also in that area seems scary to me. Now I've never cut in a shelf or glued on a handle so I may be wrong about my concerns and I hope that I am because it looks like you spent some time on that nice looking bow.
Anyway I hope it shoots a long time for you.
Greg
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Thanks for the nice comments. It did not take all too long making this one, and it was time well spent even if it breaks today. ;D That the handle might come off is really what I am worried about too. I don't think it could break at the shelf, but simply break lenghtwise, probably along those radial cracks. Pop off, as gutpile said. I wonder if I should wrap the handle with something? I'd hate to from an aesthetical aspect, but it might be better.
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Nice! Impressive thundercloud to!!! :o