Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Carson (CMB) on November 03, 2012, 02:42:19 pm
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I cut this stave in Jan of this year. Presently, it is 56" long. I am shooting for a 54" bend through the handle finished bow. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 45-50 at 26" draw. The plan is for the limbs to zig-zag towards and away from the archer, rather than snake side-to side. As it is now, the string will fall through the handle and no heat-correcting should be needed. I have a lot of other bows in the works at the moment so this build-along, my first attempt at one, will proceed rather slowly. I have a feeling i am going to be reaching for the rasps a lot on this one.
(http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k633/Acer_circinatum/IMG_0703.jpg)\
(http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k633/Acer_circinatum/IMG_9100.jpg)
The day it was cut.
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Jeez......... ???
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I get the feeling the one thought that will keep going thru your head on this one will be, "What was I thinking?"
Looks like that VM was growing up through a ladder!
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you're kidding right :o
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You should add a reflex kink on the left side to make it match(flip the tip)...good luck man...even that one wood test me. What's your reason for not doing a side to side snake front profile? Is it because of where the tension wood side of the tree is?
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This is going to be good... ;)
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Hahaha! You're crazy, dude.
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You should tiller it so all those kinks straighten out at full draw. That would be awesome. zigzag bow at brace, smooth arc at full draw ;D
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Lol, if that was me i would use the snakes as belly/back, not on their side. But if it does survive that'll definitely be a wallhanger 8) That tree must've had some strange grwoing conditions :o ;)
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i can't wait to see it when it's done.good luck brother.
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Blackhawk, you asked for it ;). dictionary...yup, this aint no simple bow. Coaster, do you still think I am kidding ;D? JW, I ask myself that all the time! Cameroo, I will make sure it is good entertainment one way or another. Weylin, yes i am, but you already knew that...maybe just crazy enough to pull this off >:D. Thanks Seabass I am going to need it. Osage outlaw, dont know that I can pull that off, we will see what she does when she starts bending. Zion, blackhawk, I was inspired by Chet Stevenson's snakey yew bows that snake through the drawing plane, as opposed to with it, and this wood wants to do just that.
(http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k633/Acer_circinatum/Vine%20Maple%20Bow%20Buildalong/IMG_0706.jpg)
Hopefully, this approach to heat bending will give me the desired sharp bend that I am after.
(http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k633/Acer_circinatum/Vine%20Maple%20Bow%20Buildalong/IMG_0707.jpg)
The dry-heat set-up.
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WOW! I thought i was a glutton for punishment! I know what CMB must stand for... CRAZY MANIACAL BOWYER!!! sorry, it's redundant and i'm not all that creative ;) I'll definitely be watching this one!!!
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Hey! Do you hear that bird calling? What is it? Wait! I think...yes?...yes? YES! It's a cuckoo. Definitely a cuckoo!
What size jacket do you wear? I wanna make sure that when they come to take you away they have the right sized white formal dinner jacket with the wrap-around sleeves and shiney, shiney buckles! You are gonna need it!
I hear that once he finishes this bow he is going to take up knapping. He is going to get points out of saltine crackers and sugar cubes!
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That one will be tricky to turn into a bow. I'm going to get some popcorn and watch this. ;D
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For the Glory!
Gabe
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Best of luck! If you pull it off, I'll vote for it for Bow of the Month, guarenteed! ;)
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Gotta see this Carson, definitely a one of a kind bow if it works. Good luck, I'll be tuning in to watch this build.
Greg
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Would that be called a 9 curve bow? ;D
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Can't wait to see it finished.
Rob
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Heck yeah, that will be an awesome bow!
by the way next clam dates on the coast are nov 15, 16, 17, then 29,30,1
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:o you have my full attention :o
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Is it done yet! I want to see this sucker bend.. If you pull it off, man o man will it be cool!
Jon
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Carson, I have a huge respect for anyone who has the courage to step up to a serious challenge. . years ago I made a bow from a cascara tree that was very similar but a few less curves. I was able to coax a short "all natural" "no heat bend bow that looked like a horn bow. That stave taught me allot. Sometimes the hard path is the best teaching tool. Even if the lesson is "what was I thinking" LOL Go for it Brother
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holy cow,i would say go for it..as i see that is what you are doing..that is one crazy stick..good luck..john
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Nice stave ya got here.
I think it can be done, why not right?
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Was the back facing the sky? I would have went side to side myself, if that was the proper angle. Can't wait to see how she turns out. Clicking the "notify" button so now I'll get alerts on my phone. Now it's time to sit back and watch this madness.
All of us VM guys are gonna be watching this one ;D
Have fun bro!
-Pinecone
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HOLY CRAP! I will be following this very closely, awesome stave!
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Wow! This is gonna be cool :) wonder what she'll....... I'm wonderin' alot of things actually.
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There wasn't a chain link fence involved in this tree's tortured life, by any chance ,was there?
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(http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k633/Acer_circinatum/IMG_0747.jpg)
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Noooooooooooooooooo! How much of the stave can you salvage?
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There is still a bow in there. I might have to dial back my target draw weight and draw length. :-[
Hindsight is 20/20, but I feel like I should have seen that split coming, the way I tried to bend it with that small bite out.
To answer some earlier questions, it was growing pretty well straight up. So the tension and compression wood would have alternated through the zigs and zags.
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Well hopefully you can still pull a hunting weapon out of it.
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One of the most beuatiful staves I have ever seen.... :'( :'( :'(
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Aww....too bad:-(, such a wicked stave.
I kinda knew it would blow when I saw the dry-heat picture. Steaming or boiling would have increased the chance of success I think.
Cheers
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That's too bad. I never heat bend until the bow is reduced quite a bit, usually around floor tillering stage. I'm wondering, if you keep the long side as your bow, if you still can't pull off your plan? The tips are going to be quite thin anyway.
Good luck,
George
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It does kinda look like you should be able to still give it a go, just perhaps shortening the length a little? Like George said, I'd reduce that thing down to ground tiller before anything is done.
Good luck, hope your not throwing in the towel.
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Ive broke a good bit o vine maple using dry heat.
Steam has worked much better for me or boiling is even better
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I haven't thrown in the towel yet. A little more info on the break: The dry heat set-up was not productive. I let it rest up overnight, and then boiled the end for 1.5 hrs, I pulled it out and started leaning on it. It started to bend, then split.
It does appear to still have enough mass where I need it, but that first knot/bend above the attempted bend is really soft. I need to rough out a few other bows, before I can come back to this one.