Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: 4dog on July 20, 2013, 12:02:32 am
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Any ideas to do with this besides ,,, make it a bow..lol
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Oh and be gentle,, this is my 2nd bow build, the first is osage and its still curing, its at floor tiller now. ???
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If that were my piece of wood I would probably steam that sharp bent spot under the handle area and bend it backwards to be more even with the other limb but I'm sure someone will comment and say that's a stupid idea..... Or maybe not
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Heres one more shot of that cute lil stick pokin out ,, im thinkin its too close to use cause its only a foot from the end??
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Wow ,,im a man alone.
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not sure what else you would want to do with it , so make a bow !!
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Lol see thats awesome,, ok i was thinking pyramid or holmgarrd, but is that knot in a bad place for either of those , i guess im just stuck cause the knot is on the end not the middle of the limb,,, a shortie perhaps, since its only my 2nd bow and i still havent finished the first , i know just enough to get it to floor tiller, beyond that , i need assistance.
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leave the limb around that knot 'bout as wide as it is now and taper from there.
I can't see a pyramid or holmgaard in that stave..
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Thank you Sonny should i taper both ends at the same point?
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Don't steam and make the limbs match. There's really no point, in risking cracking the stave. Just be aware of it while your tillering.
Should make a nice bow :)
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Thank you Sonny should i taper both ends at the same point?
yes.
but leave the tips wide for now so you can adjust for string tracking.
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Well , im just going for it, if it bends great, if it breaks great, at least im gonna have some idea on the next one.
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In my opion you would be much better off going and cutting a straight piece of wood. ;)
Don't get me wrong there almost certainly is a bow in there but getting a good bow out of that stave would require someone with a good deal of experience.....and for lots of reasons!
If you are up for the challenge and want things difficult then go ahead rough it out and then post lots of pictures as you progress....it's just I think that when you are beginning to learn about making bows you can do yourself a lot of favours by starting with the straightest piece you can find. This way you are learning about bending wood without having to also deal with all the factors that a character stave will throw at you.
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I have one like that drying on the porch. Go for it. Its good practice :)
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Give it a good try!!!!
The worst that can happen is you get another tomato stake!! >:D
Don't ask me how I know about tomato stakes!! :(
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Any advice on dealing with the hole ,,would be helpful.
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Think of the knot as a rock in a stream. The wood fibers flow around it - don't cut through them.
Like I said before a stave like this is best left until you know what you are doing.
If you don't know anything about making character bows then you should buy the Bowyers Bibles. There is so much to making a good bow out of that stave that you won't get it all written down here ;)
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Anyone care to see some finished pics of this elm bow saga????
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Heck yeah! post um.
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Ok ,, there are so many pics i gotta sort through em not sure which are worth lookin at,, will post some later this eve.
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Is that the stave you sent me pics of? Looks like it.
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Yes it is and it looks sooooo diff. now and will send an arrow downrange,, finished it because of your encouragement and my friend Bowman and lots of help from Ink, it was some work but what i learned on this bow helped me finish what is actually my FIRST bow , they were built at the same time.
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Glad to hear you went for it !
Lets see what ya got !
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That is an extremely challenging stave. The knot is tough, but worse, is the uneven reflex out of the handle area. I think that uneven reflex out of the handle is one biggest curve balls a stave can throw at you. Its very difficult to tiller the limbs evenly with uneven inner limb reflex because the 'effect' of inner limb orientation will travel down the length of the limb. The tendency is to want to make the defelxed limb 'stronger' and the reflexed limb 'weaker'. I'd keep that in mind.
I'm not saying chuck it out, but this one has the potential to send you for a loop.
Gabe
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It would make a nifty combination walking stick, duck, goose, sheep, pig, herding, and snake, dog, mule, scorpion, centipede, spider, and kid whacking stick! ;)
Wayne
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Ok gonna attempt this bear with me yall ,, doing this from my phone.
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So took it from 72" to 53" in two cuts lol
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Had to deal with the knot ,, but,, what to do,, i know make the knot,, a nock!
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One nock
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Two nock
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How to make the short bow strong enough?? Use this stuff.
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Sinew!
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And!
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OK 4dog......You've roughed it out nice.I would'nt attempt the straightening by the handle any from the side view.The top view I would bring the tips in alignment by steaming the handle.Maybe give it a little reflex[dry heat]in the working portion of limb and flip the tips.This will take multiple bending sessions and some timeThat'
ll be an awesome bow for ya,and an eye catcher.With it being elm you can heat treat the working limb some too but stay away from the knot with the heat gun.
There is a picture of a character bow somewhat like yours in the TBB4 page 205.It'll be a challenge to tiller but definitely doable.Take your time.
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Sorry I'm too late.You did'nt need to sinew it with the length you had but now you might need it.Still should make a bow for ya.Good luck.
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Just for everyones sake the bow is done just posting the process only way i got,, by phone. Tha ks though. Lol
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So after drying and waiting sanding scraping and bending we end up with this.
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Which then goes to this.
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Which in time goes to this.
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Belly
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i still think there is something very nasty about that knock hole.
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Back
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Still think your head is in the gutter.dimensions and all that other fun stuff will be added later, cause just posting what i have has worn me out..lol. thanks to Ink...Bowman53 ..PearlDrums..for help and encouragement.
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Sorry I forgot to look at your first post date that was in July.
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your welcome for all the reverse psychology lol
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Reverse psychology??????????
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i told him he couldnt do it and he should put it in the corner lol.
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Well I thought it was doable but would take patience and time.That might require it sitting it in the corner a while......LOL.
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The reverse psychology reference is that some thought the stave was too advanced for my experience level, which made me think "i will show you"! , so i busted my hump to build it..and actually made it happen , im nothing if not persistent!! Lol all in fun!
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That knot hole in the tip is unique.Besides it making a good bow for ya.What kind of elm was it?I'm finishing a winged elm here but not with near the character you got on yours.It's making me a fine shooter.
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Beadman i got the stave from Ink (hes on PA as well),, its either Slippery Elm , or, Siberian Elm,or both, apparently here in Texas they hybridize.. so there ya go one or the other or both...lol
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Ok so as promised here are the final dimensions :
n to n 51 3/8"
Knot nock 1 5/8" wide
Limb tapers to 1 1/4" before knot
2" midlimb
Handle is roughly 4" - 6" with tapers non wrking handle
To reduce handshock kept 1 1/4" width and 5/16" thickness
Had to get drastic to reduce knot nock weight though.
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Braced
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Belly
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Sinewed back
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Middle
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Top limb
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Close up of hollowed knot nock weight reduction.
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Knot nock
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Ended up 50# @ 24" which is slightly heavier but fine.
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The bow is kinda slow , but actually hammers very hard sends a heavy cane arrow 2' into center of a roundbale target ,,whisper quiet ,,slight but comforting handshock,, totally not what you would expect from such big heavy nock ends..i will be using this bow till it becomes a wall hanger..lol thanks for looking.
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Got to be the first nock I have seen where you can tie the string onto a loop!
Very well done with what you had.
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Well....that is...ummm....that's uh....., oh Hell, that's pretty damn cool actually! lol! I can honestly say that I have never seen a nock anywhere near to even close to that style! That's definitely thinking outside the box right there! Josh
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Took this bow to a 3D shoot last sunday...the wheelie guys and gals didnt know what to think one of em shot it and didnt think it would hit a 20 yrd target,when it did they were floored not to mention they wouldnt believe it was 50# till they pulled it..lol..some of the trad folks shot it and were shocked at how much stack this little bow had..and were shocked it would hit so hard at 20yrds with as mild handshock considering the nocks..all in all a very fun day.