Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Puckaway on February 05, 2015, 01:45:33 pm
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I have a decent 68" hickory stave I pulled out of the pile and need to insight or pointers on layout options for this bow. I'd like to shoot for a 50#ish draw at my 26 inches. The stave is pretty clean. Please ignore my pencil lines. The stave is about 1 1/2" at the handle and narrows in a couple spots around 1 1/4 in a few places before mid limb. I'd assume that stiff handled bow would take too much set since the stave is so narrow already? My question is to you guys how would you make this bow given the dimensions I've listed so we end up decent hunting weight and acceptable string follow?
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Heat treat, heat treat, heat treat. Hickory loves the heat.
P.s. If you do a bend through the handle bow that would be considered on the wide side.
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I am just finishing up a hickory with the same width as yours. 66" 55# at 28" draw, still holding an inch of reflex, and I did not put more than 2.5-3" of reflex in. I gave it a good heat treat as Parnell said. 4" Stiff handle and 4" total fade.
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Personally I'd build a Cherokee style d bow thats what I'm seeing
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I like the hickory floor also. I did my entire 1st floor in hickory too.
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I have never heat treated hickory. I have a big stash I am thinking on working on. When you heat treat, do you add pine pitch or anything while cooling, or just toast?
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Somebody said it was on the wide side, how narrow should one go for a hickory bendy handle?
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Id say as little as 1 1/8 wide. i made one for Parnell thats probably 68 and a little over an inch wide and is 50@28. I like hickory,makes food taste good too!
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Hey Puck,
Keep it as wide as you can, at 68" long you should have plenty of hickory to do a stiff handle bow if that's what your wanting. If it 's anything like the hickory I'm working now you'll end up with a hunting weight bow for sure. Here is a pic of a stretched out Sudbury design I'm working on. the pic is just in process, but it might give you an idea. It is at its widest 1 5/8" with very long fades and I heat treated the belly. I'll posts some front profile pics when finish. Specs 55 @ 28... I'd say, just go for it.
DBar
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+1 Bubby
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So.. Should I stick with the full length and just taper from fades to around half inch nocks, or try to maintain 1 1/4 until mid limb and then taper to tips?
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Puck,
I would maintain 1 1/4" to mid limb an then taper to the tips. make sure your fades are smooth and graceful, no abrupt angles in the fades with hickory, or your chance some frets or crystals.
DBar
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I ended up with chrysals on my first hickory bow. I will do that.
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I'd narrow to the current narrowest width, the 1-1/4" you mentioned, and make a bendy handle. Then keep all the width you have until at LEAST 1/2 way out the limb, maybe only taper the last 1/3rd. Even with the narrow profile, your limb won't be very thick.
A Cherokee bow would work, but a modified Cherokee that narrows at the ends, or skinny flatbow makes the most sense.
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I think at this stage it would be good to produce a good shooter. Once you have a dozen or so bows under your belt then work on a particular design.
Puck, you've got enough hickory to make a bendy or stiff handle bow at your draw length. Do what you want and feel comfortable with.
DBar
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heres a hickory thats 58 tip to tip and is 65@27,and the limbs are 1 1/8 tapering to 3/8 at the tip and is bendy handle
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Auggie,
Looks to me like that handle isn't bending much unless you have a lot of reflex in the un braced state. Although good example ....that Puck has plenty of hickory to do what ever he wants......
DBar
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not much bend in the handle,lol just enough to feel :D
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Puck,
Get it bending some and post some pics....I'm sure you'll get plenty of help.....
DBar
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I did a little looking and I think I'm going to attempt a Sudbury style bow with this one. Wish me luck. I'll update as it progresses.
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Update: As I was reducing the limbs today I noticed a crack on the belly side of the stave ran all the way through to the back. I already had one limb tapered from mid limb to tip. So I lopped the thing off at 52" which was as long as I could get away with to avoid the crack. I wanted to just make a short bendy handle bow, but I already tapered one limb. I made the other limb match. The taper now starts 11" from the center to 1/2" nocks. I guess all I have left for this stave is a kids bow. Unless anyone has other ideas for this one. I can't believe I didn't nothice the crack sooner. Pics to follow.
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set happens, and then you do the best you can.
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Could always recurve and back it. Make it a sappy little shooter
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To bad on the crack. I was really wanting to see this one work for ya. Hope you have another to start. I am watching because I am kinda at the same place you are in bow making, I think. Keep on Keep'in on.
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here is its current status:
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Please ignore the old layout lines mixed with new. I have a bunch of deer leg sinew I could try on this project.. I'm planning on flipping the tips a bit and heat treating the belly. This will end up as a secondary project. I'm going to start an ash bow I think.
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OOPs! My mistake Puck. As soon as I saw the "flipping the tips and heat treating the belly" I you were light years ahead of me. Good luck with the ash bow.
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I'm not Chief. Still really green. I've been dabbling with bowmaking since I was a little kid. I've just recently began to get a little more serious. I love traditional archery, so this gives me another level of enjoyment. I now have a decent little supply of hickory, some black locust and ash squirreled away in the basement where I can screw up for a bit before I run out. I plan on cutting some elm and more hickory this spring. No osage here so I need to maintain a supply of wood to butcher.