Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Blaflair2 on April 21, 2015, 09:35:13 am
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What's everyone's method. Wish u had a bandsaw :0( is there an easier way than just rasping away forever?!?
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I use to use a ax, to really rough it in, then draw knife to get closer, then farriers rasp to get real close then files and scrapers from there to finished. took a little longer than a band saw but I never figured it to be a race anyway. ;)
Pappy
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I used to spend a lot of time with the drawknife reducing large staves down to near net shape. But lately I've been forcing myself to get more aggressive when splitting staves out so that I have as little material to remove as possible. This sometimes means I screw up and waste some wood, but it also means that sometimes I get more staves out of the same log than I would have if I'd have been more conservative. Its a give and take.
Anyway, Once I've split it down as far as I dare, I take to it with a drawknife and hatchet depending on the stave and my disposition at the time.
I've never liked the rasps I have, but I'll admit they are cheap and probably not made for heavy wood removal. If I invested in a better rasp, that might change my strategy.
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Except for the ax I do as Pappy does. Most of the grunt work was with the draw knife then a farriers rasp, then a #49 rasp then a scraper. I was soooo happy when I got my band saw. ;D
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If you are working with osage a draw knife will get a raw stave where you want it fairly quickly. You need to get a method going with it.
The method I use is to first just clean up all 4 sides of the stave. I chase a ring on the back and then I can see how the grain is running. I draw out my bow leaving extra room and take the sides down to match it. When I go to the belly of the bow I have found it faster if I roughly get it down to one ring and then take the wood off 1 ring at a time.
Using an axe fatigues my hands too quick, a draw knife doesn't seem to tire me out. It does take practice and the only way you can get practice is to put in the time it takes to become good with the draw knife. It only takes a minute or two to remove a belly ring. If you have 15 rings to remove it might take an hour or so. I would recommend you put the time in and learn the tool.
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I guess I mean the handle and fades more specifically, my Ferreira rasp has saw better days. Hammer and chisel?
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I have no problem roughing out the limb profile. Every time the handle drives me nuts.
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I have a big, old half round rasp that I use around the fades. Half round works better in curved areas that a flat rasp.
You can use a hammer and chisel but be careful. Get it just close and work the rest with a rasp.
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In the past i have made little kerfs maybe 3/4 of an inch apart with a hand saw, and then hacked with my cold steel bushman, it worked pretty good, and the kerfs keep any splits from running too far. The lighter weight of the knife is easier to keep from running too far into a fade area
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Around the handle/fade areas i use my Bellotta farriers rasp and an old half round Nicholson that i have, i can have that section ruffed out in 5-10 minutes
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I start by ripping laminations on the table saw, glue on a backing strip held on by spring clamps, rough it out with a bandsaw, true it up with a belt sander, and tiller it with a random orbital sander.
I onle use a hand tool if I can plug it in, and I LOVE it that way!
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I enjoy scraping on a bow, but since my bandsaw took a crap it's pretty much a pain lol
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No hand tool, but I think the tool I used most ("Used" because I've only ever really made one or two bows...) is a variable speed belt sander clamped upside-down to a table. When set on low speed, it makes for fairly accurate wood removal, and it's remarkable how quickly you can shape a handle with a fresh 36 grit belt... with 50-80 grit it makes a great tillering tool as long as you hold the bow square...
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i use the "Pappy" method,,, not that much slower than a band saw,, and easier for me not to make a mistake,, cause I have more time to evaluate the stave shape,, :)
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Machete all the way sometimes a hatchet I get more control with the machete though
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Here`s a really easy way of doing it all with a draw knife:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XyJ14yeEnI&list=PLF4715AC49E1F13CE
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That guy does great vidios. Somone should give him his own TV show.
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Hand axe first and then my drawknife are what I use. Jawge
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dang old bow villa there can almost reduce thickness on fast forward as fast Chicken Hawk in real time ;D great video
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Excellent videos by Clay Hayes. I watched them awhile ago.
Jawge
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From all the selfbow building videos out there, his are by far the easiest for beginners to understand. You should watch part 1 where he's chasing a ring- he explains the process very good and detailed. Only by watching his videos was I ably to understand ring chasing.
To bad he's not posting videos very often...
Why aren't any of you guys posting videos? The are very skilled bowyers here and if PA's goal is to "pass it on", youtube is a very good way to do it.
Just my humble thoughts...
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it would be counter productive for the site to direct people to leave and go to another one.
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I have a jig for cutting staves on my bandsaw ( yes, sometimes it cuts across the grain), but its much faster. Other than that, I use Pappy's method.
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it would be counter productive for the site to direct people to leave and go to another one.
I didn't mean that PA needs a youtube channel. I ment individual bowyers should post videos. Or maybe PA should have a video section here on the site.
Again, just my humble thoughts.... don't want to hyjack the thread.
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For handle and fades, I make a few saw cuts at the deepest spots to stop the splits, and then split it out with a chisel, definde the slopes with a sharp carving chisel, finally round it with a rasp. Matter of minutes that way.
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Machete. So much machete. People are afraid to watch me machete because they think I'm going to machete right through the stave.
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I'VE NEVER MADE A BOW OTHER THAN HAND TOOLS.
When your standing holding your bow cut out with a band saw,sanded down with a sander.
Can you say, I really put my heart and soul into this one.
What wrong with a little burt engery and sweat.
Or are we all in such good shape we don't need to burn a little engery.
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it would be counter productive for the site to direct people to leave and go to another one.
I didn't mean that PA needs a youtube channel. I ment individual bowyers should post videos. Or maybe PA should have a video section here on the site.
Again, just my humble thoughts.... don't want to hyjack the thread.
Other sites maintain libraries of videos and have a video player embedded right on the website. That could be a nice addition here.
But I also think a youtube channel would be more likely to direct traffic to this site than away from it. Its the first place many do-it-yourselfer's will go, and if they start watching videos with links to this site, they're most likely going to check it out. The internet is all about cross-promotion, and getting your links in as many places as possible. Introverted websites tend not to do as well from a revenue standpoint.
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Crooktarrow i put everything into every bow, arrow, quiver or knapping everytime power tools or not, sit in judgement all ya want you do things your way I'll do mine my way
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I have ruined one to many bows with the band saw. I use a hatchet and draw knife to rough out the bow and then the belt sander for the dips a fades.
As far as only hand tools and power tools being sacrilegious.... I say to each his own.
Mark