Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: txdm on April 29, 2017, 11:06:56 am

Title: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: txdm on April 29, 2017, 11:06:56 am
After my previous lesson on abrupt handles, I've made this one with more fade length and a full-width handle billet. The board has perfect grain with no twist.

I've got it down to the last 5 or so pounds to reach my desired draw weight, and I'm looking for recommendations on what part of the limbs to remove it from.

Braced:
(http://www.dmcknight.net/forumpics/bowyer/5/braced.jpg)

Draw:
(http://www.dmcknight.net/forumpics/bowyer/5/draw.jpg)

PS, I'm planning to put in a single back board for my tiller setup, that shadow on the right side back board is annoying.
Thanks for looking!
Title: Re: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: Mo_coon-catcher on April 29, 2017, 11:18:02 am
What's the front profile look like? Is it a pyramid, tapering straight out of the fades? Or does it have a parrallel section for a length of the limbs?
If it's a pyramid the left limb looks good to me though is bending a bit hard at the fades. and the right limb is pretty flat mid limb. If it had parrallel sides, then it's bending too much in the first 6" of so of te fades. And the flat spot in the right limb is still there.

Kyle
Title: Re: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: BowEd on April 29, 2017, 11:18:22 am
Handle looks good.Nice tillering set up too.I'd take the last few pounds from your outer limb thirds.It's bending at the moment rather sharply from the fades a tad.Especially your right limb at the fade.
Title: Re: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: jeffp51 on April 29, 2017, 11:22:07 am
too me it looks like you need to start at about your first pencil line on your backboards, and continue to two or three inches or so past the second pencil line.  the mid limbs onward look really stiff, but the tips should stay a little stiff
Title: Re: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: Pat B on April 29, 2017, 11:39:25 am
I'd say to get the mid to outer limbs bending more and stay away from the fades. They are bending a bit too much.
Title: Re: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: txdm on April 29, 2017, 11:57:22 am
Thanks for the help everyone!

The profile is parallel at 1.75" from the fades out to the last third, then tapers to 1/2 at the tips.

I'll work on the mid-to-outer sections and even it up. I'll ask later on about how much I can get away with removing at the tips to make them lighter.

Title: Re: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: Pat B on April 29, 2017, 12:57:53 pm
Yourb tips look thick enough so you should be able to narrow them down to at least 3/8" at the string grooves.
Title: Re: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: bubby on April 29, 2017, 03:37:36 pm
I agree with Patb, too much fade bend get the mids and outers moving
Title: Re: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: bushboy on April 29, 2017, 05:39:03 pm
Agreed!unbrace it and sight down the limbs.the areas working to much will show set and vise versa.
Title: Re: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: txdm on April 29, 2017, 07:51:53 pm
I did some more tillering and heat treated it today:
(http://www.dmcknight.net/forumpics/bowyer/5/draw2.jpg)

It ended up right at 45# at 26", which was the upper end of my goal draw weight.

Also got the handle started.
(http://www.dmcknight.net/forumpics/bowyer/5/handle.jpg)

It's still a bit boxy, how much can I get away with rounding off the belly side of the handle?

The reason I try to wait as long as possible to make the handle is because it's too hard to resist shooting, and boy does this one shoot great.

(http://www.dmcknight.net/forumpics/bowyer/5/resting.jpg)

After all this tillering in on a humid day and 50 test arrows, it was showing about 2" of follow and it settled back to 1-1/2" of set. That's probably unacceptable to some, but I can live with it for now. I'm mostly glad to have a nice 40-plus shooter to play with.
Title: Re: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: bushboy on April 29, 2017, 08:05:07 pm
Nice work!unfortunately you have a nasty hinge on the right!
Title: Re: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: selfbow joe on April 29, 2017, 10:45:33 pm
Nice work.  It looks good.
Title: Re: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: jeffp51 on April 30, 2017, 01:01:01 am
you can and should round off the handle and fades quite a bit more.  give the wood a chance to fit your hand, then it will by YOUR bow.  Those mid limbs look like they could use a little more bending, but it looks much better.
Title: Re: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: bjrogg on April 30, 2017, 07:33:49 am
Glad you got a shooter txdm, as said looks better but still bending a bit to much at right fade. Have fun shooting this one and start another. Great to see improvements.
Bjrogg
Title: Re: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: txdm on April 30, 2017, 09:05:37 am
Nice work!unfortunately you have a nasty hinge on the right!

Glad you got a shooter txdm, as said looks better but still bending a bit to much at right fade. Have fun shooting this one and start another. Great to see improvements.
Bjrogg

I worked quite a bit on the right side then realized when I flipped the bow around it looked like the other side was hinged. I need to get my lighting centered before I do any more on it.

The set dropped down to .75" overnight!
Title: Re: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: Benedikt on April 30, 2017, 09:09:12 am
You should still try to let the outer limbs bend  more when building your next bow. It reduces handshock and makes your bow shoot alot smoother.

Nonetheless, turned out nice  ;)
Title: Re: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: Mo_coon-catcher on April 30, 2017, 09:21:06 am
A little trick to seeing the bend is to shut down the length of the bow and follow te curve. You want just a little angle so you can see the entire limb at once. With a little practice the flatter spots and harder bending spots are very obvious. It even works wth pictures just not wuite as easy. I'm using my phone so I just zoom in to get a full screen image and rotate my phone instead of the bow. Doing this you can see that there is a tighter curve in the first 1/4 of te limb than the rest.
With this front profile you want to see the curve start gentle at the fades,  and increase on sharpness till midlimb before slowly loosening the radius into the last 6" having only the faintest inkling of flex.

But in all its a nice bow thatll work well. Shoot it until you wear it out or it wears you out, then Make another.

Kyle
Title: Re: Hickory Board Bow - where should I remove the last few pounds?
Post by: txdm on April 30, 2017, 09:31:13 am
You should still try to let the outer limbs bend  more when building your next bow. It reduces handshock and makes your bow shoot alot smoother.

Nonetheless, turned out nice  ;)

Thanks! Once I get my lighting straight and some white paper on my tillering backboard, I'm going to take another 4 or so lbs off this bow in the mid and outer limbs then temper it again. As long as it ends up 40-45# at 26" it will be right for my kit.

I built another bow a while back that was a shooter at 35# and it suffered from the other extreme-- too much bendy at the ends. All a learning process.