11
Bows / Re: Hopefully Worth the Effort
« Last post by Pappy on Today at 09:36:56 am »Nice job, I see no reason that won't work as long as you keep it from bending in the handle. Nice approach. 
Pappy
Pappy
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12
Bows / Re: Fire Hardening
« Last post by Chumash on Today at 07:51:54 am »In my opinion, fire hardening and heat treating are the same thing, just the intensity is different.
When wood is formed by using dry heat, the same thing happens in the cells as if the wood is just exposed to heat...
When wood is formed by using dry heat, the same thing happens in the cells as if the wood is just exposed to heat...
14
Bows / Re: Top Nocks
« Last post by Tuomo on Today at 03:01:03 am »I make side grooves every time. I think they look better aesthetically, but the more important reason is durability. With only a top groove, the nock overlay can split—and that has happened to me too many times. So a long, shallow nock overlay with side grooves is my choice.
Of course, for flight bows—where speed matters—I use only a top nock or other mass optimized solution.
Of course, for flight bows—where speed matters—I use only a top nock or other mass optimized solution.
15
Arrows / Re: arrow spine
« Last post by Tuomo on Today at 02:54:39 am »A cut-in window has no effect on the optimal spine of the arrow. You can verify this with a bare-shaft test if you don’t believe it. However, the cut-in window does make arrows less sensitive to spine variation. With a cut-in window, tuning and shooting become easier because the arrows are less affected by spine variation, release inconsistencies, or other tuning issues. The wider the handle, the more sensitive everything becomes.
My point is that if the optimal static spine is, for example, 42#, it remains the same regardless of the handle width. But with a wide-handle bow, a 44# bare-shaft arrow may fly to the left (for a right-handed shooter), while with a cut-in window the same arrow may still fly straight.
Regarding the “correct” spine, it’s more of a statistical issue. I can shoot accurately with normal, fletched arrows even when the spine variation within the set is 10–15#. But arrows that don’t have the optimal spine will occasionally fly farther left or right. Over the long term, statistically, the arrows with the correct spine will land in the center most consistently. Again, it comes down to sensitivity to various factors (spine, bow, archer, etc.).
My point is that if the optimal static spine is, for example, 42#, it remains the same regardless of the handle width. But with a wide-handle bow, a 44# bare-shaft arrow may fly to the left (for a right-handed shooter), while with a cut-in window the same arrow may still fly straight.
Regarding the “correct” spine, it’s more of a statistical issue. I can shoot accurately with normal, fletched arrows even when the spine variation within the set is 10–15#. But arrows that don’t have the optimal spine will occasionally fly farther left or right. Over the long term, statistically, the arrows with the correct spine will land in the center most consistently. Again, it comes down to sensitivity to various factors (spine, bow, archer, etc.).
16
Bows / Re: Hopefully Worth the Effort
« Last post by sleek on November 23, 2025, 11:32:14 pm »That... is interesting. I an very curious how it will turn out. I haven't seen that approach before. Points for uniqueness.
17
Arrows / Re: Quiver, by request
« Last post by sleek on November 23, 2025, 11:20:19 pm »Hey man thats super cool and well done! If you could so a build along, that would be great! And to ad, compmete buildalongs get you an entry into the end of year giveaway incase you didnt know.
18
Bows / Hopefully Worth the Effort
« Last post by Burnsie on November 23, 2025, 11:18:28 pm »The curve/swoop in this handle was making tillering almost impossible, it created a big hump right out of the fade. I decided to do some surgery. It's pretty straight now, we'll see if it turns into a bow.
19
Bows / Re: Osage Selfbow
« Last post by bentstick54 on November 23, 2025, 10:57:39 pm »Thanks JW,
Bob, this bow is actually out of a different tree than those second- string staves. I was ready for a break from the challenging ones. This stave took very little heat corrections, had decent ring ratio, and very few small knots. That’s why I decided to expand my knowledge and try flipping the tips. I’m very happy with the way it turned out.
I shot it 50 or 60 times here and there, as much as my hand would take, and seemed to be pretty dead in the hand and smooth. But I didn’t trust my release much, so I took it over to a friends and had him shoot it, and he thought it shoot and felt great to.
Bob, this bow is actually out of a different tree than those second- string staves. I was ready for a break from the challenging ones. This stave took very little heat corrections, had decent ring ratio, and very few small knots. That’s why I decided to expand my knowledge and try flipping the tips. I’m very happy with the way it turned out.
I shot it 50 or 60 times here and there, as much as my hand would take, and seemed to be pretty dead in the hand and smooth. But I didn’t trust my release much, so I took it over to a friends and had him shoot it, and he thought it shoot and felt great to.
20
Arrows / Re: Quiver, by request
« Last post by JW_Halverson on November 23, 2025, 10:18:27 pm »Here are some photos of a couple of woven quivers.
The first is made of umbrella sedge (papyrus sp.) harvested in south carolina. 25 inches long by 3.5 inches in diameter. Stiffened with a length of meadowsweet. Comfortably holds a dozen arrows.
The second is made of black ash harvested in vermont. The weavers were split in half which make them pretty smooth. 24" by 4 an 1/4. Holds 18+ arrows.
That's just beautiful in the way something very simple and plain can be. I'd love to sit down with you over a weekend and make a few with you just for the experience!