1st attempt at a static vine maple

[Ed Brooks]

I went at this piece of wood thinking just do. Now that I have some time in it, I don't want to mess it up  any more than I have. It's 55" ttt, 8" statics 3/8" wide to the fade, two inch fades, 14" working limbs 1 1/4" wide, 4" handle, so far. I started with a wider profile and well messed up trying to split extra off the static made it too far off to one side(changed my back profile) my limbs are twisted off to the sides each going opposite directions about a 1/4 turn. I'm thinking I should be able to heat and straiten them out. I have not got this to floor tiller yet, I want to scrap it down a bit more to even up the limb thickness before I start trying to bend them.
1st off do my stats sound ok for a 45/50# bow?
2nd heating the limbs to move them, dry heat, oil on wood and dry heat or steam?
3rd, should I heat now and try to bend them or get them working?                                                                                                                         4th, anything I have not asked that you think I should have asked?
Thank you for you looking. Ed

[BOWMAN53]

OMG SAUSAGE FINGERS lol

[Ed Brooks]

OMG SAUSAGE FINGERS lol

dang phone camera. it looked really bad before I cropped and resized it. LOL

[Bogaman]

I got one that looks about like that. Got bit off in a bar fight in my younger days. Wasn't gonna say anything cause I thought maybe that was how your finger really looked;^)

[wizardgoat]

vine maple bends well with steam, but get it to floor tiller thickness and it'll go easier.
draw weight is easy with vine, but what draw length are you going for? thats pretty short for a stiff handled bow

[aaron]

What draw length are you going for?
If you're shooting for 25 inches or more i don't think it will survive. At only 55 inches, I would have made a bendy handle bow that works all the way to the tips. this would give you 26 inches of working limb. Generally you can draw a bow about as far as the length of each working limb. your 14 inch limbs would draw 14 inches. VM is a good wood, known to tolerate overdraw, but you are asking alot of that stave. Also, it's quite narrow for that design.

[Trapper Rob]

Can't wait to see it finished Ed.

[Gordon]

Vine maple is good bow wood, but you are asking a lot with that design. Good luck.

[zenart]

Gordon- I read a post, can't find it now, you maybe had intention to make a Vine Maple BA.. did that happen? I can't find via search. Thnx- Ron

[huisme]

What draw length are you going for?
If you're shooting for 25 inches or more i don't think it will survive. At only 55 inches, I would have made a bendy handle bow that works all the way to the tips. this would give you 26 inches of working limb. Generally you can draw a bow about as far as the length of each working limb. your 14 inch limbs would draw 14 inches. VM is a good wood, known to tolerate overdraw, but you are asking alot of that stave. Also, it's quite narrow for that design.

+1, something like this build along I did would work great for vine maple: http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,43738.0.html

Add ten inches and you've got a good chance

[blackhawk]

What draw length are you going for?
If you're shooting for 25 inches or more i don't think it will survive. At only 55 inches, I would have made a bendy handle bow that works all the way to the tips. this would give you 26 inches of working limb. Generally you can draw a bow about as far as the length of each working limb. your 14 inch limbs would draw 14 inches. VM is a good wood, known to tolerate overdraw, but you are asking alot of that stave. Also, it's quite narrow for that design.

You can easily make a bow with only 14" of working limb and have it drawing 26"...I've made oodles of bows like this,and with a hair less working limb length and at 28" of draw....the way to do it is to just make the working limbs wider..generally you want as much total limb length as a draw length and not just working limb length...but that's not set in stone either(horn/sinewed bows come to mind).....

But back to the ops problem I don't think he has enough wood there for what he wants either...Ed if you made the working limbs wider you prob could've had a chance....it looks like you have enough room to get the handle bending ,AND what was supposed to be static tips...make both those bend and you have a decent chance IMO .