Recurve Shooter's New Project

[islandpiper]

 A couple of weeks ago Recurve Shooter asked me to rough out a bow for him.  He wanted to complete it for a buddy who needs a bow so that they can shoot together.   So, I sawed out a hickory blank, sanded up the back, nice and smooth, thicknessed the blank and sawed the profile, sort of a pyramid with 5/8" tips and about 1 5/8" wide at the fades.   I glued on a nice Mahogany handle and roughed out the shape.   It is floor tillered but needs some TLC to make it into a bow.   

Recurve Shooter has made himself a tillering tree in his home shop.   He has his tools all lined up and ready to go. 

Now, we need all you experts out there to root for him, give him some support and LOTS OF FREE ADVICE.  He has a stick capable of being a good bow.....just needs to remove the wood that is in the way. 

OK, Trey........it's all yours.    Lets get some pictures up when you get 'er done. 

Piper

[Pat B]

Yeh, What Piper said, we need pics.    Pat

[Pappy]

Go get um,can't wait to see what you come up with.It is really simple,just take all the wood that ant a bow away and there you have it.simple hu. Keep us updated on the progess.
   Pappy

[DanaM]

Just remember its not a race so slow and easy is the way to git r done

[GregB]

Take it slow like Dana advised...watch your limb thickness after each scrapping session and make sure you're not thinning one side more then another...easy to do. Also work you limbs good after each scrapping session as well to make sure the wood accepts the change' you made, just don't ever pull past what you want your finished draw weight to be. Early on in the tillering when the bow still has lots of weight, you might stay on the low side (draw weight wise) of pulling the bow on the tillering tree to keep the stress to the limbs down, just pull enough to get a feel for where to remove wood.

My 2 cents worth...

[cowboy]

Lot's of picture's as ya go slow and easy .

[recurve shooter]

ok guys, thanx for the advice. i got it tillered properly, bending nice and easy at a wimpy 60 lbs at 28. i know it's heavy, dont jump on me, its for a powerlifter. he is a pritty strong feller and it aint nuthin for him, but the bow wont cooperate .

here are my problems so far.

1. while tillering i popped a splinter in te back. some artificial sinew fixed tha easily .
2. got it all finished up and ready to go and was gonna test soot it some, and on the 3rd shot the mohagany handle went "kapow!"
3. i hurryed to island pipers for a new handle, mohagany again, but with better grain. got that epoxeyed on and got it sanded down and ready, drew it and that one exploded to. the bow is fine, but the handle glue ons aint workin. so i layed it aside and went to my budies house without it.gonna go back to work on it monday. and advice besides the obvious. (lowering draw weight)

[George Tsoukalas]

There's info on my site. Jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/

[George Tsoukalas]

Handles pop off because the handle area is bending too much, the tillering was begun before handle glue up or because the glue joint is not good. I can describe how to dowel it if you want. Jawge

[islandpiper]

I'm guessing that the epoxy in the second glue up had not had a chance to cure fully.   It was ten minute epoxy, meaning it was firm in ten minutes......and hard in 24 hours or so.  I agree, the handle is flexing because the limbs of the bow are a bit too stiff yet.......i never would have made the limbs pull at 65 pounds, that has FORCED the handle to bend. 

I may end up cutting th handle area out completely, glueing the limbs back together with a handle overlay on the back and belly and having a bow that is 4 1/2" shorter overall. 

Or......I'll cut him a new stick and he can try it all again. 

It's a stick of wood.......not the end of the world either way.  We'll keep him tracking.   

Piper

[Jesse]

Put a thin lamination between the handle and the belly and groove all the glue surfaces deeply with a jigsaw blade or something. Should hold even if it bends a bit

[recurve shooter]

cool, we'll try it, thanx. what type of wood?

[Jesse]

Hickory works good. I think most hardwoods will work fine. Degrease well and use a strong epoxy or recorsinol gle. Tite bond wont work well with the grooved surface. More than one thin lamination is better.

[recurve shooter]

sounds cool. as soon as islandpiper reads it we'll see what we can do.

[Ian Johnson]

hey recurve shooter, let me know when your ready to do that small game hunt