Horn and sinew plains bow

[welch2]

I just weighed it .The second layer has been on a couple weeks ,so it can still loose a bit of weight yet. But right now it weighs 160 grams.

Ralph

[JackCrafty]

Interesting thread.  Nice work Ralph!

[welch2]

Thanks Patrick , I like your short bows a lot too. I have several domestic sheep horns ,and I really try to make a sheep horn bow soon . I think I may start one after this one .

Ralph

[ravenbeak]

very very cool,

how will you do final tiller?  by scraping horn?

jamie

[welch2]

Most guys heat the horn side ,and flex the limb to tiller . I try not to ,not sure why . I pre tiller both horn limbs ,before glueing together with the overlapping piece .Then I tiller the horn again as a complete horn only bow . So I figure the horn is right ,I don't want to remove any more horn after that . I think any tiller problems after starting sinewing ,have to be with my sinewing ....

After I get close to the weight I want , I may have to sand a little sinew or scape the horn a tad ,or heat and bend .(depending on unstrung ,strung ,and drawn profiles,, I try to keep them symmetrical ) But while I still have sinew to apply , I might as well apply it in a way that helps the tiller .(as log as the sinew doesn't get thicker in a spot than the same spot on the other limb)   At least that's the way I look at it. I may be wrong .

Ralph

[ravenbeak]

very interesting..

i am curious,  does heating the horn side and deflexing the limbs slightly not re liquify the hide glue holding the sinew?

[welch2]

Yes I think that's why it works .You can make a heated spot stiffer or weaker,in part ,by bending it in reflex or deflex . Then the glue resets .  I think James uses heat to tiller horn bows ,maybe he'll see this thread and respond . I know he can explain it way better than me.(he tried to explain it to me once ) I've only heated a couple limbs to weaken them a little. Heat and then flex repeatedly till it starts to cool .

Ralph

[Hillbilly]

That's looking great, Ralph-very interesting.

[welch2]

Thanks Steve .
I added a bit of sinew to both tips ,more to the horn tipped end ,which is now on the left of these pictures .











I'm not positive if I was pulling real even ,but it looks like the right side is weaker .I think I will make a string for it .Then check the tiller strung.

Ralph

[Timo]

Dang thang looks stout to me Ralph!  And as for the weak limb....The limb on your left side looks weaker to me?

[welch2]

    That's right my left ,photo's right. But it has the tiller shape I'm after .So I might have to scrape a little horn on the other horn near the handle.
    It is a little hard to pull ,out in front of me like that.

Ralph

[El Destructo]

                                          build a good Tiller Stick or Tiller tree....would be a lot safer too!!

[welch2]

Yepp ,a tree would be safer . I have never used one though ,and I don't think anyone had one in the teepee.
   But my best excuse for not having one ,is almost all of my bows bend in the handle a bit .And I feel that bend more than see it . In the few bows like this one I've made , I think it helps to feel the movement / flexing ,if any ,of the butt joint too .Feeling the movements around the handle joints ,lets me know if I need to sinew wrap the handle more before drawing the bow further.

Ralph

[welch2]

During the tillering ,I noticed a bit too much flexing in the handle . So I removed the sinew covering the butt joint ,and sure enough the reflexing pulled the joint apart .





So now I have to make a bone or ivory spacer .

Ralph

[JustAim]

Well that sucks, Ralph. But at least it hasnt broke on you. For putting in the spacer between the butt joints...can you use horn or does it have to be bone? l'm getting ready to make a turkish horn bow so l'm just trying to learn everything l can before l begin the process. Thanks and hope the bow turns out for you.