Backing material question (UPDATE: Black widow bow pics attached)

[Kitsu]

I have some weed barrier, it appears to be VERY strong,

also... its already glued down i am hoping it will work, be light, and prevent anything from raising up on the back,

if noone knows how it works, i will soon, i will keep you posted, but i hope i get some more info before my glue dries,

also, it appears to be porous, allowing the glue to seep through somewhat, i do not know how this will affect it, but i know it will speed up the drying speed of the glue,

well, wish me luck

[hillbilly61]

Good luck and keep us posted. May be an interesting thing to try in the future. Is this the black barrier that you use around landscaping?

[Kitsu]

Good luck and keep us posted. May be an interesting thing to try in the future. Is this the black barrier that you use around landscaping?

yeah, it is, and it did dry VERY quick, its pretty porous, that's why... should be ready 100 percent to shoot tomorrow, since it was done last night before i went to bed,

i might be feeling gutsy enough to post some pics as it is now, its been almost 24 hours, and i wouldnt be able to peel it off at this point,  so, what do you guys say, should i post the black widow, or should i wait until tomorrow?

[n2huntn]

post!!!!!!

[adb]

Interesting. Did you make the bow?

[Kitsu]

Interesting. Did you make the bow?

yes, why?

i ended up loving the black and wanting to add some contrast so i sharpied on some red and put another thin layer of glue over it, (tbIII) i have a fresh bottle and the other one is almost gone and i wanted to use it up too,

this is made from a black maple stave, stained and waxed, (back was not waxed, just coated in shellac gently scraped it off) 

the overall result of this, is still very light, it was 28 lbs @ 26" before backing (i thought it was lighter while pulling it, but it apparently was 28) i am going to reweigh now that it is backed and see if this did anything, doubt it)

black maple is a subspecies of sugar maple just if anyone was wondering,

[adb]

Your bow has a very interesting tiller. When I'm tillering a bow, I try to get the entire limb bending and doing work, to spread the stress over the entire limb. A limb which is bending in one small area is called a hinge... something to avoid. A hinge will not bode well for longevity or cast. If the stress is focused in such a small area, the limb will eventually fail.
Your choice of backing material is certainly inovative. Garden fabric is certainly tough.

[Kitsu]

Your bow has a very interesting tiller. When I'm tillering a bow, I try to get the entire limb bending and doing work, to spread the stress over the entire limb. A limb which is bending in one small area is called a hinge... something to avoid. A hinge will not bode well for longevity or cast. If the stress is focused in such a small area, the limb will eventually fail.
Your choice of backing material is certainly inovative. Garden fabric is certainly tough.

yeah, i know i need to work on my tiller, its improving... slowly.

this bow was rushed, another reason why it looks sloppy, and the reason why the weight is low...

[Pat B]

Tillering is the most important part of bow building. Without that you only have a bent stick. When I began to limit my tools used in tillering to the one that removes the least amount of wood, ie. a scraper, my bent sticks became bows. DON'T get in a rush.  The results are rarely desirable.
 adb makes some good points here!

[aznboi3644]

Tiller looks hingy...I'd say it is gonna break soon...are there any chrysals on the limbs?

[Kitsu]

Tiller looks hingy...I'd say it is gonna break soon...are there any chrysals on the limbs?

no, luckily, i am going to just leave this as is, maybe shoot it a few times, rarely.   now that i at least have something i can comfortably pull back and shoot, i am going to aim for one that is good, if it takes me a month or more, so be it, i have time, and i do not feel the need to rush anymore  but having one get eaten by the band-saw, and another break from something stupid (slipped and broke), i really wanted something, i didn't care how it looked so long as it could launch an arrow, <---- desperate thinking

now is my time where i can feel comfortable building one, where the fun can begin, when i can start making some nice long curly shavings, and some big long chunky looking ones,

by the way, the tillering flaw became much more noticeable in the pictures, when it was on the tree it looked like it was bending almost perfect, i gotta find a way to improve upon it maybe make a tool to help, i read about one on here, i forgot where, and who makes it, or how to make it, oh well ill get looking

[gstoneberg]

Hawkeyes,

When I was learning to tiller I used to borrow friends to come and pull the bow for me so I could look at it from the side.  For some reason the only way I could see where to remove wood was to look at it while being drawn (by somebody else).  You might try that (but you'll have to show them how far to draw it).  In time you'll learn to see things on the tillering tree too.  Your bow has good points, I love your innovative backing and the limbs look to be bending the same.  Since it's pretty low draw weight it might last longer than you think.  You'll get better with each bow, that's how we all learned.  Keep on making them.

George

[Kitsu]

Hawkeyes,

When I was learning to tiller I used to borrow friends to come and pull the bow for me so I could look at it from the side.  For some reason the only way I could see where to remove wood was to look at it while being drawn (by somebody else).  You might try that (but you'll have to show them how far to draw it).  In time you'll learn to see things on the tillering tree too.  Your bow has good points, I love your innovative backing and the limbs look to be bending the same.  Since it's pretty low draw weight it might last longer than you think.  You'll get better with each bow, that's how we all learned.  Keep on making them.

George

thanks for the tip, i have a friend who really likes the bows i make, but he is not reliable, been trying for a while to get him to help, even was going to surprise him with this one, but he never came, so, you can figure what was done.

well, my next bow will be alot better, i wont rush, ill take breaks, and even if it takes me 2 months, or more, i am going to make sure its damn-near perfect

my opinion, any bowyer can transform a good piece of wood into a bow, but, the difference between the two, is how fast

a novice like myself needs time... and i plan on taking all the time i feel i need next time,

wish me the best, i am going to go long next time, i have two perfect 74 inch staves,  i might trade one off though, i am waiting for a response still,

still, i have had much better experiences with longer staves, which is what i became used to over time....

this is going to be a project i will be much more used to i will make this next bow my best, that is a promise,

[gstoneberg]

my opinion, any bowyer can transform a good piece of wood into a bow, but, the difference between the two, is how fast

You're right in that a novice needs more time.  One of the guys I learned from could take an osage stave and have a shooting bow in about 3 hours.  All he used was a chain saw, a draw knife and a power sander.  Very impressive.  But, I enjoy most of the process too much to rush it.  I confess to pushing through chasing a ring quickly.  But the tillering...that's what does it for me.  That's when a wood stick turns into  a bow.  Like enjoying a fine meal, I savor that part.  And, it's never good enough.  Like you say, the next bow will always be better, or prettier, or have more meaning.  It's what keeps us building.  So, you're certainly right.  Your next bow will be your best yet.

George

[Kitsu]

You're right in that a novice needs more time.  One of the guys I learned from could take an osage stave and have a shooting bow in about 3 hours.  All he used was a chain saw, a draw knife and a power sander.  Very impressive.  But, I enjoy most of the process too much to rush it.  I confess to pushing through chasing a ring quickly.  But the tillering...that's what does it for me.  That's when a wood stick turns into  a bow.  Like enjoying a fine meal, I savor that part.  And, it's never good enough.  Like you say, the next bow will always be better, or prettier, or have more meaning.  It's what keeps us building.  So, you're certainly right.  Your next bow will be your best yet.

George

holy crap, a chainsaw, thats askin for hell itself, thats too damn fast for my taste, i cant even use a belt sander properly ^.^,   to me, i can get shooters fast, but shooters arent always perfect, i rushed a vital stage, i know...

im headin to bed, after school i will work on the stave, thin it down some more,