Girlfriends bow

[bucksbuoy]

This origionally started out as my attempt at a Leni Lenape style bow. Been hearing about the greatness of the lenape bows since I was a kid, so I had to give it a shot. 48" NTN yellow birch. pulling 60# at 26. Shot arrows like bullets but didnt feel very durable so back on the bench it went for a partial rawhide backing, rawhide tip overlays, rawhide stacked handle, and I tillered it down to a safe 30# at 26 for the girlfriend to play with. Now I have an archery partner  You can pull this thing to Abu Dhabi. I get it to my normal 30" draw without a squeak, creak, or a pop. Im new to bow building but Ive been an avid archer since I was 12, Im 27 now, so... wow, 15 years! Sounds like an affliction. Any hoo. This yellow birch feels fantasic and I highly recommend it if you can get your hands on some. It is fast and flexible. Period. I would like to thank everyone who helped me along the way. You know who you are! Thanks everybody!!!

[Lombard]

Wild looking bends, wouldn't have thought Birch would like that. I've only used Birch for arrows so far.

[George Tsoukalas]

I would not yank that back too far on a consistent basis. The only place it is bending is in the handle. Jawge

[bucksbuoy]

Its a bad picture. it came out of a gnarly stave that had a bit of twist to it making the limbs look thicker then they really are. It bends pretty evenly throughtout. just doesnt look like it because of the character of the stave and the bad lighting in the picture.

[bucksbuoy]

Guess I should clarify my intentions a little. Ive always heard that the Leni Lenape aka Delaware natives of my area shot yellow birch bows 48" long, an inch wide all the way to the tips, with 100# draw weights at an excess of 100 yards. No one knows if this is true but the Quakers docummented it this way. Quakers arent notorious for exaggeration so Im inclined to beleive it. They were supposed to be bend throught the handle, with a uniform belly to back thickness. Its said that their bows were fragile and they just shot them until they broke and made another one. Leni Lenape translates to "real men" by the way. This bow was intended to be more of a historical experiment, just to see if any of this was even possible. Like I said I got it to 60# at 26". I Broke a 140# hemp string with it. Honestly I think 100# would be possible with wood from a better, more mature tree. I made alot of mistakes with this bow but if you aint making mistakes, you aint tryin hard enough I say. My next bow will be a polar opposite to this. Going for a 72" maple board bow. Again Ill be making this as heavy as possible and probably backing it with rawhide. keep your eyes peeled!
Thanks again
Jason

[adb]

WHOA! I think your bow might not last too long. It's short, and doing all it's bending right at the fades. The limbs are completely stiff, and aren't doing any work at all. I actually can't believe it hasn't broken already. I'll bet it's taken a bunch of set? It is certainly bending through the handle, but next time, try and get more of the rest of the limbs involved.

[medicinewheel]

As adb says!

[bucksbuoy]

Honestly I thought it would break too. Like I said it was an experiment based on historic specifications. Oddly enough it did not break. Infact it shoots nice with almost no hand shock. The pic is a little dramatic because Im pulling it to like 29" to demonstate the insane bending ability of this yellow birch (I cant take credit for it, its the wood) but its actually tillered for a 20" draw which barely bends the limbs beyond brace height. Keep in mind this is a D bow. Its supposed to bend through the handle more then any were else.

[Cameroo]

Honestly I thought it would break too. Like I said it was an experiment based on historic specifications. Oddly enough it did not break. Infact it shoots nice with almost no hand shock. The pic is a little dramatic because Im pulling it to like 29" to demonstate the insane bending ability of this yellow birch (I cant take credit for it, its the wood) but its actually tillered for a 20" draw which barely bends the limbs beyond brace height. Keep in mind this is a D bow. Its supposed to bend through the handle more then any were else.

I've never seen a D bow bend like that! Looks like a V bow 

I don't want to bust your balls, but any time you draw a wood bow 9 inches past the intended owners draw length, you are damaging the wood cells on the belly which will hurt the bow's performance.  The end draw length and weight should be determined before you even start the tillering, and should never be exceeded, or you will have excessive set which will rob you of cast.  ...or so I've been told 

[adb]

bucksbuoy,
You've been given some great advice... if it was me, I'd go with it. 

[Sparrow]

Wow ! Dramatic   Experimentation is what makes the world go round. Hope your girlfriend likes it.  '  Frank

[George Tsoukalas]

I don't want to dwell on this but bending in the handle is fine. Built plenty that do but when the only place it bends is in the handle that can create problems. One that comes to mind is the bow will kick like a mule. Jawge

[bucksbuoy]

If my girl friend shoots this one time Ill be happy. Shes not what you would call outdoorsy. If it breaks or takes a nasty set, Im not gonna cry.  Im just glad I made something that shoots arrows. My last bow ended up being a perch for my pet python to climb on. Ive been hearing about bows like this for as long as I can remember and just needed to try it. I knew it would have radical bends and essentialy be disposable. Like Ive said before, if all I wanted was a nice, reliable, bow, I would buy one. Im playing and experimenting so I can find what works best for me. I like the bend through the handle bows and wanted to push it to the extreme to see how it felt (it feels nice  )And guys, come on. I post on this sight because I WANT to hear your criticisms. I appreciate your opinions.

[sailordad]

Im gonna have to agree with the majority on how that bends
I give ya credit for the effort
But if you truly like that girl ya got
Personaly i wouldnt let her shoot that thing just for her safety and well being

[JW_Halverson]

My last bow ended up being a perch for my pet python to climb on.

I just snorted soda pop out my nose reading that!!!  I have a hickory bow limb in an aviary for my Senegal Coucal to perch on! 

See?  All great minds think alike.   Oh yeah, and all fools fail in similar fashion.