West Coast Bows / Paddle Bows

[Lee Slikkers]

Hey gang, I am starting a west coast style paddle bow, 44" modeled after the one in the TBB1 page 176.  The wood I have selected is a local Sassafrass I cut down in January, it is bone dry and I have the bow laid out, cut to profile and I induced some mild reflex in through the handle/mid-limb area and hope to steam bend and flip the tips.  My question is one of tillering...these are short, stiff bows and since it is Sass I want to make sure it survives so I am going to be rawhide backing it.  Should I back it now before I do an tillering work or wait until I have it on a short string and close the correct profile.  I am worried the Sass will take set during the tillering if I don't back it prior but since I also want to steam/flip the tips and in sort of a catch 22.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[JW_Halverson]

Adding the rawhide backing after getting the profile and flipping the tips should be fine.  If you put on the rawhide before flipping the tips you may risk having the rawhide release if you use Titebond or other PVA glues. 

[Lee Slikkers]

So I should flip the tips now prior to any tillering?

[Cameroo]

Lee, in my limited experience, I think that rawhide does little to add weight to a bow, or help reduce set.  I see it as more of a "safety" feature, to keep bows with less-than-ideal grain from exploding if a splinter lifts.  I'm pretty sure that if your bow is going to take set, it won't make much difference if it's backed with rawhide or not. 

You might want to consider a sinew backing instead. Just a thought...

[blackhawk]

I hate it when people reference a certain topic or item in the TBB series. Cus I end up grabbing mine and looking It up n then I find myself lost in it and it ends up being an hour later when I finally put it back down..... thanks Lee


So your building a hupa paddle bow with sass. Wow...that's a tough one bud..and without sinew. Not sure and don't qoute me but it might need to be almost 3 1/2"-4" wide out at the widest point of the paddles. Why not splice a couple canoe paddles and make a bow out of that 


Good luck

[Lee Slikkers]

Thanks guys...

Hey Chris, it's more of a use what wood (cured) you have...  Heck, I've broken a few so what's one more    This one is already cut out and is the one on the left side of that page, not as wide as the one on the right hand side.  Guess I'll just play around with it, certainly learn a ton when things go wrong, and see where it takes me.  I think I will boil the tips so I can flip em and then back it with rawhide.  I know it won't add any draw weight but it may possible hold it together for a shorter draw length.