Osage Short Bow - 46" ntn (Finished w/ Pics)

[blackhawk]

How much and where you put the reflex is up to you. Id say put an inch or two in as you'll gain around an inch from the sinew drying. Do you have pics yet of the front and side profiles?

[Lee Slikkers]

OK, sounds good on the reflex then.  I still haven't found my fricken camera, it may be gone for good if it is in the field I think it is...

I had a good weekend though, while visiting my brother up in TC I cut 2 small (4"-5") diameter Slippery Elms, 2 nice Dogwoods (honest, these ARE Dogwoods for sure) Just got in from debarking and shellacing them.

[mikekeswick]

Hide glue is the way to go. Personally i'd go for at least 6 inches of reflex by reverse bracing., but if you're not used to doing this sort of thing a couple inches will work just fine and make tillering a lot easier.
Make sure your bow has good tiller before sinewing, weigh the sinew for each limb, place on evenly and the tiller will be the same after it's cured.
Knowing this will mean that you know you can brace it at a low height after curing without risking any belly wood damage.
Stringing highly reflexed bows for the first time can be a fun experience...watch your fingers under the string on the grip....

[Lee Slikkers]

Hey Mike, thank you  very much for all the little details and help on this...I have her all rounded and am going to heat bend the limb reflex in later this afternoon.  I have a bunch of sinew coming in the mail from Moscow Hide & Fur later this week and I need to pick up a double burner plate so I can reduce down some rawhide chucks, sinew scraps, fish bladders and some Knox.  Need to comb out the sinew as well.  This project has really caught my imagination and I am really enjoying this new build aspect so far.

Hopefully I can relocate my camera or buy a new one soon so I can start posting pics again...it's pretty boring to have a thread with only words and nothing visual to share.

Cheers!

[Lee Slikkers]

Well here are a couple progress pics...I had to retiller her a bit since I snapped these and I lost a bunch of weight so I am headed back to the Sinew board for 2 layers to see if I can remedy the issue.  She had been pulling #65 @ 25" and she is 46" ntn







When I am done adding the additional sinew I'd like to cover the sinew with deer rawhide...with this add any weight to the draw or just protect for the sinew?

Thanks for looking!

[JonW]

I could be the angle of the pic, but it looks like the lower limb is a little flat @ midlimb. I like the bow real well though Lee.

[hawkshaman]

That is coming along nicely.

John

[JW_Halverson]

The rawhide will protect the sinew and hide glue from taking up ambient moisture....to some degree.  It will not add any appreciable speed to the bow, in fact, it might detract a fraction of a foot per second in extra limb weight if anything. 

Nice little shorty....now paint it with male kestrel colors and you are done!

[MWirwicki]

Lee:  A little late on my post but I use a jig like the picture and pull it down about an inch for that length bow.  Also, if you need some hide glue, let me know.  I've got some I can spare.

[Lee Slikkers]

Thanks guys

@Jon, yeah that stiff limb is why I decided to retiller it after the pictures and how I lost my weight.  I need to comb out a bunch more sinew and add 2 more layers in hopes it will get back a lot of it's poundage.

@JW...that is a good idea on the decorations!  Not sure I will add the rawhide then as I want every bit of speed I can get with this bow.

@ Matt, that jig is a good idea!  I actually heat treated the limbs and had them in reflex so that it almost looked like the limbs you see on a horn bow prior to opening them up.  I actually could use more hide glue, what do you have to get for it?

[Lee Slikkers]

Hey guys, quick update and maybe some pics tomorrow.  Ok, I have 2 layers of sinew on her and have her tiller evened out much better now...she is also pulling #46 @ 26" so I am just wondering how much further I can push the draw length and/or weight on her.  I'd like to get another 8-10 more # out of her if possible.

Thanks!

[MWirwicki]

Lee:  Sinew does work wonders for sure!  For 8-10 lbs. you're gonna need to pull it back another 3-4 inches.  When you draw it 26" what is your string angle?  You're probably getting close, if not at 90 degrees.  You don't want to risk the string pulling off the end of a limb.  I think that I would stop at the 26" and be happy with it.

[Lee Slikkers]

Thanks Matt...I could be happy with 26", I was more thinking about adding an additional layer of sinew to try and increase the draw weight a bit more, even if I got 5 more pounds I'd feel a lot better about the build.

I don't know what the string angle is as I can't see it well when I'm drawing it but I'll have one of my boys shoot a pic or two of it tomorrow so I can see it and make sure it wasn't getting to crazy on the angle.

[blackhawk]

For me personally id be happy with that weight. 5 more lbs isn't gonna make much of a difference. I like to have my short bows a lower poundage anyways. Its tough to shoot consistently accurate with a high poundage shorty. But that's just my personal preference and opinion. Id detail her up and slap a finish on her and call it done. It might gain a couple lbs in the drier cooler months too.

[criveraville]

Thats a great looking bow there Corn Flakes