Trade Bow Saga 2012 (pic heavy)

[randman]

Since I am still late on this trade bow thing and my guy is probably goin "Where the Bleep is my Bleepin' bow", I guess Randman's Got some "splainin" to do. As a way of splainin my pathetic excuse (not starting soon enough, extended illness and bad luck [or inexperience] in the building process), I'm posting this story of a trade bow that got off track a couple of times through the process and a sort of a "finish along" so my guy can see I'm really am doing something and I haven't forgotten him. And y'all can give me some advice in case I get into trouble again along the way.

It all started with this nice piece of vine maple harvested on the East Side of the Cascade Mts. near Snoqualmie Pass Last summer. Peeled the bark and roughed it out with my hewing hatchet while sitting around the campfire, brought it home to sit in the rough bow pile till this spring when I set about to finish it. Driving this choice was I wanted to give my guy something from the NW that he doesn't have in his area (he's not from the NW - that's a clue). So the choice was let's see what do I have in the roughed out bow pile.....yew?...Ocean Spray?....Pacific Dogwood?......Vine Maple? .I got just the thing.
Has lots of character as well as a nice natural deflex-reflex (or is that reflex-deflex?). 63" ntn, 1 3/4" w at the fades to 1/2" tips. Has an even S shape to it from the back profile view. The sideways S also makes it center shot.

[randman]

This thing has enough character to make it a tricky one to tiller. Humps and bumps and a wierd deflex off the handle on one side. Used my special Randman's tiller marking gauge / gizmo to make a line a consistent distance from the back of the bow for thickness. The dowel follower follows a wavy back perfectly. my adjustment on this thing is - the wedge on one side of the pencil and it's 1/2" and wedge on the other side of the pencil for 5/8. For most of the woods I work with, either of those thicknesses will work. 5/8 for the thick side of the taper and 1/2" for the thinner end of the taper. The line is just a guide so I know when I've gone too far (if the line's gone away, I've gone too far). This thing is nothing new in the wood worker realm, just adapted for this use. Some of you guys out there could probably come up with a beautiful way to improve this thing with screw adjusters and tighteners and stuff but this works great for what I use it for (It's good enough for the girls I go out with as my grandpa used to say - and I always wondered what grandma would think if she heard him say that )
Anyways, it is called "Primitive" Archer.

[randman]

She was a tough one to get a string on but I got her braced and worked into pulling pretty good. Got the typical deflex-reflex (or is it reflex deflex?) tiller with the straight looking limbs at brace and partial draw. It looks like it has a slight hingy spot on the left limb at full draw but I can't see it in other shots so it might be a dark shadow or something in the toasted area (did I mention I toasted the belly good?)

[randman]

UNFORTUNATELY, This thing was a bit under weight so I started looking for a new candidate that will work with the specs my guy needed. I settled on this nice little dogwood that started out with a natural recurve on one end. I put a matching recurve on the other end. The thing had a sort of natural deflex on one side of the handle so I heated it up to take out part of that. Was only partially successful on that but it was a little better. Got this thing pulling pretty good. Weight was right where it should be. Shot it in real good before before the finish went on and she was a great shooter. Fast.

[randman]

I had seen some posts by my trade bow guy that made me think he was a great guy and I wanted to send him something special in addition to the bow I was making so I though I would also send him a little ocean spray bow I had made and shot quite a bit just to proselytize about the wonders of ocean spray and give him a taste of some of the great stuff we have to work with in the NW. It wasn't exactly to his specs but it was close enough I figured he would have fun with it. It's got a cedar bark wrapped handle (I'm planning to use that on the finished bow also) and a very snappy little shooter. Really spits out the arrows.

[randman]

Right about this time is when I got knocked down by some unplanned and unforeseen health issues that put me out of action for about three weeks and made it difficult to do anything for a spell. In that time I decide to put a rawhide back on it because I really wanted this bow to be durable for this guy. Used the Dean Torges method and it worked beautiful. My first rawhide backing and it came out great. More sickness.......Ok now I'm late, I'll get some dye and finish in this thing. Rit dye and alcohol.
I haven't yet put a final finish on any of my bows. Usually leave the unfinished and just shoot them but having been a sign painter for almost 40 years and able to do all kinds of specialty finishes, I should be able to handel that right?. Man, you guys make the rit dye blend from one color to another look easy but I found it isn't as easy as it sounds or looks. But I managed. Found some spray poly at the woodworkers store. Said fast dry on it. Sprayed a good finish coat on it and hung it up to dry. Next day, still sticky. Day after that, some parts are still sticky. Anyone have any problems with poly drying on top of either rawhide or Rit dye with alcohol? Don't really know what was going on with that but now I'm really late. a week after the deadline. Got to put a grip on this thing and get it shipped out. It's finally dry.

[randman]

Now I put the string on it and shoot it a bit before I put a grip on it to get the placement right. Put it on the tree to weigh it one more time before I sign it and noticed it had dropped weight. Got to inspecting it and discovered these crysals.........noooooooooooo ........ WT  went wrong. Like they say, crysals show you where you tillered bad and after inspection I kind of figure there was a slight thick spot just outboard of the crysals where there was a slight knot. I think it was that and the rawhide helped push it over the edge by overpowering the belly some. I didn't think rawhide would overpower a belly like that (especially dogwood), but I learn something new every time I do one of these. Live and learn. Oh well, I can't send my guy this bow now and I am behind the eight ball now.

[coaster500]

randman, hang in there buddy...  looks like a great effort

[randman]

OK so now I'm really late and I got to send him something so I will ship him the Ocean Spray bonus bow I was going to send him just so he will have something with the promise I still owe him the main bow and maybe that will pacify him until I get it finished. Ready to put it in the package but weigh it one more time......pull....pull....crack...........Noooooooooo . I had shot this thing lots and not had any problems with it. Since I had not ever broken an Ocean Spray bow yet and it had pulled a big splinter on theback showing under the bark I pulled it much harder to see what it would take. It's still in one piece held together on the belly side. Show's how tough this stuff really is. It won't explode on you, just kind of shreds apart fibrous like but stays together. Doesn't send out shrapnel stuff like some woods. Thing of it is, I had put some rawhide patches on the belly side of the bow over some small tension cracks that appeared when I bent it backward while heat treating it. They were nothing structural but for appearances only I rawhide patched and wrapped them on the belly. This was in 3 places and the place where the bow broke was the one wrap that was the only one there for symmetry, no small crack at all. Go figure. Only good thing about this is I'm glad I didn't send it out and have it break the first time my guy pulled it. He wouldn't have thought much of me then.

[randman]

Now it's back to square one....Or maybe not, I'll go back to the Vine Maple and it's a little long so I have a little room to pike it to pick up some weight. Then I'll reflex the tips a little.....or in this case, I reflexed the tips first (just because of the shape of my reflex jig would make it easier that way - then cut the tips off) Looks like cut off fingers or something.

[randman]

So here's what she looks like now. Got Bubinga tip overlays on. Really liking the shape.

[coaster500]

Nice tips!!!

[randman]

Something about this knot cluster (or grown over knots in this case) concerns me and it is right in the middle of the most stressed part of the limb so I've decided to reinforce it with some flax fiber just for insurance then I will back it with silk. the flax is glued on with Tightbond II. I've done it with hide glue before with success but having used Tightbond II, I prefer the Tightbond. Not quit as messy and it looks a better job. I put an even amount of flax on both limbs for balance, mostly along the crown and tapered off toward the tips. Hopefully it will provide durability and won't overpower the belly.

[randman]

Thanks Coaster. I like to call them "My version of "Raptor" tips". Sort of a pin nock with a "duck tail" LOL.

[randman]

So here's what she looks like Sunday night. Got the skins on her. Well not really skins but some really nice silk with a pattern that resembles snakeskin or fishskin or something. Very appropriate pattern for a bow anyhow with little arrowheads all over. Wish I had some real snakeskins. They'd look great on this one.
Will get it finished tillered this week and hopefully shot in a little before next weekend if the bow Gods allow this This is the point where I have to take it careful and not rush too much and maybe this one'll take. So hang in there XXXXXX and don't be too disgusted with me please. I think you'll be very happy with this baby, she's real pretty! And she should be even snappier than she was when longer. I shot her a bit before I cut the tips off.

Stay tuned, more to come this week.................