This is about my tenth bow, but being a slow learner, it's the first one I consider to be a successful hunting bow. I usually end up either with a lot of set, a broken limb, or a lightweight bow. This time, I finally managed to hit my target weight of 70# @ 26", 62" nock-to-nock. I wanted a bow on the heavy side, to help make up for my short draw length. I like having a few extra foot-pounds for penetration insurance.
This came from an Osage stave that's been seasoning in my shed for about 4 years. Unfortunately, half of the stave was unusable due to cracking. The good half was snakey, but wide enough for 2 billets. Being inspired by Pappy's recent snakey twin bows, I decided to try making a takedown with twin snakey billets (twins joined at the hip, I suppose). I figure the symmetrical curves help balance everything out. That's my theory, anyway.
The billets started out with some twist and a bit of natural deflex. I used steam to remove the twist and add a bit of reflex. After tillering and shooting in, it ended up with a hint of R/D shape, and almost no set (A new triumph for me).
I tried my hand at a fading dye job for stealth, and sealed it with tru-oil. I'll buff out the shine soon when I hit the woods. I'm shooting it off my hand, with a basic suede wrap. I added some layers of leather over the sleeve to give it a bulbous grip. It shoots straight, no arrow wobble, and really thwacks the target. I welcome all criticism for my next one, but I don't plan to mess with the tiller at this point.
-Tom
[attachment deleted by admin]
