After too many failed attempts, I finally got a piece of wood to look like a bow, bend like a bow and SHOOT LIKE A BOW! What a thrill it is to send an arrow flying through the first bow you made!
A slightly twisted lower limb, a bit more hand shock than I'd like, but dang.... I'm shooting arrows through my first bow! I couldn't get the grin off my face, what a kick. I'm used to shooting my Bear recurve and so have never shot a long bow before - I really don't know what to expect for the feel. Especially that first whack on my wrist - Ouch. Never got whacked before, that smarts I tell ya..
Is the wrist whack typical of a longbow, or could I have tillered differently to prevent it? The string runs just slighly off center at the handle, hedging barely toward the arrow side. Maybe could be due to the lower limb twist I suppose? Learned quickly to wrap some spare leather around my arm.
But man oh man, what a great day. I've hinged so many vine maple limbs over the past 4 months it feels great to finally test shoot a bow! She's not exactly pretty and most probably not perfectly done - but the experience has been worth the trials and tribulations. I often think how I paid $300+ for my recurve years ago and for this 50# vine maple all I paid was gas and an afternoon in the woods. I'm hooked.
I still have to stain and finish yet, but hope to posts some pics.
MANY thanks to Gordon for his advice to my oftentimes silly questions, as well as his pleasant encouragement; and thanks too to those of you who gave advice that got me back on track. This has been a fun experience.
Can't wait to start another one; hopefully bettering the skills (I really hope getting this one tillered and shoooting wasn't just plain dumb luck).
-Mike
