Here is my second sheep horn bow, and my 50th bow overall. I got this set from my local classifieds, they were flawless and unpinned, and I was able to
get some nice slats from them. They are joined with a 2.5" lap splice, and two 3.5" risers on the back and belly.
Just sinew scrap glue, no rivets. I wrapped the handle with sinew, so I could do some pre tillering and not worry so much
about my handle. I got the horn core to a nice looking braced profile, then laid down 4 courses of sinew over a couple weeks.
I believe it was close to 3 oz. Its amazing how much reflex these bows take, after a month or so it looked like a seasoning Turkish bow.
I let the bow season nearly 8 months before I began to tiller it out. I used mostly heat, with a little bit of horn removal.
I had some twist to deal with, this bow saw many many heat gun sessions.
I wanted this bow to be a bit thicker than my first hornbow, not for draw weight, but for stability.
Its close to 1/2' thick just outside of the handle, and about 60/40 horn to sinew ratio.
37.5" ntn, and draws to 24". When I first finished the bow it was pulling about 42-44#, but I checked it the other day and its now pulling 46-47#
Perhaps its the cold weather. I left the bow strung over night, just to check stability. It took some string follow, but after 20 minutes it was
back to where it should be, at nearly 5" of reflex.
Its backed with a WDB rattlesnake skin, finished with shellac, 2 ply sinew string, and has a deer hide handle wrap.
Photos taken near Parksville on Vancouver island.
Cheers guys, thanks for looking.
t
