It Shoots! It's Alive!

[Kewrin]

Thanks for the input guys!  
For the record, not my first, I have several boken and more un-broken to my credit (over the past 8-10 years).  Just the first one posted here.
I see what you mean by making the limbs work more near the handle.  I WILL do that!
OldBow - I don't have any plans of changing it other than the snake skins and rawhide and a grip.
This bow so far his exactly what I wanted to make.  Short, so I can shoot sitting down.  Hunting weight.  Right and Left handed.
I will work on it more this week and let you know what happens.

[Kewrin]

flip the tips to gain a little poundage  

Several of you seem concernded about the poundage.  Is 54# an issue.  I have been using 52# for years and have never had a problem.
How many inches would you flip and what kind of an angle would you put on them.  I don't want to do that but...

[Gordon]

Kerwin,

A significant portion of what feels to you like hunting weight is actually a result of the bow stacking and will not translate into arrow cast. I concur with others on this thread - get more of the limbs working, even the handle if possible and recurve the tips slightly to improve the string angle

[DanaM]

My only advice is follow what was already given.
I would like to see an unbraced side view as I have to believe that it took quite a bit of string follow.
Also could you take a front view profile picture? Thanks for sharing.

[Eric Krewson]

To let you know what to expect when you remove wood from the fades. I am making me a bow myself, for the first time in 5 years, made over a hundred for other folk. The bow was about 65# at my draw length, I wanted about 58#  and I thought the fades were a little stiff . Four or five passes with a rasp, 10 passes with a cabnet scraper to remove the rasp marks and a several passes with an orbital sander and the bow dropped 8#. I believe you can drop poundage in the fades quicker than any other part of a limb.

[richpierce]

Trust these guys, recurving the tips would make it shoot much faster and draw smoother.  But you could always do that on your next one if you really don't want to mess with this one.

[cowboy]

It seems to be unanimous . I ditto all above. Looks like you did a perfect job getting those limbs to bend the same but does need to work more toward the fades imo .

[Kewrin]

Think I may have fixed the fade problem.  Please take a look at this picture.

It now draws about 47# and the string follow has started to show up bad.  it is at about 1.75" now.

With all this good advice to "flip the tips" you may have talked me into it.  How many inches from the tip would you put the bend and how far would you bend it (30deg)?  Would you use dry heat, steam, or boil the tips?  I have used dry heat before to bend bows.

If I am going to the effort to flip the tips what about pulling the string follow out by bending it in the handle.  Would that hurt anything.  I always thought that after it had been tillered you could not bend it any more, true or false?

Thanks for the help and info.

Kerwin

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Mechslasher]

some damage to the wood has already been as you can see in the set, but all is not lost.  i'd put about a 45 degree bend in the last 3" of tip.  this will increase poundage by at least 7-8#'s.  i would also get the fades bending a little more.  with the trade offs between recurving and taking more wood from the fades, you should end up with a 52-55# bow.  i don't know if its too late but maybe marc can offer some advice about heat treating the belly.  this would also increase the draw weight.

[Justin Snyder]

some damage to the wood has already been as you can see in the set, but all is not lost.  i'd put about a 45 degree bend in the last 3" of tip.  this will increase poundage by at least 7-8#'s.  i would also get the fades bending a little more.  with the trade offs between recurving and taking more wood from the fades, you should end up with a 52-55# bow.  i don't know if its too late but maybe marc can offer some advice about heat treating the belly.  this would also increase the draw weight.

Exactly....  Use dry heat to flip the tips. I do think I would tiller it back down to 45# after flipping the tips up just because of the set it is taking.  I don't think Marc likes to heat treat the limbs after set is taken. I have toasted the belly after they have been shot, but never a bow with measurable set.

[Ryano]

The tiller looks much better in that picture. Now use dry heat and bend some recurves like mechslasher said about 3 or 4 inches from the tip. You could add reflex at the same time if you want, just make a form out of a 2x6. your string angle is past 90 degrees the way it is right now, the stack must be terrible.

[NOMADIC PIRATE]

I surely wouldn't waist skins on that bow as it is now.

Like said above, flipping the tips a bit, and ....if it was me I'd get rid of most of that bulky handle material and make a semi bending handle.

[Kewrin]

I think this story has come to an end.   

I should have stopped while I was ahead.  I tried to flip the tips.  Long story short I am going to try to salvage the bow wood as a kids bow.  I think the tips never had the structure needed to do this.

I was hoping this would be the short right/left hand bow that I would use this fall out west.  Time to dig out another stave.  Running out of time.

Kerwin

[El Destructo]

Kerwin...sorry to hear the Bad News....did the Tip crack or what?? Looking at the Full Draw Pictures made me Cringe.....I don't know why you draw so far on a Self Bow..I had a 30 inch Draw on my Compounds.....but with the Selfbows that I build....I have gotten myself down to a 25-26 inch draw....just by changing my stance form that Sick up your Arse Cam Bow Stance to a more comfortable natural stance of leaning into the Shot and bending my elbow a bit....you need to try this too...so you can make a Small Bow that will survive....also everything said above was all good straight forward information that you could bank on....these Guys will make you a Bowyer if you let them!!

This litle Cedar is only 46 inches tall...and has a 24 inch draw....and it is one spunky little Bow too!!

[attachment deleted by admin]

[hawkbow]

Very nice bows guys .. I am jealous..... you have a skill i wish i could master.. been working on an osage selfbow myself will post pics if i ever finish it... thanks for sharing.. Hawk..a/ho