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Author Topic: Will this make a bow??  (Read 6037 times)

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Offline gstoneberg

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Will this make a bow??
« on: January 15, 2011, 03:26:02 pm »
Made some progress on another problem stave today.  It is the lower sister of a stave that is being worked on by one of the guys in my shop.  It has some weather damage and some interesting knots but those 2 checks in the limb are troubling.  Worse yet it had 3 places where there were cracks all the way through the limb sideways following a growth ring.  I went ahead and took the back to a growth ring and here's how it looks now.  The handle almost feels like a recurve grip the way it's shaped.  With the checking there I'll have to use a cord handle for strength.  Think it'll make a bow or am I wasting my time?    I've always seen that cracks which stay inside the bow limb are OK, but I've never worked a stave that had cracks that go clear through the bow top to bottom like this one.   Right now the bow is 69" tip to tip but suspect I'll have to pike it to bring up the weight with the limbs so thin.

George







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St Paul, TX

Offline Ryano

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Re: Will this make a bow??
« Reply #1 on: January 15, 2011, 03:52:41 pm »
personally I wouldn't waste my time with that one. The cracks are to close to the edge of the limb, unless you have enough width to completely remove the cracks, that's destine for disaster.
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Its November, I'm gone hunt'in.......
Osage is still better.....

Offline Del the cat

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Re: Will this make a bow??
« Reply #2 on: January 15, 2011, 05:06:59 pm »
I've just finished a 40# Yew ladies longbow which has some great heartwood, tight dark grain but a couple of longitudinal splist.
I've persevered with it and afer a ludicrous amount of time, effort and some cussin' it's shooting fine, it looks gorgeous too :-*.
I've clocked up 150 shots so far, I'll be posting it in a day or so.
I'd say listen to your own instincts, if you have the time and inclination give it a go, if not save it for another day.

As a character bow you can always keep it lowish draw weight, suitable for a lady, a kid or a cat :).
Del
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Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: Will this make a bow??
« Reply #3 on: January 15, 2011, 05:09:39 pm »
No sense giving you an answer because I already know you are going to go ahead and try!!!

 >:D
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Guns have triggers. Bicycles have wheels. Trees and bows have wooden limbs.

Offline gstoneberg

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Re: Will this make a bow??
« Reply #4 on: January 15, 2011, 06:23:05 pm »
LOL, I think you're all right.  I almost tossed it in the trash when I first tried to string it.  I first got a tick in the handle on the upper limb side.  I couldn't find anything so I kept on and then I got a tick right at that split on the lower limb.  I thought about it a bit and went ahead and strung it up.  As I looked at it I discovered the smaller split on the lower limb was breaking out to the limb edge.  I should've taken a picture, but I was trying to get the bow unstrung as fast as I could.  I went ahead and draw knifed the limb narrower, taking out that smaller split.  Then I strung it up again.  Looks like this:



You can see the hinge in the limb on the left (upper) about 2/3 out where the worst split through the limb was.  It'll be a fight from here on to get that whole limb working and still have enough draw weight to be worth it.  The lower limb on the right isn't too bad, but it isn't really bending enough to tell much yet.  The big problem I'm having is that funky grip doesn't hang on the bow scale there or on either of my metal holders that fit on it because of the bend.  Not sure how I'm going to tiller it.  That's assuming it doesn't break as soon as I pull it a little more.  There's also deflex in that upper limb making it look weaker than it is.  It's more obvious in the unstrung picture:



I'm probably wasting my time, but John's right, I'm just too curious to leave it alone and yes Del, it may very well be a kids or cat bow (if it's a bow at all). ;D

George
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St Paul, TX

Offline TRACY

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Re: Will this make a bow??
« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2011, 09:41:59 am »
There's a usable bow in there somewhere, just got to find it. Good luck

Tracy
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Offline ohma

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Re: Will this make a bow??
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2011, 10:09:12 am »
good luck with it gst , but i would keep it light that left limb will be a challenge.
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Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: Will this make a bow??
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2011, 10:34:43 am »
Super glue (or wood glue) and clamp those cracks. I just finished an osage bow with gigantic wind checks. on one limb and that's what I did. Jawge
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Offline gstoneberg

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Re: Will this make a bow??
« Reply #8 on: January 18, 2011, 12:46:28 am »
Thanks Jawge,   I tried clamping and couldn't pull the split sides together so I thought I should avoid the wood glue.  I'd been wondering if some superglue and sawdust would be a little insurance.  It is setting up as I type.

Have you guys tried toasting an osage bow on the belly to help stiffen a weak spot?  I might try that.  Even if it works I think it'll come out light.

George
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St Paul, TX

Offline Pat B

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Re: Will this make a bow??
« Reply #9 on: January 18, 2011, 12:56:43 am »
I've stiffened an osage bow with heat treating but not spot treating.
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline gstoneberg

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Re: Will this make a bow??
« Reply #10 on: January 18, 2011, 01:06:41 am »
Hmm, how much did you cook it Pat?  I've seen some bows really charred on here but I've never personally done it.  Seems to be more common on the whitewood bows.  I wonder if I should do the whole limb and then continue tillering  which would remove the heat treated wood on the stiffer parts of the limb, or go ahead and tiller to a good bend and then treat to stiffen it?  Sorry for all the questions, I'm a heat treating novice. :-[

Thanks,
George
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Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: Will this make a bow??
« Reply #11 on: January 19, 2011, 10:19:50 pm »
Is this one a sister to the one you shipped me? 
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Guns have triggers. Bicycles have wheels. Trees and bows have wooden limbs.

Offline gstoneberg

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Re: Will this make a bow??
« Reply #12 on: January 19, 2011, 11:52:53 pm »
Yes, it's out of the same quarter and was right beside it, closer to the dead limb that caused that  jog.  It was a big tree, I got 9 staves out of that one quarter; 5 under the bark, 3 sisters underneath and one of those sisters (the one I sent you) was deep enough to get another sister under it (which I just sent to Nate).  The wood right beside the limb has the worst jog but is pretty straight and has almost no twist.  As the staves move away from that side and lower they get more twist.  The other sister I have left has 90 degrees of twist over the 7'.  The furthest stave from the jog on the top was what I made the mollegabet from.  It has been good wood so far.  Have you played with your stave yet?

George
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St Paul, TX

Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: Will this make a bow??
« Reply #13 on: January 21, 2011, 05:24:40 pm »
I think you and I and Nate should get those three sisters together when they are done for a photo shoot!
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Guns have triggers. Bicycles have wheels. Trees and bows have wooden limbs.

Offline gstoneberg

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Re: Will this make a bow??
« Reply #14 on: January 21, 2011, 05:45:42 pm »
I agree. :D  Doesn't the 3 sisters sound like something my folks would have enjoyed on Lawrence Welk? ;D

Last night I piked 2" off each end of this bow and it moved the hinge close enough to the tip that it isn't a problem anymore, lucky break.  Still haven't figured out how to put it on the tillering pulley system, but I have it drawing about 18" and I'm guessing the draw weight is around 40lbs there.  Rickey was over working on his bow last night so I could have him draw it while I watched.  I think if I get one more friend over to work on bows in the next couple days I can get it finished.  I heat bent the twisted limb straight, but the string is still outside the handle.  Hope to get some pictures tonight.

Jawge, it looks like your superglue/sawdust idea in that crack is going to work out great.  Thanks.

George
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St Paul, TX
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