crepe myrtle stave bow (no bom)

[hillbilly61]

Very nice Ken. I like the way it lays flat too. I don't see any set, but my eyed are geting old. Like others I know

I picked up a couple "logs" that people cut and layed out by the road. I can pick up some more now that I see what can be done with it. Very heavy wood when cut, but light as a feather when dry.

[jonathan creason]

I remember hearing about people using crepe myrtle for bows before, and I've been watching the ones outside my office for a while now.  Wonder if anybody would notice if one suddenly lost a couple of stems?

Great bow, Ken!

[Parnell]

I like seeing different woods being used most of all.  Way to go!

[ken75]

thanks Darcy ...you mean its supposed to be longer ? im just hard headed i guess. last one i built 64 inches i hit everything i walked by
lol Mark ,build one i wanna see it
Jon big as you are they prob wont say nuthin
thanks Parnell

[Gr8fulride]

IreLly like the finish and the lines on that bow! There are mAny varieties of crepe Myrtle. The kinds I have crack in about a month after cutting. I do want to try Myrtle, from Douglas county Oregon though.. And will try to dry some more crepe Myrtle

[hillbilly61]

  What did you do for the back? Diid you chase a ring? Or just leave it alone?

[ken75]

first of all i stated that it had 68 sg. looked it up today and its actuall 75 sg.
Mark on this one i scraped and sanded the bark down to a super thin layer . simlar to what they do with plum. there was some surface cracking but it stoped during tillering and i have shot this one for two days with no weakening and no more noise from the back . i dont think it will turn loose . might try steaming the bark off the next one , i plan to recurve it anyway

[johnston]

Super nice job on the bow. What did you use to seal the bark ?And is the wood that dark or is the color a stain?

Sorry for all the questions but I am just getting started and these slim , short, strong bows give me a warm fuzzy.

Lane

[ken75]

ebony stain and clear satin spray

[SA]

nice bow! ive been eyeballing  crepe murtle for a long time glad to know its good bow wood, thanks for posting it.

[ken75]

thanks sa, it is a great wood to try , seems to grow everywhere and makes an awesome bow

[criveraville]

You sure seem to defy the rules of practicalitiy and design!!! I can see in your work that you learned from a master artisan like Halfeye

[ken75]

Cp , it may not always be right but im going to try it anyways .i have the abundance of materials and a brain that wont stop asking what if.
as far as Rich goes his expirence and willingness to help is unsurpassed. never met a more giving friendly guy even if he is a Yank !!

[Arrowind]

Ken, I'm just amazed at the flat unbraced limbs... No set. None.  Just awesome.  Oh and the rest of it is cool too.  .  I like the color, the handle, the arrow rest, the tiller.  And the fact that it's not a very commonly used bow wood.  At least it seems... Good job dude!

[half eye]

Cirveraville, Ken....I dont believe that it's like ya said here....me and ken (and other PA friends) just have active "what-if" sort of minds. We get together and kick ideas around, what-if's etc....and sort of feed off each other. I know that Ken, Hillbilly 61, N2huntin....and others are buildin bows and tryin stuff they sure did not get from me cause they build bows I probably wouldn't even try............any how, that's kind of what's in this site for me, sharing ideas with like minded folks, and I think that's what makes all of us better at this stuff. Just my 2 cents worth
rich