ERC longbow build-along and questions

[Marz5]

I have just started making my first bow and I have some questions
First I'd like to share where share where I'm at in my project, as you can see in the pics I've layed out the bow, cut it out, and yesterday I started to ruff out the belly, all in all not alot. the current measurements of it are 72 3/8 in long, approx. 50mm wide at the grip and approx. 17mm wide at the tips. I want the weight to end up under 110#, w/ my min goal is about 80#
The thing is that while I'm able to avoid all of the knots except maybe 1, they are becoming a pain in my side (btw I'm using a drawknife to do this).
So how can I can get rid of of these knots in an easier (and less back-breaking) fashion?

Mark R.

[Marz5]

Any and all comments, advice, ect. is greatly appreciated.

Mark R.

[fishfinder401]

welcome, it looks great so far, and with the knots, unless you cut the shape of the bow out with a band saw, a draw knife is probably the best way to go
good luck
noel

[CraigMBeckett]

If done by hand use either an axe, (preferably a side axe), or an adze. Axes were the traditional tool of the bowyer, James Duff writes of using one in his book "Bows and Arrows"

Craig.

[Stretch]

I'm also building an ERC bow right now and the knots are a real pain.  They explode when I try em with my draw knife.  I've been having the best luck with saturating them with CA glue paring them down with a very sharp chisel working at them from both directions a bit at a time. 

[CraigMBeckett]

I'm also building an ERC bow right now and the knots are a real pain.  They explode when I try em with my draw knife.  I've been having the best luck with saturating them with CA glue paring them down with a very sharp chisel working at them from both directions a bit at a time. 

Not being from North America, I have no Idea about ERC or the difficulties you speak of, but if the knots behave as you say I would suggest that the axe/adze I spoke of are not the way to go so please disregard the advice when it comes to dealing with them. What about rasps, files and saws do they also cause the knots to explode?

Craig

[Stretch]

I'm also building an ERC bow right now and the knots are a real pain.  They explode when I try em with my draw knife.  I've been having the best luck with saturating them with CA glue paring them down with a very sharp chisel working at them from both directions a bit at a time. 

Not being from North America, I have no Idea about ERC or the difficulties you speak of, but if the knots behave as you say I would suggest that the axe/adze I spoke of are not the way to go so please disregard the advice when it comes to dealing with them. What about rasps, files and saws do they also cause the knots to explode?

Craig

Rasps, files and saws all work fine, but I'm a woodcarver by trade so I have a tendency to think in terms of chisels first.  I tend to forget I have rasps.      

[Lee Slikkers]

#1, for and ERC stave that is NOT a lot of knots and I'd kill to get a piece that "clear".  I just tried a longbow from the stuff as well, had 60+ knots but she blew on me (had a knot running out the side of the stave) so all in all I think you have a very nice, workable piece of ERC.  80lbs sounds like a pretty high poundage goal for ERC but maybe it's possible with a piece of wood as nice as yours...good luck and keep us posted on your progress if you can.

[gstoneberg]

Mark,

ERC is tough wood to build your first bow out of.  That is a beautiful stave though.  If I were you I'd be letting that one season a while longer  and looking for some other local bow wood to get my feet wet with.  Hickory, Ironwood, mulberry, osage, elm (and probably others) are all easier to build bows with than ERC.  That's just my opinion, but if you want to go cedar, this is the best place to get your information.  I'm an osage guy so I can't help you much from experience.  I've been watching for a straight, clear cedar branch out at my deer lease.  So far I haven't found it.

Good luck,
George

[Stretch]

Mark,

ERC is tough wood to build your first bow out of.  That is a beautiful stave though.  If I were you I'd be letting that one season a while longer  and looking for some other local bow wood to get my feet wet with.  Hickory, Ironwood, mulberry, osage, elm (and probably others) are all easier to build bows with than ERC.  That's just my opinion, but if you want to go cedar, this is the best place to get your information.  I'm an osage guy so I can't help you much from experience.  I've been watching for a straight, clear cedar branch out at my deer lease.  So far I haven't found it.

Good luck,
George

I'm using the cedar because all my oak and maple are on the bottom of the lumber stack and the cedar was easy to get to. It's a half round from a log I had cut into lumber about three years ago and has been air drying in my shop all that time.  By the time I roughed it in on the band saw I only had one knot to deal with, so that made me happy.  It seems to be going well so far.  Like I said I saturated it with CA glue and didn't have any trouble paring it down with a chisel after that.  I basically have no money invested in this piece of wood as the sawyer had thrown it in the burn pile.  If it fails I'll have learned a lot from it, and if it doesn't it's a bonus.  Building this bow has been very relaxing for me and that's all I really care about at this point.   BTW I have a whole stack of 2" slabs from the same tree and I bet I can get you a couple of mostly knot free staves out of it.  They're drying out at a friend's farm and I'm heading over that way next week so I'll see if I can't pull some likely candidates. 

[gstoneberg]

Sounds good to me.    I can repay with seasoned osage.

George

[blackhawk]

Id back it with a piece of rawhide at the very least. And a good rasp works great at any stage with ERC except final tillering,then go to a sandblock and enjoy the aroma.

But if I were you I would set it aside and get your feet wet with some other type of wood first. That's no beginners wood and its a beautiful piece of wood id hate to see get ruined. It can be a fooler wood,you'll think its going smooth,and great then BOOM. Especially if your tillers off and you don't know it,which is easy for a novice to not see. Im not trying to dissuade you,im just speaking from a semi experienced bowyers opinion.

[Marz5]

Stretch: I think wires got crossed,  my name is Mark also... I usually sign: --Mark R.
The knots are a pain but they haven't exploded (maybe I'm misunderstanding what you meant by "explode")

George: I got this piece for just under 15$ on ebay (it is a pain to get other woods off of ebay minus yew) I figured that it would be a good piece to work on before I go on to my piece of yew (also an ebay buy, good price too 35$ ish for the stave) I was trying to get some red elm but I kept getting sniped

Blackhawk: I'm enjoying the smell already, and I was thinking about just backing it w/ good old thin air but I might back it

I'm taking all comments into consideration and will decide soon on what I'll do
--Mark R.

[gstoneberg]

Stretch: I think wires got crossed...

Yea, but it was all good.

Did those ebay prices include shipping??  If so, I don't know how they did it.  About the cheapest I've ever shipped an osage stave for is $15.  I know cedar is lighter, but still...  If you're anywhere near Dallas come by and I'll give you an osage stave.

Good luck with that cedar.  I hope it makes a great bow.

George

[Marz5]

The shipping on the staves were approx equal to price I paid for the staves