First attempt, so many questions!

[e36freak]

Hello everyone,

Sorry in advance for the length of this post, please bear with me!

I've lurked here for a bit now, doing a lot of research, and am finally about to delve into making my first bow. I plan on making a red oak board flat bow, with a maple or aspen and oak layered handle and a rawhide backing.  Not sure which of those two handle woods I want to use yet, I'm going to make a small test handle to practice shaping anyway and see how they both look finished. I plan on using http://poorfolkbows.com/oak.htm as my general guide, which I'm sure you're all familiar with, as well as http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/directions.html and the other stuff on that site. I have a number of questions, though, that I haven't been able to find the answers to. Hopefully you all can help me out here:

1) II'm aiming for around 45# @ 27", is 72" (70" ntn) excessively long? I plan on making a 10" riser, and a handle that doesn't bend, with a 1.5" width at the fades, tapering from around 15" from the ends to 1/2" (same dimensions as the poorfolkbows one). That bow is 72", but is designed to draw to 28". Also, other than adding to the total length, does the length of the riser make any kind of difference as to how the bow shoots?

2) I plan on using Titebond II to glue the riser pieces on, from what I've read that seems to be the best glue to use. I'm not sure, though, what I should use to glue the rawhide on. Will the Titebond work well, or should I use hide glue? And if hide glue, is the Titebond liquid hide glue any good, or should I use the crystal stuff? Is the crystal stuff difficult to use?

3) Shaping the handle, is it OK to remove some wood from the back of the bow, to the point where the rawhide is no longer continuous, on a board bow? Hopefully that makes sense... I'm still not sure what shape I want to use yet, whether I want to go with a traditional straight handle or something more ergonomic. If I choose the latter, I'll see how close I can get to what I want without removing any wood all the way across the back, but it would be nice to know it won't hurt if that's what I want to do.

4) What are the advantages/disadvantages to "nock wedges" (I think that's what they're called), as opposed to just filing nocks in the tips? Is it possible to add nock wedges to a backed bow? I think it would look really nice to use the same wood that's layer into the handle there, but I'd be just as happy with normal nocks.

5) I'm designing a tillering board at the moment, plan on starting to build it this weekend. I'll use a pulley, so I can stand back while I'm pulling and get a good look at it. Has anyone tried using a ratchet instead, so you don't have to worry about pins or similar to hold it at a fixed length? Also, what's a good, cheap bow scale I can use? I've seen some posts around about a really cheap analog luggage scale from Wally-World, any reason that wouldn't do the trick?

6) One last question: Finishes. Do any of you have experience working with aspen? Unfinished, it's pretty boring, just very light wood with a barely visible grain. From what I've read, though, once it's finished, the grain really comes out. What finishes would be best to make that happen? I'd really rather not stain the bow, as red oak is a beautiful wood already, but something that brings out the grain would really make the bow "pop", I think. At the same time, I'd like it to stand up to moisture well, so linseed oil isn't gonna cut it. What about tung oil finish? I grabbed a can of the Formby's low gloss stuff, but haven't used it yet. How well does it do with moisture?

Heck of a first post, I know, but I'm anxious to get started and really want this to come out well. Thanks in advance for any advice you guys can give me, and for reading through my essay. I can already tell this won't be my last bow, but I still want it to turn out as nicely as possible, for a first bow at least.

[Del the cat]

First let me say welcome and I'm not into board bows, but here are a few thoughts anyhow.
1. Don't get hooked up into "building" a bow and then expecting it to work, it's a dynamic thing, do a bit, test a little do a bit more. Don't try to make it all in one hit. That brings me to point two.
2. Forget about the grip until the bow is actually shootable. A couple of reasons for this .
a) You can make the grip late in the process to suit the string line of the bow and help correct minor alignment probs.
b) By the time you have got to that stage you'll understand enough to answer your own question (you can do what you want in an unstressed part of the grip if it's thick enough).
3. If you are worried the bow will be a bit long them shorten the riser! I can't for the life of me think why you'd really need more than about 6" max. I often have a grip section down to about 4", ok I don't have a loooong sight window or arrow shelf and I quite like the heel of my hand hand hanging down into the fade. You could easilly go down to 8"

That's about it, but I think point 1 is the key, making a bow isn't a machining exercise.
Good luck and be sure to let us know how you get on.
Del

[e36freak]

I was planning on waiting until it's tillered to shape the grip, but I'd still like to have a basic idea in mind before I start. That was really the least important thing right now, though. I'll try to be more succinct and ask the important ones again:

1) I'm ordering the rawhide tomorrow, and would like to order the glue at the same time. What is the best glue to use? Will Titebond II work, or should I use Titebond liquid hide glue, or crystal hide glue?

2) What is the best option for finishing a bow, that will bring out the grain and make it look nice, without using a stain? The ability to keep moisture out well is also crucial. Is tung oil finish a good choice? Should I put something else on it as well? I've seen comments about "Tru-oil", is that a better option?

3) Can you put tips/wedges on the back of a bow with a rowhide backing? Something like:

(Hopefully Mike_H won't mind my using his picture)
I think this would look good in the same wood as the riser.

Thanks again.

[Ifrit617]

Titebond 2 works great, tung oil is a great finish as is tru oil, but I think tung oil is easier to apply. And yes you can.

Jon