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Author Topic: Ipe self longbow  (Read 6943 times)

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Offline Bearded bowyer

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Ipe self longbow
« on: February 14, 2014, 05:40:37 pm »
Hi everyone.
 I have a chap who wants a self Ipe bow. Have any of you made one?
Anything to watch out for?
All advice greatly appreciated!
 :)
Matt
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Offline DarkSoul

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Re: Ipe self longbow
« Reply #1 on: February 14, 2014, 06:08:51 pm »
Indians in the Amazon still make ipé self bows. So it can be done. Just remember they use logs, and not milled boards... You need exceptionally straight grain, which is problematic to read in ipé. Also, the bow is kept LONG. These Amazonian bows are not like short American style hunting bows at all. 76" or so, oval cross section, maybe 1˝" wide, bend through the handle. So if that chap wants you to make a 64" elk hunting bow with a stiff handle, I'd just politely decline to make such thing myself.
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Offline Bearded bowyer

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Re: Ipe self longbow
« Reply #2 on: February 14, 2014, 06:16:29 pm »
Thanks Darksoul

He wants a traditional full compass longbow so 76" should be fine.
I didn't realise it was a indigenous south American bow wood. Should be quite an exciting project to work on.
Thanks again
Matt
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Offline Marc St Louis

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Re: Ipe self longbow
« Reply #3 on: February 14, 2014, 06:37:09 pm »
It can be done.  There was one posted here several years ago.  Unfortunately I don't remember who made it.  You would have to be very selective with which board you used.
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Offline PatM

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Re: Ipe self longbow
« Reply #4 on: February 14, 2014, 07:08:41 pm »
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Offline adb

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Re: Ipe self longbow
« Reply #5 on: February 14, 2014, 08:20:11 pm »
Long & narrow. Difficult determining grain, but ipe is very tough wood.
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Offline Parnell

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Re: Ipe self longbow
« Reply #6 on: February 14, 2014, 08:28:52 pm »
Yes, Justin Snyder.  I made one once.  It broke after about 200 shots, but it was made from a board.  There is "ipe" growing around me everywhere, here.  But, it won't be ready for a decade or two. 
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Offline toomanyknots

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Re: Ipe self longbow
« Reply #7 on: February 14, 2014, 11:38:39 pm »
My only problem with ipe grain is actually finding good quality grain at the lumber yard I go to. (It usually ain't so hard, they just had a huge order so they don't got too much 3/4" thick left at the moment). Normally it ain't too hard though, but I don't see whats hard about seeing the grain personally. I had to pick up a board the other day, I got a 14 footer so I would get two pieces 84" or so long the other day, for freaking 109.00! (It was like 1" thick by 6" wide or so, the cheaper route is to go with 3/4" and make trilams I think, 3/4" will make up to 80# bows though too when backed with hickory or bamboo, so I think 3/4" is always the best choice unless you wanna make a super big self warbow or something... ) I like the grain running as straight as possible. I don't look for the darkest densest boards, I go for grain first and check for knots and cracks, warping, etc, after all that I will consider the color. I don't like the really dark boards though, they can be so heavy that the cast will suffer, and the really darker denser boards will have more of a tendency to have built up tension and warp after being ripped out on the bandsaw. (The darker boards do look the prettiest though after being finished, sometimes you can find some pieces that after being finished almost look like they have tiger strips,  ::) ).
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 the lower part is raised up,
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Offline JackCrafty

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Re: Ipe self longbow
« Reply #8 on: February 14, 2014, 11:54:51 pm »
I've made a couple self bows from Ipe that were in the 48" - 50" range with 26" draws.  They are wide and flat, though, and bend through the handle.  At the time I bought them, Ipe boards were all very straight-grained and all I had to do was turn a few pieces over on the stack and walk out with a perfect board in 5 minutes.  I don't know about today...
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mikekeswick

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Re: Ipe self longbow
« Reply #9 on: February 15, 2014, 04:08:44 am »
I don't know about today in America but boy oh boy would you have to search for a straight enough grained board.
Remember ipe is nothing like any of our interlocking grain whitewoods it will split between the rings if you even look at it wrong.....
If you decide to do it take a cabinet scraper with you to the woodyard and keep repeating to yourself 'perfect grain,perfect grain,perfect grain' if you get a good enough boaqrd it shouldn't be a problem.
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Offline medicinewheel

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Re: Ipe self longbow
« Reply #10 on: February 15, 2014, 04:12:20 am »
A Friend who lived in Venezuela for a long time has real straight grained Ipé that he makes selfbows from.
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Offline toomanyknots

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Re: Ipe self longbow
« Reply #11 on: February 15, 2014, 10:00:49 am »
Quote from: PatM on February 14, 2014, 07:08:41 pm
It was Justin Snyder. Here is the thread link.
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,5313.msg73380/topicseen.html#msg73380.
 

There's another one online, an english longbow I believe somewhere I saw. There's also a guy on paleoplanet I think who has made some ipe self bows.

EDIT:  Richard Saffold is the name of the guy on paleoplanet I believe.

EDIT 2: Here's another ipe selfbow: http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/topic/11472/an-Ipe-self-bow#.Uv9zkYWN7YU
« Last Edit: February 15, 2014, 10:09:54 am by toomanyknots »
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"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline Lukasz Nawalny

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Re: Ipe self longbow
« Reply #12 on: February 16, 2014, 02:58:35 pm »
I have made Ipe longbow, it kicks like a mule even with extreme thin nocks, I dont reccomend
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