Build Along 65" 135# recurve "Challenge Bow"

[Marc St Louis]

Should be interesting Steve.  How long is the stave right now?

[Danzn Bar]

Should be interesting Steve.  How long is the stave right now?

Yes.... and what radius are you going to use for your recurve?
Thanks,
DBar

[Badger]

  After sitting for a few hours the tips have only about 1" to go before touching, this will give me 7" and I will hopefully net 6".

Mark, the stave is 66" so no length to play with.

  I really don't know what radius I will use, I plan to start reflexing the bow a little inside of mid limb and then just give the tips a nice flip, probably about a 4" radius, I have several recurve jigs I will pick from after it is reflexed.

[Danzn Bar]

Boy...........I'm watching this one, can't wait for more!

[Badger]

Tips are bottomed out, now I will just clean up the back while it sits and dries out a bit. Hopefully most of the 7" deflex will stay.

[toomanyknots]

Dang, that's crazy.

[Badger]

  After taking off the bark and examining the back and the grain etc. I decided I don't have 135# in this stave. Round 1 I loose. I will change my approach and try again. This bow should make a very cool looking 80# recurve. I will try and finish it and post a pic.

[Marc St Louis]

Steve
Do you have something else you can try it with?

I'm starting to wrap up the majority of the big jobs I needed to do around the house, still have a porch to build though, so I may be able to work on such a bow in a a month or so.  I may do a backed bow to start though and then maybe do a selfie.

P.S.  I really liked your system for checking the draw weight, I may have to make myself one like that

[Badger]

  Mark, to be very honest I would much rather see you do a recurve than me. I might do a slightly bendy handle version just to see how it acts. I would never trust my splice in a bow that heavy.

[Marc St Louis]

I don't blame you Steve.  I have arthritis in both my shoulders so I don't like making heavy bows anymore but when it's as interesting as this....

[Badger]

   Out of the press

[PEARL DRUMS]

Wow, that lost a lot of what you put in Steve. Did it sit long enough?

[Badger]

  It would have held more but I pulled it out after about 3 days. Happy where it is now actually . Putting some recurves in it today.

[Marc St Louis]

Steve
I don't know how Pecan takes to dry heat bending but I have found that I can put some deflex in a handle by clamping a stave in a vise, the vise has to be strong, so the jaws clamp on the back and belly, belly facing out.  Then I apply pressure on the outer tip and heat the handle, belly side.  You can feel the wood give as you heat it.  naturally you would have to protect the back where the vise is clamping the limb.

[Badger]

        Mark, I plan to use dry heat from here on out, I put some recurves in it today and the tips are about 2" behind the back. I may just leave it there and hopefully settle for tips even with the back. I really don't care for the way this wood works too much, to stringy for my taste. It will take at least a month to dry so i will just shape the limbs here and there till it dries out.