Build Along ( building by mass)

[tpoof]

I cut the tip of my middle finger off

Nice buidalong but geez...    go easy on them body parts!!!

[jwillis]

Kinda looks like my new glass bow form with all that reflex--might be a really fast.   

[mullet]

   Dang Steve, You make it look easy. What's with the missing digits?

[tom sawyer]

I'll give you a quarter to see your finger.

[tom sawyer]

And another quarter to evaluate this bow.

57" n/n, 52lb@28", 409g = 14.5oz., the handle is 4" and its slightly skinnier and thicker but not a real stiff handle.  Maybe 6" of handle/fades area but there is some bit of bending I think.

I tried to do my favorite osage longbow but it is slightly heavier than my triple-beams will weigh (over 620g) and when I went to double-check the poundage (should be 60lb) the rope on my tiller tree broke.  So it will be delayed.

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[Wulamoc]

Good looking weapon!!  Nice tiller, too.  Hope it shhots as well as it looks!

[Badger]

Lennie, I like the tiller you used on that bow, great tiller for a short bow. little extra bend near the fades. I would have figured that bow at about 15.5 ounces and allowed for a 6" handle and fade area. With the tiller you used bending more near the fades, using a 4" handle and fade figure would have worked just as well giving you what you have at about 14.5 ounces. Steve

[tom sawyer]

Glad to hear its about right.  This one was a little unusual in that the handle area is kind of in between full working and stiff.  Glad to hear it isn't terribly overbuilt.  Didn't think it could be but it really held its side profile so I wondered.

Wulamoc thanks, it shoots fine and I like the looks.  I don't remember exactly when I made it, within the last year I'm sure.  It just surfaced out of the barrel when I was showing my friend different styles of bows.  This one would make a decent little turkey bow to be shot from a sitting position.  You don't really have enough handle to put your whole hand on it, I just rest the web of my hand on the center of the handle so I have a little room for the arrow to pass through in the narrowed area.

[tom sawyer]

Here's another one.  This is the bow my friend built for me.  Its a true bendy handled bow, pronounced R/D profile, 56" n/n, pulls 50lb@28", and weighs 473g=16.7oz.




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[Badger]

   Lennie that last bow I would call a little overbuilt, I would have built it at about 12 oz. What kind of wood is it? Steve

[George Tsoukalas]

Badger and tom sawyer, nice bows. Badger, don't let the pressure of a buildalong get to you. Gotta watch those fingers.  Jawge

[jwillis]

Lennie, the first one is really nice-looking.  I'm heading in your direction today, going to a funeral in Vandalia.  Hope to get home before the snow hits.

Badger, It is interesting to see how the mass formula comes close to already finished bows--a good test for sure on these bows that are extremely well made.  I'm sure that the bow material is a factor.  You mentioned a conversion factor for the bamboo backed bow.  Have you found a need for other conversions due to materials and/or laminates, etc?  Jim

[Badger]

Jim, on any wood backed bow I give myself a 10% less alllowance. I call it the perry reflex factor. I don't make any allowances for different woods but do often find that yew for instance tends to come in lighter. Very dry wood will also come in lighter. The big trick to using the formula in learning how to apply a figure for stiff handle and fades. For instance if you were making an elb bow and the center 16" were semi stiff bending 1/2 as much as normal you might use a figure of 8" for stiff handle and fades. Some people figure the formula is good for begainers but I actualy think it is more for advanced work.
   Jawge I did the finger at work LOL. for some reason when he sewed it back on it looks longer now than it was. just a bit crooked on the tip. Steve

[tom sawyer]

Steve its osage.  I kind of expected it would be a little overbuilt, you'd want that if you were making a bow for someone.  He also made a few areas with pin knots a little wider, I wouldn't have done that myself but it really gives the bow some extra character.  I think he was trying to avoid getting a pin too close to a limb edge.  Also, the tiller probably could have been rounded up just a bit.  The bow has some reflex but it is fairly mild.  Thanks for the review.

Jim I heard we might be getting 1-3", up to 6" farther south.  Be careful.  You'd be welcome to stop for a visit but I'll understand if you pass.  I get off work at 5.

[Badger]

Lennie, the formula is pretty conservative with its mass. Often with dense woods like osage you run into a situation where no matter how narrow you make it the mass is still to high, this is when you start to stiffen the handle area for a higher projected mass. It works. I would almost bet that bow has handshock. (almost) Steve