Is there a bow in here???

[DanaM]

Heck I will trade ya for the IW I have drying, yours is so clean and straight compared to mine

[Easternarcher]

Heck I will trade ya for the IW I have drying, yours is so clean and straight compared to mine

Sorry...what is IW? (I'm so dumb....)

[DanaM]

Ironwood or hophornbeam

[Easternarcher]

Ironwood or hophornbeam

I told ya I was dumb! sheesh!

[Electricfrontporch]

Looks like a beaut. I am working on a hornbeam stave now that was really wiggly. I wouldnt make it into billets

[Easternarcher]

OK guys any suggestions for limb width and bow length? I'm thinking about 66" ntn, and I'm looking for 50+lbs at 27"

[George Tsoukalas]

LOL, EA. I can see why you had some concerns. I didn't catch that you are a beginner. That is the way  I learned. Knots, humps, bumps, etc. But I had learning wood in my back yard so I didn't care. I learned a lot from each failure. You may want to get a pristine stave. Tell the wood cutter you are a beginner. The other option is to learn on boards. Your call. Here's me site for plenty on each of the options. Jawge
http://mysite.verizon.net/georgeandjoni/archer.html

 

[DanaM]

Take a look at GregB's HHB bow.

[Easternarcher]

LOL, EA. I can see why you had some concerns. I didn't catch that you are a beginner. That is the way  I learned. Knots, humps, bumps, etc. But I had learning wood in my back yard so I didn't care. I learned a lot from each failure. You may want to get a pristine stave. Tell the wood cutter you are a beginner. The other option is to learn on boards. Your call. Here's me site for plenty on each of the options. Jawge
http://mysite.verizon.net/georgeandjoni/archer.html

Jawge, yea I'm a beginner.I've got 3 bows under my belt now. All board and backed....
But, I think I'll give this a go. It may fail, but that's how we learn.

[Easternarcher]

OK, here's what I did tonite...
After looking over that half log of HHB, I decided that I would split it again. So I started at a check in the end and figured I'd let the wood tell me where it wants to go. Sounds cheesy I know, but it was cool to watch that split run down the log and then vear(spelling) out around the doudy knot on one side, then come right back in to a 2 in. split all the way to the other end! Now this stave varied from 1.5 to 2.25 in.wide and wouldn't ya know....that doudy knot ended up being within 3/8th inch from exact center of this blankand just off center in width.! also cool, now I can work that into my grip area. The stave is rather thin, I can't make many mistakes with this one, but being HHB, I think there's enough meat to amke a good limb. May have to add a grip section tho. It does have some propellor twist, and I'll see what I can do with that.





Now I turn attention to the other side with the live knot. I thought about starting on the end again to let the wood decide, but I decided to start the surgical split right at the knot, run to the near end, then finish off to the other side. Again sounds corny, but it worked like a dream as far as I know.....I only lost about 3/4in. off the short side and it ran out before getting to the long end.

It's gonna be a bit snakey with twist so this should also be a challenge, but I'm gonna give'er all I got!

[Ryano]

That looks pretty good now. See you'll figure it out, no problem. 

[Easternarcher]

Thanks Ryano. I tend to not take no for an answer. So we'll see how it goes.
After checking out the other half(the one I thought was firewood) I think I may just work at that one too, just to say I tried it.

[Pappy]

Looking good so far,You could try the worst piece first,if it make a bow great if not you will
learn a lot for the better piece.By the way I love your wedges.Thats what you call using what you have available.I work twisted knotty pieces all the time just for the practice,if they make a bow
great but if not you learn.Then when you get a really good straight clean piece it's a piece of cake,well almost.
   Pappy