2016 Primitive Archer Bow Trade Sign up and Information

[ajooter]

Lookin great stix.  I'm sure that's gonna be a sweet shooter.

Rich I'll be posting some similar pics shortly hopefully.

B....maybe we ought to get together and do some tillerng!

Way to stay on top of the trade Fred!!  Only way to keep it going smoothly.

[half eye]

The wood block is just for leverage....cant remember what the post name was but I have pics in it where I took a couple inches (lateral) out of some osage and even showed the stove clock to prove the timing.

You put the bend in after 5 min of steam, do the bend, and hold it in place for maybe 2 minuets.....done  .....but if you feel the wood it will still be hot as all get out.
rich

PS if it will help, I'll redo the pics of a actual bend with the clock in the pics and how I do it.....I think I can sweet talk Mrs. into a few minuets of her time. One other thing....even if I steam in the evening, the bow is ready to work the next day with no issues. Did ya ever notice when you take the wood out after an hour how the wood looks bone dry? If ya bend it like I do the wood will be "wet" when bent and only needs to dry some.

[Stixnstones]

After steam i usually wait aboot 4 days before anymore work, after dry heat usually wait 2 days. Dont like to rush things. Patience , grasshopper.

[Drewster]

Ty, good questions.  I've read that chapter too and the mass principle makes sense to me.  I've been conscious of those principles with the bows I've built in the past year.  I'm certainly not qualified to answer your questions but why don't you PM Badger and ask him directly......keep us posted. 

[PlanB]

PS if it will help, I'll redo the pics of a actual bend with the clock in the pics and how I do it.....I think I can sweet talk Mrs. into a few minuets of her time. One other thing....even if I steam in the evening, the bow is ready to work the next day with no issues. Did ya ever notice when you take the wood out after an hour how the wood looks bone dry? If ya bend it like I do the wood will be "wet" when bent and only needs to dry some.

Rich you don't have to prove it (to me at least), I've seen your work, and totally believe it. Just glad to know it can be done that way.

[Drewster]

Rich, yes indeed, I'm glad to know of your success with your technique too.  I will try it.  I've had numerous conversations with other bowyers about the potential degrade of bow wood by excessively steaming or heating it.  I've steamed green staves for an hour + to bend the entire stave but also wonder how it's changing the wood.  A wagon wheel that remains fairly static and a bow that  must constantly bend are two different situations obviously.  Have you ever seen any scientific data on the property effects of steaming and heating wood?  That would be most interesting.  I work with hickory a good bit.  Have you had the same success with hickory using those very short steam times?

Thanks......Drew

[PatM]

You'll find that most studies show an increase of wood strength properties with steaming at typical temperatures for up to  an hour.

[---GUTSHOT--->]

I've got to get around to reading these books. I have no idea what mass principle is or anything else. When I build a bow I just go with the flow. Yes I do heat and steam the bow to get unwanted flaws or to recurve the tips or to straighten enough to get the string in the correct spot. I guess my theory is just take what the wood gives you and go with it. Might be the wrong way but it's the Gutshot way. Oh well at least I'm learning a lot from everybody from the youngest to the oldest and that's why I joined up for this trade. Hey David let's see a pic of the best looking shave horse on this thread. The pic of you I could just barely see part of it. But dang it looked like a nice one. Well let's just all post a pick of our shave horses if you got one. I'll post mine tonight.

[half eye]

Gutshot, sounds exactly like some ole dude I know   Except for the "get the books part" dont know if it's a case of "too old" or "this works just fine".

[---GUTSHOT--->]

HALF EYE. WORKS JUST FINE SOUNDS GOOD TO ME.

[stuckinthemud]

My shave horse is just a kind of long 3-legged stool - two legs one end joined to the third by a piece of 3x2 - about 3 foot long - that I knocked up out of bits of scrap timber - I usually bolt an engineers vice onto one end and sit on a removable seat on the other for carving.  The seat has long lugs that sit each side of the cross-bar but when I am shaving down a length of timber, it goes onto the timber and my weight holds the timber in place giving me a 3 feet long legth of timber to plane, supported by the cross bar,  without a hold-down in the way.  I prefer the set up on my work bench as I have bolted a wooden 'anvil' to one of the legs - a piece of 4x4 pine extending to about the height of my solar plexus.  This anvil is placed so timber can be held in the bench-vice and supported by the anvil for work- its been so useful I almost never use the surface of the bench except for leaving tools on.  One day I'm going to replace it with a leg-vice..........



getting ready to de-bark my hazel  bow

[Otter]

Yesterday I worked on my trade bow I marked 5/8" to reduce limb thickness and cut it out on bandsaw

[Otter]

[Otter]

[Otter]

I worked it to floor tillering ... Now ready to put in the form to dry heat