Del's Wonky Warbow

[Del the cat]

I cut some Yew way back in 2013. Some of it was billets and pretty waggly. Last year I was sorting out out the timber and geting rid of the no hopers but I found two billets that were vaguely matched with a big deflex dip and some sideways waggle too. I was cutting splices and glueing up any decent billets, so I did these two.
I came across 'em last week and started roughing 'em out at warbow dimensions with an aim of 100# at 32". Wasnt really sure if the splice would take it, but it made a good demo of the strength of a splice to reassure a customer who was having a 45# at 32" off me from the same batch of spliced staves.
Anyhow, I got it back to 100# at 28" and then reflexed the tips a little (hot air gun and sunflower oil).
I'm not sure how it will shoot, to some extent it's a novelty bow or a character bow... or maybe it's an R/D flight Warbow... who knows!
My mate JT will be taking it to a roving marks shoot at the weekend to give it a good work out. 100# is easy for him so maybe he'll get some crisp flight shots away too.
It started off as an ugly duckling... not sure it's quite turned into a swan, but it should raise a few eyebrows
Enough blethering on here are some pics.
btw it's 83" ttt
Youtube video here:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwbVP0upLLU
Del

[osage outlaw]

That's an interesting bow Del.

[Ruddy Darter]

Way to go Del,  that looks a fun bow and will be interesting to know how it gets on,  .
Is heat and oil better than steam for recurving on a form? 
(I got a Deflex yew stave I'm going to do similar with, I was planning on using steam.)
 R.D.

[willie]

R/D flight warbow .... I like that.

 BTW, Del, is there any sort of distance competition shot with warbows with warbow weight arrows? or is that what a roving marks shoot is?

Nice experiment,  will look for the range report.

[Del the cat]

@ Ruddy Darter.
I've written up the reflexing of the tips on my blog with an explanation of why I went for hot air gun option.
http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/reflexed-tips-and-magic-brick.html

@ Willie
It's an ILAA roving marks and they always finish with a flight shoot of 4 arrows (I think it's 4, I've not been to one for a while).
Roving marks is wandering about the fields shooting at "marks" (shields or flags) set up at varying longish distances, often set up to decieve the eye by having the mark just over the brow of rise, in a dip or over a few trees.
Del

[Ruddy Darter]

Thanks Del for another informative read (I think I'll give the steam a go, the sapwood is pretty thin on the stave I have,  I'm going for a set up similar to another blog of yours on steaming. )
 R.D.

[willie]

sounds like fun, Del. almost as much fun as we had when we were kids, and lost most of our arrows by shooting them out of sight.

read your heat bending post on your blog, and must ask.....

are you concerned with the heat bends pulling out, if you wait until the bow is so close to being finished, before reflexing the tips?

you report that you did the bending at  100#@ 28",    and I assume the bow came in as intended, 100#@32"?

[DC]

Is it bending much in the handle? I watched the vid but I couldn't make up my mind if or how much it was bending. Did you just do a "z" splice or did you scoop out the back and put a splint in too? This will do a lot to reduce the "pucker factor" of spliced bows.

[Del the cat]

It's a simple Z splice. I don't think it's bending too much in the handle I think the deflex just makes it look like that, also it rocks on the tiller as it is drawn, that movement may look like flexing... There is probably some movement as even with a thickened grip there is always a little flex. I can't make my mind up either!
I've put a link to the vid in the original post for anyone else who wants it....
may as well add it hre too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwbVP0upLLU
Del

[mikekeswick]

Interesting bow Del
I don't think it is bending too much in the handle. It doesn't look 'strained' even at 32" to these eyes.

[Strichev]

Pfft, I can easily make a bow that looks just like that at full draw, even when I start from a perfectly dead straight knotless stave!


Jokes aside, it is something special indeed. I wonder how it would look like on a high speed camera. Keep us posted on how it shoots.

[Del the cat]

Interesting bow Del
I don't think it is bending too much in the handle. It doesn't look 'strained' even at 32" to these eyes.

Cheers Mike 
I've since taken it to just over 33" to be on the safe side, I didn't want it exploding in my mate's hand!
Del

[penderbender]

Very cool Del! I was watching his none on your blog. That's such a crazy profile. I love it! Interesting to hear how it shoots. Cheers- Brendan

[wizardgoat]

That's a very cool and unique bow Del! Can't say I've ever seen a RD warbow

[selfbow joe]

Very nice work