all bowmaking is a gamble, my brother! After all, what do we do but push the envelope, push it a little more, a little more, a little more...we're like little kids bugging our parents for money, or slackers trying to get out early and hope the boss doesn't notice!
This is what yesterday's backed bow looks like immediately after trim-sanding the edges:
Yesterday, before adding the bamboo, but after thinning the thing down with the belt sander, I could draw it about 16" no problem, maybe 40 pounds or so. Here it is today at 8" immediately after trimming.
Spots like this where the grain swirls, you have to change direction with the rasp. You can do it smoothly with no gouges or tear-outs, provided you change direction with the rasp. This spot also proves to be a flat area in the upcoming pictures. It is toward the end of the right hand side of the bow.
At 14" draw:
At 15" draw: Like I said, the flattish area toward the end of the right limb is where the grain swirls and changes direction.
These next two pictures show the tight string running end to end. No brace height at all, just a tight string. The tips of the string are on center, but I can't say the same for the length of the bow.
That's all for today. How do you guys think I should handle the string issue? No big deal, just run with it? Or should I trim the bow width-wise so that the string is centered? It's a strong draw now, about 70 or 80 pounds at 15 inches, on the long string. The long string, by the way, is only a few inches longer than the bow itself.
