41 inch Juniper bow,,full draw added

[bradsmith2010]

  this bow is made from a limb my friend gave me,, cut in his back yard,,it had a few spots that were challenging,,some snakey twist laterally and up and down,, I tried to bend some sideways twist out of it a popped a big splinter off the side,, so I stopped while I still had some wood for that limb,,and just proceeded to make the bow as is,, I put extra sinew on a knot that was close to the edge,,after putting on two moderate layers of sinew it cracked pretty bad on belly,( I didnt put tape on belly)
  since I was really just learning and experimenting I didnt wait to long on sinew to dry,, less that two weeks,, strung and tillered best I could,,its not pretty,, I think the bow is pretty,, but the tiller is not picture perfect for sure,,
  the bow is 41 inches nock to nock
  I drew it to 19 1/2 and it was about 53# I thought is shot well for the short power stroke,, sending a 424 grain arrow 159 fps,,
ok that is the weight arrow I had invisioned I would hunt with a 23 inch maple shaft,, and felt it was adequate for deer at that speed so was impressed with the Juniper wood for making a short bow,, I have been shooting it quite a bit and it is harder to master a good shot,, but at close range hunting shots it would be effective,, I ordered a stave from Chuck,, so I can try a longer bow,, 48 inches or so,,so I really enjoyed learning a bit about the wood,,here are some pices, and I will take a full draw and better side profile for you,,
   I painted the sinew with acrylic and the handle is rawhide from african drum repair,, the one photo has an arrow and a small piece of paper I was shooting at,, when I did a good shot,,

[bradsmith2010]

the belly crack inspired me to paint a snake over it,,and the sinew wrap is over the knot I was concerned about,, has held up fine for now,, I have been shooting it every day, ,and plan to grouse hunt with it, in Sept,, more photos to come thanks for your patience,,

[JW_Halverson]

That bow's no bigger than a buck snort!
 
Sure you ain't gonna need a concealed weapon permit to carry it??? 

Can't wait to see more pics of it in action. Nice work!

[bradsmith2010]

your Right,, it is small but thats all I had so gave it a try,,now im hooked on Juniper,,
here some  pics of the snakey profile and reinforced nocks,, the sinew was still wet in the photo,,  its does not like a longer arrow,, the Sioux average 23 inch arrow seems to work best,,I am just learning,,  I forgot to add it holds a bit of reflex,, I did not try to induce any,, the Juniper seems to respond well to the sinew ,,Chuck told me if I put tape on the belly it wont crack like that,,

[bradsmith2010]

more pics of bow in progress,, it was fun to make,,I didnt expect it to shoot that well,,

[Pat B]

Brad, you know the draw weight?  Cool little bow. 

[bradsmith2010]

about 53#@ 19 1/2  thanks,,

[bradsmith2010]

more pics,, I was really getting cocky bout my juniper bow,,

[Pat B]

Hey, I've done that before with a little yew paddle bow a few years ago.    It sure will get your heart pounding.
Sorry for your loss.   

[bradsmith2010]

thanks Pat,, it did get my attention,,,,

[willie]

dang, it looked like a nice grouse hunting plan.....

how thick was the sinew at the breaks?

[Del the cat]

Real shame she blew.. I thought it was real pretty.. proper primitive 
Del

[bjrogg]

RIP little one.
Bjrogg

[Marc St Louis]

Pity.  It was a good looking bow.  Pain in the A when that happens, unless it hits you in the head then it's a headache :-)

[bradsmith2010]

thanks Guys, I am only a little discouraged, will try again and be a bit more careful,, 
the full draw pic didnt come out as expected,,,but bow making can keep you on your toes,,