Red oak board bow (UPDATED)

[Gingerbeard20]

I had posted this on reddit for a tiller check the other day but after seeing stuckininthemuds post about the slow down of new bowyers posting on this forum I thought Id put it up here as well.  Bow is 67.5" tip to tip  2" at the fades to 9/16" at the tip. I did mess with the handle a little sice I posted on reddit not sure if I like where its at or not yet. This will be the 3rd bow i started with number 2 half tillered and gathering dust in the corner. Ill add more pics as i get more work done in the coming weeks for anybody interested in following along.

https://imgur.com/gallery/Y2RHtU9

[Pat B]

Looks good. I would round over the corners more. Less chance of lifting a splinter. Other than that I think you've got a shooter there. 

[superdav95]

Good looking bow there.  The tiller looks pretty good to me.  The bend is pretty decent looking.  I’m not crazy about the handle but to each their own.  I’m sure it’s comfortable.  The fades area where you have your slope taper seems a bit angular.  I would round that a bit before you go too much further.  My concern is the abrupt change there.  Make it more rounded and smooth of a translation to spread out those stresses.  You mention you think you may have messed up your handle??? What do you mean.  Are you just not happy with the look or placement of it. 

[willie]

  The fades area where you have your slope taper seems a bit angular.  I would round that a bit before you go too much further.  My concern is the abrupt change there.  Make it more rounded and smooth of a translation to spread out those stresses. 

My first glance said the same, but the limb thickness at the abrupt change spot looks to be a bit thicker than compared to an inch or so further out?  If so that thickness helps.

If you decide to smooth out that abrupt spot, sand the radius back into the handle without reducing any limb thickness in that area and I think you will be ok.

Looks good. I would round over the corners more. Less chance of lifting a splinter. Other than that I think you've got a shooter there. 

the corners on the back are especially critical for rounding.  radiused at least like a round pencil and smooth

tiller looks good but its hard to judge the finer aspects with the cluttered background. 

[Gingerbeard20]

I'm not crazy about the handle but to each their own.  I'm sure it’s comfortable.

I'm not really sure how I feel about it either, its fairly comfortable but not really what I had envisioned. I may end up taking the butt looking part down some more.

My first glance said the same, but the limb thickness at the abrupt change spot looks to be a bit thicker than compared to an inch or so further out?  If so that thickness helps.

You are correct it is thicker just past the hard angle. Its what the drawing I was working off of suggested. But i will definitely smooth that out some there.

the corners on the back are especially critical for rounding.  radiused at least like a round pencil and smooth

tiller looks good but its hard to judge the finer aspects with the cluttered background.

I will get them rounded off more, they are slightly rounded but I wasn't sure how much is to much. A pencil is a great reference thank you. Sorry about the clutter the only clear walls I have are outside lol when the weather is bad I generally work in my kitchen (somewhat to my wife's displeasure) and set my tillering stick up in the bedroom. A work shop type space is high on my to do list.


Thank you all for your suggestions they are greatly appreciated!

[SLIMBOB]

Nice job. Round the corners before you get this far down the road on one, but overall, this looks good.

[Kidder]

Nice job! To follow up on Superdavs comment - draw your fades with some sort of curved form - like a cut off blade or coffee can, and cut to shape. Solid looking build for number 3.

[JW_Halverson]

Sweet bends on those limbs. Ought to work just fine!

[mmattockx]

The fades area where you have your slope taper seems a bit angular.  I would round that a bit before you go too much further.

draw your fades with some sort of curved form - like a cut off blade or coffee can, and cut to shape.

OP, this is more what you want for your fades. Instead of a straight angle you want it to gently transition to nothing on the limb, with no sharp corner or abrupt change.




I agree with the others, the tiller looks very nice. I don't go as far as most rounding the corners on the back at less than a 1/8" radius, but the sharper the corner the higher the risk that it will lift a splinter.


Mark

[superdav95]

They say a picture says a thousand words.  This is what I was trying to explain in my reply to op post.  This picture says it better. 

[willie]

OP, this is more what you want for your fades....

Mark
Have you posted this bow in a different topic? I would like to comment about your handle without hijacking Gingerbeards redoak topic

[mmattockx]

Mark
Have you posted this bow in a different topic? I would like to comment about your handle without hijacking Gingerbeards redoak topic

Hey willie,

It is from a couple years ago:

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,70862.msg994666.html#msg994666


Mark

[Gingerbeard20]

I got the fades smoothed in somewhat and the back corners rounded over. Ended up right where I wanted it at 30lb and 28", took about 1& 1/18" set immediately after unstrung that relaxes out to about 1/2 after a few hours. I think it still ended up a little stiff in the inner 1/3s and bottom limb ended up with a little more movement than the top, at brace its about an 1/8" higher at the bottom of the handle than the top. All in all I'm not to upset for my second completed bow maybe Ill go back and see if I can finish the second one I started now. Ill post some more pictures one I get a finish on it and maybe a handle wrap.

https://imgur.com/gallery/uMQ9aey

[Muskyman]

Looking good to me Ginger. Always hard to tell from pictures but it kinda looks like your bottom limb has a little more bend than the top.. still much better than my first few attempts. I don’t have the experience that most on here have, not even close. Lots of really good bowyers on here. Keep up the good work.
Also the wife must be a keeper, mine would chase me out of the kitchen if I tried that.

[willie]

I think it still ended up a little stiff in the inner 1/3s and bottom limb ended up with a little more movement than the top, at brace its about an 1/8" higher at the bottom of the handle than the top. All in all I'm not to upset for my second completed bow

I think your evaluation is correct. spreading out the bend more will help with the set
are you in a humid part of the country? sometimes bow recovering from set means your wood could be drier.  Another reason is that the wood may have gotten overworked early on in the tiller process if you were pulling too hard or the bend was too concentrated in one part of the limb.
Seeing correct bend at brace height is what I try to achieve, but I have found it challenging.
I would expect that those dimensions with redoak with a target draw weight of 30# could be done withless strain on the wood.

looks like some nice  bow wood is available without having to walk to far from your front door. better choices than redoak boards