Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: skerm on April 11, 2009, 04:06:04 am

Title: Dogwood bow
Post by: skerm on April 11, 2009, 04:06:04 am

Hi!

I was doing a little spring-cleaning on my computer and I was looking over all my bow making photos. I made this bow I'll show you here in March and I thought you might like it. It's made of cornus alba (I guess), which I think is also called dogwood. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I made it from a sapling with about 2" in diameter. It had 4" of reflex after drying. I tried to steam and heat bend to reduce the reflex, but it didn't quite work out, so it had 3" of reflex when I started.
The bow measures 76" from nock to nock. The handle is 19/16" wide and 1" thick. The tip diameter is 1/2". The draw weight is 67# at 32".

This is a picture of the roughed out stave for drying (click on the thumb to enlarge).

(http://itp.tugraz.at/~skerm/Hartriegel/thumb_Grob02.jpg) (http://itp.tugraz.at/~skerm/Hartriegel/Grob02.jpg)

When I was done, the reflex was gone.

(http://itp.tugraz.at/~skerm/Hartriegel/thumb_Ungespannt.jpg) (http://itp.tugraz.at/~skerm/Hartriegel/Ungespannt.jpg)

I steamed and bent one of the tips a little sideways to get the string centered.

(http://itp.tugraz.at/~skerm/Hartriegel/thumb_Aufgespannt.jpg) (http://itp.tugraz.at/~skerm/Hartriegel/Aufgespannt.jpg)

(http://itp.tugraz.at/~skerm/Hartriegel/thumb_fulldraw.jpg) (http://itp.tugraz.at/~skerm/Hartriegel/fulldraw.jpg)

Usually I make my bows bend less in the inner parts, but this was the first time I used this wood and I wasn't quite sure how much it can take. It has some small knots on the back and one part I didn't quite know what to make of, see the pictures below. I thought the outer limbs already had some stretch in them because the went from reflexed to straight, so I left it bending less there at full draw.

(http://itp.tugraz.at/~skerm/Hartriegel/thumb_Unterer_Wurfarm.jpg) (http://itp.tugraz.at/~skerm/Hartriegel/Unterer_Wurfarm.jpg)

(http://itp.tugraz.at/~skerm/Hartriegel/thumb_Oberer_Wurfarm.jpg) (http://itp.tugraz.at/~skerm/Hartriegel/Oberer_Wurfarm.jpg)

Cheers,
Daniel

Title: Re: Dogwood bow
Post by: DanaM on April 11, 2009, 06:59:20 am

Looks good to me that dogwood is tough stuff :)

Title: Re: Dogwood bow
Post by: deerhunter97370 on April 11, 2009, 07:25:03 am

Skerm, I hope my two dogwood staves that I cut last week turn out as nice as your bow Good Job, Joel

Title: Re: Dogwood bow
Post by: Hillbilly on April 11, 2009, 10:09:23 am

Looks like it turned out good, nice bow.. Where are you located? The flowering dogwood we have here is a good bow wood. I have one about 3/4 finished from it, and I'm impressed with the wood.

Title: Re: Dogwood bow
Post by: skerm on April 11, 2009, 10:13:40 am

Thanks! This is indeed tough stuff. There's another sapling where I got this one, guess I'll cut it next winter!

Hillbilly, I live in Austria.

Cheers,
Daniel

Title: Re: Dogwood bow
Post by: OldBow on April 11, 2009, 11:48:07 am

This would be a fun candidate for April Self BOM. I would have to have larger pictures, though.

Title: Re: Dogwood bow
Post by: George Tsoukalas on April 11, 2009, 01:19:50 pm

That is a great bow! Nice job. Old Bow. just click on them. Jawge

Title: Re: Dogwood bow
Post by: bambule on April 11, 2009, 03:53:55 pm

Yeah Skerm, very nice done - I saw it on FC or FA first.
Haste fein jemacht ;D

Greetz
Cord 

Title: Re: Dogwood bow
Post by: Pat B on April 11, 2009, 05:08:45 pm

Nice longbow, Danial. Is Cornus alba a tree or shrub type dogwood? Our Cornus florida is a tree but Cornus amomum is a shrub type. I have both to try.

Title: Re: Dogwood bow
Post by: skerm on April 12, 2009, 01:54:22 am

Thanks everyone! :)
This dogwood grows as a shrub. It makes good arrows, but there are a few thicker ones like the one I used and as it turned out it works also pretty well for bows.

Cheers,
Daniel

Title: Re: Dogwood bow
Post by: Pennhawk on April 12, 2009, 08:50:14 am

Good looking bow.

Title: Re: Dogwood bow
Post by: OldBow on April 12, 2009, 01:19:37 pm

Quote from: George Tsoukalas on April 11, 2009, 01:19:50 pm

That is a great bow! Nice job. Old Bow. just click on them. Jawge

Good grief ::) Thanks George.
Quite the weapon, skerm. You could hit a Montana elk from you are.