Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Jmilbrandt on July 14, 2009, 02:16:47 am

Title: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Jmilbrandt on July 14, 2009, 02:16:47 am
This is my latest bow. It's 67" long 1 5/8" for 5 inches then tapering to a little under 3/8 at the tips. It pulls 45# at 28" and took a little bit of string follow. The stave had a little natural deflex on one end I removed it when I roughed it out but it came back very early in tillering so I just left it. Not my favorite bow I've made but overall i'm happy with it.

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Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Jmilbrandt on July 14, 2009, 02:18:47 am
The wood in the pics doesn't really look right it's kinda greyish looking on the back and almost black on the belly.
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Pappy on July 14, 2009, 05:38:16 am
Beautiful bow,very nice work. :)
   Pappy
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Hillbilly on July 14, 2009, 07:07:22 am
That's a really good looking bow-tiller looks perfect to me, nice finish work, too. Definitely a keeper.
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Dean Marlow on July 14, 2009, 07:19:45 am
Thats a very nice bow. I really like your tiller. Got a couple of walnut staves to work on myself. Thanks for sharing.
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: GregB on July 14, 2009, 07:43:08 am
Great job! Tiller, finish work, and I especially like your tip overlays!  ;)
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: shamus on July 14, 2009, 10:19:20 am
You did a good job.  :)
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: smokeu on July 14, 2009, 10:21:17 am
Great bow it looks really nice.

Deffinatly a keeper.

mike
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: OldBow on July 14, 2009, 11:27:09 am
Great taper job to well-crafted tips. I would imagine this is a very smooth shooter. Bookmarked, too, for July Self BOM.
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: tombo on July 14, 2009, 05:45:47 pm
That's excellent.
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: denny on July 14, 2009, 06:17:14 pm
nice job!..... my boy and I just split anice big log ready from last year.. boy what a job. I thought iron wood was hard. we plan to sell a couple of staves and make afew , hope ours look as nice as yours...
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Ohio John on July 14, 2009, 09:05:56 pm
It sure doesn't look like black walnut to me.  Are you sure thats what it is?
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Justin Snyder on July 14, 2009, 09:08:42 pm
Glad to see your putting that wood to such good use. That is an impressive bow.  Justin
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Hopefullbowyer on July 14, 2009, 09:32:49 pm
good looking bow. My walnut bow went from a natural recurve at start to a decurve while tillering.  Also had a slight angle in the grain on one tip causing some string follow. Still shoots fine. Just need to figure out how to cure a crack that has developed.
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: George Tsoukalas on July 14, 2009, 10:09:17 pm
Well done! Jawge
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Ohio John on July 14, 2009, 10:49:41 pm
It is beautiful fo sho!
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: sulphur on July 14, 2009, 11:18:09 pm
very nicely crafted bow!!  where do you get your staves??  doesn't like there is a tree for miles & miles. ;D ;D 
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Jmilbrandt on July 15, 2009, 03:08:12 am
Ohio John, I am sure it is black walnut the pictures kind of messed with the color it is much darker especially on the belly. Sulphur, I got this stave and many more from Justin Snyder, Thanks again Justin! And thanks to everyone else for your comments.
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Hillbilly on July 15, 2009, 07:20:26 am
Ohio John, walnut sapwood looks like any other whitewood.
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Justin Snyder on July 15, 2009, 11:56:34 am
Hillbilly, you have seen this piece of wood before along with everyone else who was at the Tennessee Classic when I was. It came from Calendargirl's house in Nashville.  ;)

Sulphur, there aren't any trees around here, that is why I brought this wood back from Tennessee.  ;D
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Colt45 on July 15, 2009, 12:32:38 pm
Great job justin! I like your tips! You might wanna round off those edges though... Just kidding! haha Can't wait to see it in person
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Ohio John on July 15, 2009, 05:20:21 pm
Right on I just was seeing that as a piece of American Walnut. I haven't seen any Black Walnut sapwood in probably 15 yrs or better. Thats what
I love about this messageboard.... everything comes around for us all to learn. Thanks guys!
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Jmilbrandt on July 15, 2009, 06:57:23 pm
There is no sapwood on this bow it is all heartwood, I split the sapwood off of it. The back of this bow is from just under the sapwood.
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Ohio John on July 15, 2009, 07:40:56 pm
I was just repeating what was said earlier in the post about the lighter nature of the wood in your photo being because of the presence of sapwood. My only comment earlier was that by the color of the bow in each of the photos except the first one I would have assumed it to be american walnut rather than black walnut. It is definitely a beautiful piece of work you have done regardless of the tree's species.
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Adam Keiper on July 15, 2009, 08:47:14 pm
Oooo, Sweet tiller on that bow. 
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Rich Saffold on July 15, 2009, 08:48:04 pm
JMilbrandt,

Your bow looks great !, and the only thing which I would try which might make you like it better would be to raise the brace height a bit. I love using black walnut, especially the dense heartwood sections. I had a similar bow to yours for nearly ten years.

Rich
Title: Re: Black Walnut Selfbow
Post by: Jmilbrandt on July 16, 2009, 12:02:00 am
I know the brace is low I haven't made a string for that bow yet, the string thats on it is for a much longer bow I made a while back that didn't turn out very good. I was hoping no one would notice. ::) ;D