Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: GregB on August 07, 2009, 08:35:05 am
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64" Tip to tip osage, 51#@27"
It wasn't like I was planning to make this bow, but while up at the barn looking for a stave of osage for Doug to make a bow from, this very snakey split osage log caught my eye. Looking out for Doug's best interest and the fact he was to make his first bow, I thought it best that I take on this challenge and allow him a somewhat less curvey piece to seduce him! ;D I found a nice piece with nice lines after recovering from my discovery...but I'll let him tell you that story. ;)
I split off the belly split from the log and that's what this bow was made from. The top section of the log was chased to a grain, a line was drawn following the linear grain length wise down the center of the log, and then it was cut in to with a bandsaw for Pappy and BigA to make bows from. This was by far the most snakey piece of osage I have ever attempted a bow from. It was challenging to tiller with the handle shifting out of line two different directions and a big dip right at the lower limb fades.
The grip is tanned elk hide and tanned deer hide. The deer hide was given to me by Leapingbare and he added metal during the soaking of the hide to give it the grey color. The tips are bubinga and buffalo horn, the beads are cocobollo, and the skin is timber rattler. The bow was sealed with truoil, lightly sanded and final coats were polyurethane clear satin. She shoots very nice and is center shot due to the handle rotation. I hope you like it! :)
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a few more pics please...
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Most excellent in every respect!
You are a true master.
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Beautiful work brother! I never would have attempted it. My patience extends to raising children and building violins.......not chasing rings in wood where they can outrun me. :)
Great full draw pic.........we would never guess at the profile of the bow if that was the only pic we had to judge by.
Happy shooting!
piper
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Very Nice Greg.
Most fine work.
David
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Very nicely done. Anymore snakey is about the only thing that interests me to build a selfbow. I'm on a quest the winter to find a suitable tree to cut next Spring. You did that one beautfully. Fit and finish are outstanding. Rested profile is perfect. Not a criticism, but objective observation, the lower limb seems a smidge stiff midlimb. Knowing how those projects go, sometimes that tiller shape IS correct for a particular stave. Still it would have driven me crazy during the tillering although admittedly probably makes no difference, particularly in light of the fact it still stands perfectly straight to the string and I'm assuming shoots well. I have a weakness in that regard, chasing the image of a "perfect" tiller shape while perhaps not counting the other aspects, shooting manners in particular, as heavily as I ought. Congradulations, that is a really, really nice project.
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It's simply Beautiful, everything about it! Excellent Job!
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DANG!!! Greg, that bow looks fantastic!!!
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Right there folks, is the product of a man who loves to make bows, and takes an enormous amount of pride in doing it. And you call me a "perfectionist" ::)
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I love snakey bows and yours is BEAUTIFUL! Those tips really set it off
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Wow I'm impressed by your bow building prowes that is very cool. Nice photography too. Ron
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Hmmmmmh! Sweet, nice bow!
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WOW - all I can say...
Greetz
Cord
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So this is what you do when Pappy leaves town! Sneek to the barn and pilfer the snakiest stave in the bunch. ::) ;D
Incredible Greg. Your engineering degree has paid off! ;) Excellent bow and beautiful trappings!!!!!
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WOW !! :o :o :o :o Move over Mona lisa ;D
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Be careful ... lay that bow down in the leaves to tie your shoe and it just might bite you!
Awesome bow!
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WOW! :o :o :o What a bow!!
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I might try my hand and making those tips. great bow.
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That is magnificent craftsmanship Greg! It looks like you met the challenge face to face and walked away triumphant. Great job!
I hope you got time to hunt this year, cause you have a lot of bows to christen :D
Tracy
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Greg, that is the all time best lookin snakey osage bow I have seen to date. Very fine job!!
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Nice bow Greg!!! Now I don't want to post mine.
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And he's done it again! Another masterpiece Greg..... You got enough bow of the month hats yet? lol....... ;D
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Thanks everyone! I'm going to have to work at getting the smile off my face after your generous comments! ;D So many of you have inspired me...Pappy most of all as he's pretty much been my mentor these past years! But I've looked at different aspects of a lot of bows I've admired from folks here on PA and attempted to learn from their skills as well. I enjoy the finish process of bow-making, and spend whatever time I need to in order to try and bring an idea to light. Take your time and enjoy the ride! Thanks again! ;)
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Well said, Greg!
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WHOLLYWUHEH!!!!!!!!!! ;D
Stunning bow Greg you've pushed the bar way up der eh :) Love the handle gonna have to name that the Bagwell Style grip eh ;) :)
Hope ya get some meat with her this year :)
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super bow, ,, but I am not picking up anything that looks that much like a snake :o
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Sweet! That's a mighty impressive bow. You'd never know that it was snaky by looking at the tiller. I like that grip, too. Excellent work.
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Very nicely done Greg. I really like the handle wrap, just way cool stuff.Tips are also outstanding. All in all I give it 2 thumbs.
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Holy cow Greg, that bow is all around top noch, snakiness and tiller are beautiful, skins just the same, love the handle wrap, definatly a good looking piece of art
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That's just awesome. Outstanding in every respect! Jawge
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Ok, now I've seen some really ugly bows on here...but this one takes the cake, by far. I'm getting real tired of seeing people post such ugly, off tiller, sloppily made bows in which it's obvious the craftsman just hacked the thing out and didn't care about appearance or finish. I mean, the snakeskin job was obviously not well done, and the snaky osage stave probably only took 15 minutes to establish the ring from tip to tip. I'm gonna post the ugliest bow I've ever made and I'll bet it will win bow of the millenium! ;) ;) ;)
Seriously, that is one bad a$$ bow dude! I remember one time I was hunting with a snakeskin covered bow and I set it down beside me when I sat against a tree. I happened to look down a few minutes later, and the first thing I noticed was the snakeskin on the bow....and I jumped! I felt pretty silly afterwards because my bow actually scared me for a second. Now if I had your bow at that time, I would have jumped up, hauled a$$ to the car, burned rubber for 200 yards, eluded the cops as they tried to stop me for exceeding the speed limit by Mach 17, slid into my front yard sideways, ran into the house and then hid under the bed. Only then would I have realized I think that was my bow that scared me. Of all the bows I've seen, that one looks more like an actual snake than any one I've seen so far. Superb job!!!
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wow, that sets an amazing standard.
great piece of wood, and i really like the handle. I'm jealous of the unbraced profile, it looks like it's never pulled a string in its life.
i do have a question. the skins look really bumpy, are the scales still on?
great bow, you should be proud.
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Man Greg You the man ::)
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Thanks everyone!
Billy.... ;D ;D ;D
Ravenbeak, the skins aren't quite slick to the touch, but close. I started out with about three coats or so of truoil and gave it a full day after the third coat then lightly sanding only one direction with the scales. After that I continued to lightly sand/steel wool every other coat or so. The skins probably got 20 or so coats of truoil, and another several of polyurethane clear satin. One of the skins was from quite a bit larger snake then the other, and the scales were larger. But a pretty decent match. Pappy gave me two skins and I had one given to me from another friend I work with. Ended up using one of the one's Pappy gave me (the nicest of the two used on the top limb), and the one from my other friend.
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Absolutely beautiful ! :o,that handle beats anything I've seen.Great job all the way around!! God Bless
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Nice bow Greg. You took some pretty pictures too. ;)
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Greg
That is by far one of the most beautiful bows I have ever seen :o :o. You did an amazing job on that one. I really love the handle. Truly one of a kind.
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I bet that was a pain to make but well worth it.
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Wow Greg That bow is stunning. I don't know what I can add to whats been said. Awesome work.
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yep!!!!
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Man Greg that is truely a work of art. I am honored to have a stave from the same log. I hope I can make mine look and shoot half as nice as yours. The cool thing about that bow is that it shoots as good as it looks. I can't wait to see it get bloody this fall.I know that it is a product of what you love to do and it shows. Keep scrapping.
Big A
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Greg, That bow is NICE! Everything about it is outstanding...the curves, the skins, the grip, the worksmanship. That's the kind of bow you just want to string up and shoot the moment you see it.
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WOW!!! Incredible! Absolutely beautiful! I just want to echo what everyone else has said. I'm also envious of your ability to make such great looking handles! Nice job!
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Any snake would be proud to be friends with this bow. Very nice detail and, as usual great tip work! Bookmarked!
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Greg you just broke the sound barrier for snake bows. That bow is just simply amazing. Absolutely excellent craftsmans ship and great attention to detail. If you ever want to part with that one, please give me a call. Congratulations on your incredible bow. Keenan
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you are the man
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I think BOM for this month is gonna be unnecessary ;) ;D
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Wow, they don't get much nicer than that!
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Snake!! Snake!! Somebody go for the anti-venin. Congratulations on a real masterpiece. This bow transcends craftsmanship and moves right on into art.
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At the risk of stealing someone else remarks, you guys are making me blush! ;D I was lucky to get my hands on such a character stave and that it worked out...could have easily been a different story.
On a serious note...I really respect the bow making ability of so many of you and am constantly impressed with the high degree of skill I see on bows posted here. I often see a bow and wish I could duplicate some detail of the bow as well as the original. There are a lot of bow types that I would hesitate to attempt that I see others do a great job on. It is all in what you've got experience and confidence in. I think we should all continue to challenge ourselves to try something different occasionally, because even if you fail, I'd bet you'd learn something to add to your inventory of experience for the next bow.
Thanks again for you comments, I really appreciate it!
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That is one beautiful piece of work.
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Greg
I had to show this one to my wife. She said that is a "stop you in your tracks bow". ;D
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It looks so nice l'm using it as a background image on my computer ;D
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I think BOM for this month is gonna be unnecessary ;) ;D
Tough to beat, that's for sure...
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I often see a bow and wish I could duplicate some detail of the bow as well as the original.
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Greg, at that point you for sure give as much as you take!
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It looks so nice l'm using it as a background image on my computer
Thanks Mathew, but your great looking recurve is definitely worthy of being your screen saver! ;)
Greg, at that point you for sure give as much as you take!
I appreciate it Frank, I've always admired your bows...and especially your beautiful overlays!
Something I forgot to mention concerning a detail of my bow...I rotated the skins and mounted them 180 degrees opposite of what I usually see. The end of the skins next to the head of the snake is the end I put near the bow tips. A couple of reasons I did this...one is because the pattern is much smaller near the snakes head as is the bow limb near the tips. The other reason is that typically as you near the tail of a timber rattler the skin gets much darker and loses much of its detail...basically the pattern is not as distinct. I wanted the pattern to jump out in detail full length of the limbs, so the duller tail end of the skin was the portion I ended up not using.
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Greg, at that point you for sure give as much as you take!
I appreciate it Frank, I've always admired your bows...and especially your beautiful overlays!
Thanks Greg! (I figured you liked my overlays...!)
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Wow that is an incredible bow Greg! Everything about it is just right and I think that is the most unique handle treatment I've ever seen on a bow.
Alan
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what an awesome looking bow!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you are truly one to learn from.
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So very Impressive, what an effect on the tree. ;)
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Cool, it even has testicles!
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Very nicely done Greg,outstanding in every aspect.Glad I finely got to see the finish product.
May get to shoot it this weekend. :)
Pappy
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Thanks Pappy! You'll be the first one besides me to shoot the finished bow...see you this weekend! ;)
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WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Greg, this is one of the finest bows I've seen here, period. I could swear it is a live snake in a couple of your photos.
Tell us about the handle. Very, very cool!
Dane
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what a bow!! :o now i´m jealous - first of your unbelieveable skill, second of that fabulous snaky-bow!
i bow to you, tanks for posting
greets
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Greg, that is one awesome bow.......I bet it's gonna be a killer also......We miss yall and tell everyone Hello!!!.........AND all you need to complete that package is a pair of them Shag Carpet boots ;D ;D ;D.....I think Big A would agree with that...Don and Skyler
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just watch where you lay that thing down ,it might slither away from you !!!!fantastic looking bow !!
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Very very very very nice Greg ! :)
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Them shag carpet boots. Maybe lime green would really help this hunting season.
Big A ;D
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Thanks everyone for your comments! :)
AND all you need to complete that package is a pair of them Shag Carpet boots
Did that guy ever get a patent on those?...if not, there might be an opportunity there! ;D
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Myself, Skyler and Sammy here-by release all claims, and Knowledge of, and the Manufacturing rights of the Shag Carpet Stalking Boots, To Greg Bagwell and Anthony Hayner......They're all yours now......Go For IT!!!!!!!!!
SERIOUSLY Greg, the bow is Beautiful and a work of Art.....and let us know how the Boot thing works out ;)
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Tell us about the handle.
Dane, the grip is from tanned elk and deer hide. The deer had some metal added during the soaking period that gave it the grey color according to Leapinbare who gave me the hide. After determining the right size to use, I cut slits in one piece stopping 3/8" or so from each edge. This piece is the one that would wrap and meet at the bows back for lacing. The other piece I also cut slits in, this time leaving the 3/8" from edge only on one end, and cutting the slits out through the other end. This allowed for the weaving to be accomplished. I then laced the top and bottom of both pieces together using kangaroo lacing from Tandy Leather.
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Greg..Your talent is simply amazing,just love the bow,profile,snake skins and espicially that handle wrap,you truely have talent..Hammertime
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Yea man.. you truly are an artist.. crafting deadly works of art.
Your attention to detail is phenomenal.
I Bet your at the club right now, or headed there and so am I. I wanna shoot it.
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Greg, very perfect in every way. Really like the grip and love that snakey bow. Amasing attention to detail, good luck this fall with her. How are Pappy's and Big A's coming along? Kenneth
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GregB, that is one of the most beautiful pieces of functional art I've ever seen! Thanks for showing us.
Dave
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How are Pappy's and Big A's coming along?
Hi Kenneth, Pappy is planning to make a take down out of his...he'll have to splice on a piece in the handle area to straighten it, because the handle is at such an angle from the limb. I'm sure he won't have any trouble, it ought to work out fine.
I talked with BigA today, his is coming along real well...he has the snake skins on it and has shot it a few times. Looks like he only has the finish work left.
We ought to see some fine bows out of my two buddies! ;)
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Looks ready to take a bite out of a big ole buck. Super nice work! Love the handle work, and overall package.
thanks for sharing
Mike
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Thanks Mike, I'll definitely take it hunting this year and will start the season with it. I'd also like to hunt some with my dogwood bow and the osage recurve I got from Ryano... :)
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so many bows, so little time! ;D
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Great looking stick, you guys sure have the osage thing down. Good luck hunting with it.
VB
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wow!
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I think that bow looks like it wants to slither away!! Nice to see it front page again.
Super inspiring.
It reminds me of how much more i need/want to learn...
Thanks
Mike
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awsome bow! love the tip overlays. what kinda critter you got on the back?