Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Gordon on January 30, 2011, 08:07:46 pm
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Last fall I was hunting with Keenan in Central Oregon. On the last evening I went into my tipi and was surprised to find a bow stave laying across my sleeping bag. It was yew wood and judging from the tight growth rings it had been harvested at high elevation. But unfortunately it had several inches of natural deflex and some really gnarly looking knots and bumps. I grabbed the stave and wandered to the campfire where Keenan was sitting. We sat quietly for a while and finally I looked at Keenan and asked him if he really expected me to make a bow from this stave. Keenan reached over and handed me the most drop dead gorgeous yew bow I had ever set eyes upon. I held the bow and then looked at Keenan and asked him where it came from. He was quiet for a moment, then a sly smile came across his face and he said that it came from a sister of the stave that I was holding. Well obviously that changed everything and I would have to somehow make a bow out of this rather homely stave.
The bow that I made is 60” ntn and pulls 55# @ 27”. I took out some of the deflex near the handle and flipped the tips to give it more of an r/d profile. I left the limbs a bit wide (1.5”) and made the belly just slightly elliptical to prevent as much set as possible. The tip overlays are black wood and the handle area is built up with yew and blood wood laminations. The handle is dyed elk-hide with a Strunk style wrap. Total mass is 18.5 ounces. It turns out that Keenan was right - don't pass up staves just because they are deflexed. There are some good bows in that wood!
Here is a link to the bow that Keenan made from the sister stave.
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,17111.0.html
And here are pictures of my bow:
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Yew%20Flatbow/YewFlatBow10.jpg)
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Yew%20Flatbow/YewFlatBow3.jpg)
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Yew%20Flatbow/YewFlatBow4.jpg)
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Yew%20Flatbow/YewFlatBow1.jpg)
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Yew%20Flatbow/YewFlatBow6.jpg)
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Yew%20Flatbow/YewFlatBow5.jpg)
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Yew%20Flatbow/YewFlatBow8.jpg)
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Yew%20Flatbow/YewFlatBow7.jpg)
(http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy217/gferlitsch/Yew%20Flatbow/YewFlatBow9.jpg)
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That, is one, COOL looking bow, Gordon. Fantastic, as usual.
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i am absolutely blown away!! i havent been on here much lately. Glad i got to see this one. the character of that bow is amazing. i think you have out done yourself.
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WOW!that's about all I can say-WOW,well I guess I can add that that's a really nice lookin bow,definatly one to treasure-Hammertime
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WOW Gordon! - This one is absolutely beautiful!
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Nice to see a Master's work.
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I love the way Yew looks, sapwood and heartwood. Beautiful bow as always.
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Um... WOW?!!
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I agree WOW!!! That is a awesome bow. You did some great work on that for sure. I really like the Strunk style handle wrap.
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Beautiful bow ! (One of a kind). Hows it shoot ? You obviously have great skill. Thanks for sharing ' Frank
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Speechless! :)
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That is exquisite. George
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Thank you Eddie.
Thank you for the nice compliment Sulphur.
Thank you Hammertime.
Thank you Frank. I always appreciate your encouraging words.
Thank you Grunt.
Thank you Bill. I love the way yew looks also.
Thank you Cameroo.
Thank you Scott.
Thank you for the nice words Bettle.
Thank you Sparrow - it shoots very well. Thank you for the compliment.
Thank you Bullit.
Thank you George. I appreciate it.
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now that is a work of art... and a bom winner !!
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WOW thats to cool !! I want to see that one up close
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That is one sweet little bow. great job on that tough stave.
Tell
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Gordon, I am speechless, You had the harder of the two staves, and you pulled off an even more beautiful bow, with a masters touch. I think I could gaze at those pictures for hours and I can't wait to see it in person. Your skills as a master bowyer are evident in every detail of that challenging and incredible bow. The finish and profile came out excellent, and the full draw is sheer beauty. I absolutely love the side view of those bumps. I knew I handed that to the right person for the job. Well done my friend.
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beautifull
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Yew is such a great bow wood and you know what to do with yew! Well done, Gordon. 8)
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that has to be the most "unflat" flat bow i have ever seen
the roller coaster in that bow is incredible
as usual with your work Gordon,every detail looks to be done perfectly
when i grow up i wanna be able to make bows like that ;D
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Like I said on PP. I think there is something in the water for you Oregon bowyers. :)
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Ahh...what to say. First of all im glad someone can show us newbies how its done, second, thanks for providing me with a new screen saver that even my wife likes.
I would like to know a few things...did you reduce sapwood thickness? and how much reflex did you introduce (how much was lost?) and did you use dry heat or steam/boil?
Cheers
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Yup. that's a cracker, very pretty.
Del
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Gordon, that really is a beautiful bow, yew know how to work a stave.
Matthias
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Inspiring, beautiful, glad I got to see it.
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Drop- dead beautiful,Now I need to get to work on mine.Great work Gordon that is sweet.. :) :)
Pappy
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That is a very nice looking bow Gordon
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Sweet looking bow.
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Very Nice Bow Gordon... Your work never fails to inspire and raise the bar around here. Your finish work and tillering skills on that challenging piece of wood is phenomenal. :o Bookmarked for January BOM contest. :)
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Exceptional..Very nice bow.I have to get back at mine.Garage is just about done 2 more weeks I hope.
Thanks Leroy
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HOLY COW GORDON....i have to say that i think that is the best master piece you have done...the bow is stunning,gorgeous,and just beautiful with a masters touch..you really did a great job and thanks for sharing...john
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That is one beautiful stick !!
Sorry folks I think the contest is over !!
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Every bow you put on here, you seem to outdo yourself. Thats a true work of art.
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That is one beautiful stick !!
Sorry folks I think the contest is over !!
Yeah, I wish he'd waited until February >:(
Del
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Talk about rising to the challenge! Why stop many hours early when creating a bow once function is reached...put in the extra time to make it a work of art as well! Then go to the field and harvest your game in style...endeaver to persevere! Beautiful bow Gordon!
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awesome. you are a true craftsmen sir. another one of your staves has reached it's highest potential.
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My response to your wonderfully crafted bows is always the same, and I say it again. That bow is wicked awesome.
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just perfect - a dream became reality (http://www.pictorlucis.de/gbook/sl/anbet.gif)
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Beautiful bow Gordon.I really like everything about it. Great work. God Bless
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Stunning...
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SWEETTTTTT
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Gorgeous. A truly lovely bow.
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Well, it's been said already, but, beautiful!
Darcy :)
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My heart started beating faster when i saw that bow, that's beautiful
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It's always a pleasure looking a your work, Gordon! Pure eye-candy.
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Gordon, I know its already been said in a myriad of ways but it is a true pleasure to view your work. It inspires me to not settle for less. After seeing what you have done with that stave it lets the rest of us know what is possible. Danny
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Oh my, so many fine compliments. Thank you all so much! What a pleasure posting a bow on this board.
Holten, I did not reduce the sapwood. I used dry heat to induce reflex and lost about half of it in the tillering process.
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Absolute work of ART!!
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Gotta hand it to ya Gordon. First class!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Thank you Will.
Thank you Jesse.
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Just stunning Gordon. Always enjoy seeing your fine attention to detail.
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Killer
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like they said, well done, a work of art, I've got some Idea of the work it takes to pull that off ( even though I dont have the patience myself) so you have my respect for that
Dave
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another outstanding job Gordon, well done. if anyone could make a bow from that stave, you could. come to think of it...I know keenan has some really nice straight staves, and since he doesnt use them anymore he may be up for some trading.... ;D
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Always a treat to see. Thanks for posting.
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Now that is an awesome bow!! Great job on that. I love looking at your bows, outstanding. Scott
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Wow another great bow Gordon cannt wait to see that one in person. Greg
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Wonderful job on this piece!!!
:) :) :)
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That is a nice one, tiller is outstanding. I think yew flatbows are very hard to beat. God's bow wood. Steve
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Thank you Barrage.
Thank you Yeti.
Thank you for your nice words Dave.
Thank you Dave, there is nothing wrong with straight wood - save a couple of staves for me!
Thank you gmc.
Thank y ou for the compliment Scott.
Greg, it's good to see you on the forum. I look forward to seeing you again.
Thank you 177.
Thank you Steve. I agree, yew is God's gift to archers.
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Really, it's another one of those that one keeps coming back to, to have another look at the pictures!
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what a beautiful work of art.i admire your work gordon. i'll bet it shoots sweet too. ruddy
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I know it's all been said, but it's just beautiful Gordon. Way to go!
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Completely incredible. I am stunned.
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after seeing your past work who could expect anything less. gordon you make everyone strive to be a better boyer.
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Gordon, I just keep coming back to gaze on that incredible bow. A true masterpiece and functional art.
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Thank you again Frank.
Thank you Ruddy. I was shooting it this evening and it is sweet.
Thank you Parnell.
Thank you Bob, it is good to hear from you again.
Thank you for the compliment ohma.
Thank you so much Keenan. That means a lot coming from someone as talented as you.
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:'(Its so beautiful it make` me cry! ;DSeriously though that is one purty bow! Awsome, well done!!! ;)
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This bow and its story still makes my jaw drop.
This is self bowyering at its best. It doesn't get any better than this. To tiller with all those sharp humps n bumps,and make the belly follow that back,and to turn that into a flawless tiller is one of the biggest challenges in selfbows. Like I said ....it doesn't get any better than this ;).....hint hint
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Terrific job, as usual, Gordon. I love those natural colors and contrasts.
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Wow, Gordon, that thing is beautiful; amazing work!
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That bow is magic.
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Really great. Did you thin the sapwood on that? if so, what's your trick?
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Verry NICE. . .
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Qwill, I didn't thin the sapwood - that would have been quite difficult to do with this stave. And it didn't really need it anyway.
Thank you all for the really great compliments.
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In my Top two memorable all time favorite bows I've seen here yet.
Why do you round the bellies on the flat bows? Does it do something?
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Why do you round the bellies on the flat bows? Does it do something?
Scott, I like a slightly round belly simply because it is pleasing to the eye and touch. But I will only do this with woods that will allow it such as yew.
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You are amazing Gordon, I can feel that bow, wonderful job :)
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That is one awesome looking bow, keep it up! 8)
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beats the bow i just made by a long shot! Great work and a really awesome bow! :D
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I just love that bow Gordon.....and I still have not finished my hickory bow to do my first handle wrap. :)
Maybe one day I can reach just half the skills of you guys...I am always impressed and amazed.
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Thank you all. I really appreciate the nice comments.
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That is some realy good photography.
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This is one my favourite bow of all time just outstanding work Gordon.
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Beautiful just beautiful. I don't heap praise out often but that bow is special.
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Gordon: Now that is nice...real nice! I would be very proud.