Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Marc St Louis on March 16, 2011, 10:48:42 am

Title: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 16, 2011, 10:48:42 am: I made this bow recently from some Tonkin poles I had laying around. I won't go into much detail since I wrote an article on its construction but I will tease you with some pics. The bow is 61" long with 1 3/8" wide limbs. It pulls 53# @ 28" and shoots quite well. I backed it with some Rat Snake skins I got from Nate. Here's some pics

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/Marc-St-Louis/Composite%20Bows/Tonkin%20Bow/Bowatrestbracedandfulldraw.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/Marc-St-Louis/Composite%20Bows/Tonkin%20Bow/Backofthe2limbs.jpg)

I tested it for performance with some 525 grain arrows using my chrony and performance is pretty good, not great but good

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/Marc-St-Louis/Composite%20Bows/Tonkin%20Bow/Arrowspeed.jpg)
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: ricktrojanowski on March 16, 2011, 10:55:31 am: Very cool, it looks great and judging by the crony picture, it's quite a shooter. Is it all Tonkin with no wood lams?
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: Pappy on March 16, 2011, 11:23:45 am: Very nice looking bow Marc. Like everything about it. The finish work is exceptional. :)
Pappy
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: George Tsoukalas on March 16, 2011, 11:40:50 am: That is a beauty, Marc! Jawge
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: NTD on March 16, 2011, 11:44:33 am: LOL performance may not be great for a bow constructed by Marc St. Louis but I bet most of us would be happy with those numbers ;D Cool bow Marc, I'm looking forward to the article. The skins look good.
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: Sparrow on March 16, 2011, 11:48:02 am: Un-braced,braced,full draw,nothing but pretty lines. Really nice ! ' Frank
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: Sidewinder on March 16, 2011, 11:49:21 am: Yeah Marc, that one is cool. I would be happy with 178 fps. The skins looks great too. Danny
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 16, 2011, 11:57:49 am: Thanks guys

There's no wood except for a power lam and the handle
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: dragonman on March 16, 2011, 03:13:19 pm: great bow, well made.... I'd be happy with that speed myself,, what is 'tonkin I poles' ? I've never managed to find very wide dia. tonkin cane...what diameter poles did you use?

Dave
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: HatchA on March 16, 2011, 03:42:25 pm: VERY nice bow!

Looks like some serious distance between the nodes?
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: NTD on March 16, 2011, 03:45:12 pm: Marc, how long before we can read the full report? Next issue?
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: ErictheViking on March 16, 2011, 04:08:55 pm: really nice! and like has already been said 178fps is great. how do you tiller an all bamboo bow? are the nodes facing you on the belly as well or do you grind them off and face that side in? thanks for the sneek peek.
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: RyanY on March 16, 2011, 04:17:22 pm: Cool bow Marc. Those skins are beautiful.
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: Timo on March 16, 2011, 08:35:04 pm: Marc, I really like this bow, and the added skins. I'm proud of ya son, never knew you to do that before? Very nice work.

I bet the performance is outstanding,and that chrono reading really doesn't do it justice. Interesting build, Can you give us a physical weight of the bow?
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: hammertime on March 16, 2011, 09:18:34 pm: Very cool bow Marc really like those skins can't wait for the article-Hammertime
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: DEllis on March 16, 2011, 09:43:38 pm: Looks great, that's fast enough for sure.
Darcy :)
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 16, 2011, 11:36:51 pm: Thanks guys.

That's a typo Dave, I fixed it. The poles were under 2" in diameter.

I just wrote the article Nate so it will be a bit longer than that.

You'll have to wait for the article Erik for the answer to that question.

Not the first bow I've backed with snakeskins Tim, I just don't do it that often. I can weigh it but it will have to wait a couple days.

The bow has a nice feel to it and it shoots so well that I may use it for hunting this Fall
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: mullet on March 16, 2011, 11:45:01 pm: That's a sleek looking bow, Mark. I bet it's light and, nothing shabby aboout that speed.
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: Jesse on March 17, 2011, 12:52:01 am: Quote from: mullet on March 16, 2011, 11:45:01 pm
That's a sleek looking bow, Mark. I bet it's light and, nothing shabby aboout that speed.
Nothing shabby at all
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: Pat B on March 17, 2011, 12:59:30 am: Very nice bow Marc.
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: medicinewheel on March 17, 2011, 05:41:16 am: Yes very nice bow!
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: Steve Milbocker on March 17, 2011, 09:32:01 am: The design looks similar to the black locust you made for me Marc, looks like it shoots as well as that one too! Beautiful bow.
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: Barrage on March 17, 2011, 08:14:06 pm: Nice bow Marc. I will be looking forward to this article as well.
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: ErictheViking on March 17, 2011, 08:20:42 pm: Cool, I just bought a 2 year subscription. Can't wait for it to come out in the magazine.
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: PeteC on March 17, 2011, 10:39:55 pm: Great lookin' bow Marc. I'm lookin' forward to the article.It will be in PA right? God Bless
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: beetlebailey1977 on March 18, 2011, 01:33:13 am: Very nice....I would say the performance is pretty darn good.
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 18, 2011, 06:51:57 pm: Thanks guys

Tim. The physical weight of the bow is 16 oz

Yes Pete, it will be in PA
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: Timo on March 19, 2011, 12:07:30 am: Marc, I figured it would come in a bit lighter than that? Kinda surprising.
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: crooketarrow on March 19, 2011, 11:29:26 am: Thats alsome first TONKIN I 've ever seen. Never really gave that one a thought. SWEEETTTTTTTT BOW.
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: Gordon on March 19, 2011, 12:58:29 pm: That turned out really well. I've got a bunch of tonkin cane in my garage - I'm looking forward to your article.
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: avcase on March 19, 2011, 04:19:35 pm: Marc,
About how thick is the working part of the limb? I find Tonkin cane has an excellent response to the heat treating process. I look forward to your article!

-Alan
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: rossfactor on March 21, 2011, 03:03:24 pm: I notice you have little holmgard-ish ness going on with these tips. I am interested to hear how this works with bamboo.

G
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 21, 2011, 06:38:17 pm: Thanks guys
Tim, I do tend to use a bit of the very dense tropical woods in the handle and maybe that makes a difference

Alan, the inner part of the limbs are about 7/16" thick

I've been narrowing the outer limbs of my recurves and RD bows like that for a few years now and as you can see it works quite well with Bamboo also
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: jwillis on March 21, 2011, 10:14:19 pm: Very nice bow Marc! Like I said on your photobucket page, it looks like you've nailed the optimum r/d profile! Jim
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: BowEd on March 23, 2011, 09:03:05 am: Hi,I've made only self bows so far here but have a mentor that makes recurves too.Him and me were going to make a BBO but WOW I think I'd like a bamboo bow.I shot one once and was really impressed by the smoothness and speed of it.Super job Marc !!Your gonna enjoy hunting with that one.
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: BowEd on March 23, 2011, 09:09:01 am: Looking forward to the article in PA.
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 23, 2011, 10:24:57 am: Thanks you guys.

It will make a good hunting bow but then I may make something before then that will make me change my mind :)
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: BowEd on March 24, 2011, 12:09:49 pm: Marc,
A mentor friend of mine who's made self bows but now makes fiberglass recurves has something he calls action bamboo.He says it's 1/8 inch strips of bamboo glued together on edge.It's like trying to bend a 2x4 on edge instead of flat.You ever heard of that?I'm going to check it out.I want a bamboo bow seriously but absolutley no glass in it.I told him of the speed you got from your bow and he was impressed.It rivaled his fiberglass recurves.

Ed
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: PatM on March 24, 2011, 07:02:18 pm: Is your mentor Gregg Coffey?
What bowyers call "action boo" is still technically just Moso bamboo flooring that has been sawed into bow laminations. I don't believe any company yet makes these lams truly for bowmaking from the start.
The maple or birch lam "actionwood" is actually made specifically for bows.
Bamboo in this form seems to be spoken of highly but I wouldn't be surprised if some high grade Tonkin glued up specifically for this purpose using the same glue that would be used in a bow wouldn't be better quality.
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 24, 2011, 09:12:06 pm: I have some laminated Bamboo that was given to me several years ago. The guy who gave it to me had acquired it from someone that told him it was heat-treated laminated Tonkin. I had a good look at it and it was most certainly not Tonkin as the laminations were about 1/4" thick. As Pat says it most likely laminated Moso. Tonkin poles are too small in diameter and the wall thickness too thin for commercial use in making laminated planks
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: BowEd on March 25, 2011, 12:07:56 am: Who is Greg Coffey?My friends name is Grant Poindexter and has made more bows than anyone I know.Nowadays he's making fiberglas bows but has made a lot of self bows.He's not a total traditionalist I know but I respect him immensly the same.
Title: Re: Experimental Tonkin Bow
Post by: BowEd on March 25, 2011, 02:48:09 am: I'll be the first to admit I don't know diddly about bamboo,but the qualities that I see it put into bows is super.Something more to look forward to learning in the bow making world the way I see it.