Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: gstoneberg on March 17, 2011, 11:17:11 pm
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Here is my trade bow stave, 62" osage with some character.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5218/5533371424_04da70b4a0_z.jpg)
Took it to a growth ring.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5175/5532792029_3a5a9fc1d4_z.jpg)
Once I got it to the basic shape it became apparant that this is an interesting stave. One limb is reflexed pretty severely and the other is straight with a beautiful recurve on the end.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5293/5536120004_999460e3c6_z.jpg)
It is most obvious from the side, man, that is one messy workbench.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5015/5535586415_29e126c180_z.jpg)
It strikes me that if I just straighten the limbs, the tips will be close to the same height, but it would be odd to tiller one limb as a recurve and the other reflexed. So I have to decide whether to bend the recurve flat and reflex that limb, take out the reflex and add recurve, or try to have both reflex and recurve in both limbs. Personally I think that might be a bit much to ask from a 60" bow. I have the sinew and the time, I could do that and sinew back. Hmmmm ???
In the words of Marvin the Martian...."decisions....decisions." The fun has begun. ;D
George
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Shoot man, I'd just be happy if I could get that chubby checker twist out of it! ;D
Looking forward to seeing you progress with this one. ;)
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Do you ever cut any straight osage trees? You sure do like a challenge. I'm sure you will turn that thing into a fine bow when you are done. Can you keep posting updates, I would like to see how you are going to do it.
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wow dude! you sure like a challenge. you have your work cut out for you on this one
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George, I likethe way you build bows. I like the staves you choose. Now I'm looking forward to liking the way you build a bow out of this pretzel. 8)
If it were mine ::) I'd put it on a form and give both limbs an even backset of about 3" and go from there.
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That's looking pretty good so far. If it were me(cause I'm chicken) I'd take the reflex out and flip the straight tip to match........and then I'd probably goof it up ;D I'll be watching this one close.
Darcy
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Thanks guys. I do try to cut straight trees, but either I stink at picking them, or they just like to go wacko when I split them. This log was still in the round, though down for 2 years when I split it. I would have called it straight with a gentle bend. But, when split the staves got crooked as heck. Probably a combination of not catching bark twist and the natural bend. But, I like to play with the tricky ones even though sometimes they flat just don't work. Hopefully this one will. I think taking out twist is easier than bending a limb sideways, that's why I chose this stave. It is pretty straight, just propellered and I knew it had some reflex which I like. I just love the profile of that limb with the recurved tip. I agree Pat, I think that'd be a great bow. I've always bent my bows freehand so I don't have a form. I keep coming back to the profile of that left limb though, I really like how that looks. Leaning towards trying to add just a little reflex in both limbs and duplicating that gentle recurve on the other side. Since the log was round until recently, I'm going to take another stave from that log that has checks in the back so bad it isn't usable and make a test bow to do a heat treatment test on. I had a bow check horribly when heat bending a week ago from this wood and don't want to repeat that. If it goes well, I'll do a little more limb thinning, and then take a shot at removing the twist tomorrow after work or Saturday. Hopefully it'll still be a bow when I'm done.
George
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I would personally would be nervous to tackle a stave like that, I salute you my friend. --Josh
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Now that's one gnarly piece of wood. :) :) Looking for to seeing how that works out.I love it. :)
Pappy
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My bend test was successful, added a good twist with no cracks:
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5217/5538761978_fb3147ac06.jpg)
So, I bent the first limb. I'm waiting for it to cool to go on to the next bend.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5099/5538761968_7413c2e7a8_z.jpg)
George
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I like your amish tool approach ;D
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Yea, old habits die hard... Straightening the recurved end lined the tips up reasonably well.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5012/5538457303_0df2094498_z.jpg)
The last heating I did took most of the reflex out of the "straight" limb. I'm hoping to leave a couple inches in. Tomorrow I'll have to put a little reflex in that recurved limb and then tackle the recurve on the reflexed end. Once I get that done I think I'll clean the shop. It needs it badly.
George
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I need some advice. If you looks at this picture, you can see that the string is lying right down the side of the handle. There's a bend right where I'm going to put the recurve.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5055/5540301266_edf8b610c9_z.jpg)
If I take out the bend and make the recurve straight, the string will lay well outside the handle. I can cut the handle down to width and try and bend the bow in the handle to align everything, but there's a knot dead center in the handle. So far my experience trying to bend osage through a knot has not been that good. Should I bite the bullet and try and bend that handle, or can I go with a sideways bend in the recurve? I'm afraid the bend will induce some twist in the bow. I have not made many recurves.
Thanks,
George
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When you are straightening a propeller like that, how do you determing the amount of weight to use? Do you keep adding weight until it 'straightens' a little past?
I have not tackled that yet, I will need to though.
Can you induce some sideways on the other limb (midlimb or so) that will bring the string in? Just wondering.
Bevan R
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Glad to see that came out with no checking. I can't advise you on the alignment issue. If it were me I'd scrap the idea of a recurve and just make the tips reflexed a bit.....it'd be more stable, but as stated above, Im a CHICKEN ;D
Darcy :)
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Bevan, that's exactly what I do. I heat the bow with the belly up (heating only the belly and sides) until I just about can't hold my finger against the back (the side that's down). Then I put the big wood clamp on and see if it will twist where I want. If it doesn't, I heat some more. If it does, I tighten the clamp up and hang the bucket with rocks in it on the threaded rod furthest out. By adjusting where it is and how the rocks are hung on it you can make subtle changes in the bend. I normally do not have any spring back doing it this way so I align the limb exactly as I want it and let it cool with the weight on it.
I've seen PatB bend limbs sideways against a form in his build-along, but so far I haven't had much luck doing that. It takes a lot of force to bend the wood against the width of the limb. Maybe I just haven't gotten it hot enough? Gary came over the other day and heated his handle up and bent his limbs about 3" at each tip. I was amazed, but it appeared he got his wood really hot from the look of it. I've only done that successfully on one other bow. That's a long way to say I'm not sure.
Darcy, if I didn't love the shape of that recurve I would do just that. Maybe I still should. ???
George
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I know it would be a bugger to tiller, but a recurve limb with a straight/reflex limb would be 'in character'.
Bevan R
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I'm done with the heat bending for now. I actually put a little too much recurve in the reflexed limb. I think I have everything lined up. Now I need to rest the bow and let it recover from the heatings.
George
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5545006810_081c0aaf2a_z.jpg)
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5055/5544430067_0d64e74b08_z.jpg)
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Wow!! You would have a hard time convincing me that was the same piece of wood as what you started with.
Bevan R
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wow thats amazing what youve done with that piece of wood
cant wait to see the end result
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Humbling work there...
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Very nice!A+
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Nice work George. Sometimes you just have to take small steps when working with staves like this one. A little here and a little there. You've done well on this one. 8)
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Thanks guys, it was sure a fight. As usual, I learned something new. It is very tedious to bend the limb sideways and add recurve at the same spot. One of your forms would have been really helpful about then Pat. In retrospect, your advice on just doing a bow with reflex would sure have been a lot easier. I hope it works out, that was a lot of heating. :o I may reinforce that recurve area to be on the safe side.
George
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Looks great compared to the start. Can't wait to see it finished.
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I don't know, I kind of liked that twisted, bent, messed up looking piece of wood better than that straight, recurved thing you ended up with ;D Nice work.
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I don't know, I kind of liked that twisted, bent, messed up looking piece of wood better than that straight, recurved thing you ended up with ;D Nice work.
O my, what if the person I drew feels the same way! :o :o :o I never thought of that??!! Well, I aint putting bend back in it now. ;D
George
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Wow, Very impressive work. When I looked at that first pic, I thought what a night mare to straighten. However you have pulled it off very nicely. Great looking bow. Can't wait to see that one bending. ;)
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That's awesome! Doesn't look like the same piece of wood anymore. That heat bent recurve end will probably pull out a bit to match the natural one better when you get it bending anyway.
Very nice work.......can't wait to see more.
Darcy :)
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Finally got back on my trade bow tonight. Took about half of the bow's limb thickness off, but it's still pretty much a post. First thing I noticed is some of the sideways bend came out of the tip I recurved as it rehydrated. Pretty obvious from the end:
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/5601600479_5f37c13797_z.jpg)
It has a couple borer holes in really unfortunate places. I've got to get a better camera. I could only get it to focus on one of them. That's right about where I want to cut a string nock.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5602185486_7e1c3db091_z.jpg)
I do love the way bows look as they're worked.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5030/5601600533_a0351a741f_z.jpg)
Looks like that limb might need a little more heat. Hope to stay at it a little more consistently now.
George
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AMAZING!!!
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that is looking good. how much of the heating and bending do you think may come back? I have worked Osage before and if those bores are chewing through that stuff then you dont want them to get a good bite on ya. ;D really enjoying watching the progress. when I first saw that twisted piece of wood I immediately thought of Keenan ;) not really sure why, maybe it is because he likes that kind of bow wood to work on or maybe it is just his personallity ;D keep up the good work.
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WOW dont know how I missed this considering im on here day and night ;D you really impressed me with this piece of wood man I agree with other when they said it looked rough to start now its looking great! You are definately great at what you do! I look forward to following this, thanks for doing this build allong
Josh
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George that is looking great!. Do you think you can fill the bore hoes? Looking at the limb twist they look like they might offset each other and balance out. I'm not sure what JJ is taliking about, He knows that all I ever work on is prestine perfectly straight and knot free wood ::)
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Thanks guys. I'm not that good, just persistant. :D
I'm wondering if I didn't get the wood quite hot enough when I did the sideways bend JJ. It takes a lot more heat it seems to go sideways than add deflex/reflex or take out twist. But it does look like the bends sort of even out and take the string through the handle so I'm going to get a string on it before I do anything radical now. Be interesting to see how it draws and if anything changes as it starts bending. Might have to do more heat bending later.
I had not planned to fill that borer hole. It's near the tip and will have an overlay on it so it doesn't compromise the back of the bow...but since I need to cut a string nock there and it goes through and through close to the edge, I'll have to. It is unusual for a borer to go straight down clear through the limb like that one did. I normally do super glue and sawdust, but this will be tougher to fill so I may add some sawdust to epoxy and make a putty to push down through. The smaller borer spots (and there are 2) I will definitely use superglue on. It is supposed to get up to 90 today, so it'll be a good day to get epoxy to flow.
I have some really crooked staves Keenan if you want to have some fun with yellow wood. I took a look yesterday at 3 or 4 bad ones to see if I could find a straight enough spot to get billets out of and I'm not sure there is. ::) The wood I cut last year and this year is much straighter, though still pretty crooked compared to the beautiful staves I see on here all the time. I need to go cut a couple more trees. For some reason I normally do that in the middle of the summer so it's pretty miserable . ;)
George
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I like those curves
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Good job George. I think this whole post is an excellent example of just how twisted a piece of wood can be and still(if persistant) make it work. I don't have that kind of patience.
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Looks good George. The epoxy and sawdust should work well to fill those holes.
Darcy :)
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Thanks guys. Darcy, here's the after shot on those borer holes now filled with glue and sawdust. I need to add a little more to the bottom one.
George
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5604227910_ea1f6b9ef4_z.jpg)
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Tip overlay will cover the top one? Are you gonna wrap some decorative thread over the other one once it is filled completely? Man I bet you smash those borers real good when you find them alive eh?.......punching good wood all full of holes >:(
That looks like a knife project in the background there George ;D You have a few irons in the fire I think........I know the feeling ;)
Darcy
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Yes, the tip overlay will cover the top one. I have cut string nocks now and sure enough the borer hole is right in the middle of the string nock on one side. I will probably not wrap either of the other 2 as I'm leaning towards a snakeskin backing. There won't be a problem with splinters as neither one will be in a bending part of the limb. However, I often have them in bending portions of the limb and so far none have been a problem when the glue/sawdust plug is applied. My draw knife usually does the honors on the borers when I come to them. Sometimes they're so deep I have to use a nail to get them out, I do go after them with gusto.
Yep, sharp eyes there. There are 2 like that. I'm helping a couple brothers (aged 12 and 16) build. Pretty obvious that I'm new to knife making. You know there's another knife I want to be working on. Not sure how soon I'll be able to.
George
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I was thinking of a wrap for looks but the snakeskin will be even better, I agree there will be no problem with splinters in those locations.
Have fun with the knives :)
Darcy
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George you said that in your wood pile you had some crooked staves. In my view if they are worse than this one was it would be better to make yeller bow ties out of them than to make bows.
What are you using for heat ?
Lane
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LOL, I'm afraid most of the rest of that crooked wood is firewood.
I'm using a heat gun, so dry heat. I do put olive oil on the wood to try and keep scorching down.
I've been working on this bow a little every day, but it is still not bending enough to take a picture of. I really like the wider square limbs with the recurves and I think that will make them come out thinner than I'm used to. The other 2 bows I'm working on have had more progress. With the recurved tips I don't feel I can gain much draw weight by piking, so I'm going into floor tiller a little slower than I normally would.
Thanks,
George
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I've been taking it slow with the trade bow. Boy does it have some string tension! Today I strung it finally with a string 4" shorter than the bow. It pulled the string all the way up to the belly again, pinning my fingers on the handle. I was glad the stringer was still on the bow. I went ahead and put it on the tillering setup. Sadly, I did not get the bow perfectly horizontal. I did take 2 pictures, one at "brace"
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5141/5641701703_a9da5f82a6_z.jpg)
and one with a little bend in the limbs.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5001/5641701711_d12ebb7c5f_z.jpg)
The left limb is a reflexed, recurved limb and the right limb is a deflex/reflex limb. I'm encouraged that the differences seem to diminish as the bow is drawn. That's all the further the limbs want to bend so far so I still have wood to remove. Looks like my camera lens needs a good cleaning as well. ::)
George
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Jorge that's looking a lot like a very nice bow ;D
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I really like the profile on that, sweet stick so far ;D
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That looks real good George. A lot more symetrical than I expected from what you had told me earlier. That's gonna finish out really nice :)
Darcy
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Thanks guys. I hope it comes out nice. I need to make a caul off that recurve limb. I really like the way that feels as the string comes off the limb.
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George, it always ceases to amaze me how you crank out such beautiful bows form those twisted and gnarly osage character staves.
That is a beautiful and stunning bow!
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Hey, some nice build along shots there. Thanks for takin' the time & trouble.
Interesting to see you tackling that big twist.
Del
(We don't seem to get those nasty borers here in the UK, which is a relief).
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Thanks. Texas is easily the worst place I've lived for borers. I'm glad you don't have them. I'd hate to think of yew wood riddled with holes, I wouldn't wish that on anybody. I had a guy give me an old osage beam that was used in a building. I was excited at first as it was dead straight, but when I looked at it up close there was not a square inch of the wood that did not have a borer hole. I didn't even split it.
And Tom, I just cut up some bow wood that was too crooked for me. You should have seen it. It's firewood now. It was not that crooked when I cut it, but the minute we split it (after seasoning a year) every little bend in the tree turned into a major problem. I do have a sister stave to the trade bow and I haven't decided if I want to do it all over again. I think I'll wait. I've got some ipe boards and bamboo that's calling me. Some arrows too.
George
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I have my trade bow on a short string, actually a little too short. It's a brand new string and I expect it to stretch a little, but so far it hasn't. The recurve is beginning to work a little, mostly because I'm working hard to try and thin one side of it to get it to bend so the string is more in the limb. From the side it looks pretty decent.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5062/5682223576_92992283ae_z.jpg)
But from the recurve tip you can see the challenge:
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5142/5682223602_c5b8b74bf9_z.jpg)
It seems to draw pretty well so I hesitate to do a lot more thinning on that strong side to straighten it anymore. I'm trying to avoid heat bending it again, but may have to. I didn't pull it all the way to 26" where I have it tillered to for a picture as the borer hole I filled with superglue and sawdust came out of the tip. I knew it was loose, but today it fell out.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5190/5681657707_e200134f68_z.jpg)
I've been trying to decide whether to shorten that limb so the borer is beyond the string nock, or just cover it with an overlay and fill it in from the bottom. The bow is only 61" n2n so I'm not real anxious to shorten any more. I still have a couple more inches of draw to get. Hope to launch some arrows out of it later this week.
George
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Thats looking really good imo, the string isnt off too bad. As far as the borrer whole and trimming it down I agree it is gonna be on the short side unless backed. Thats a tough one, I really like the bow though.
Josh
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I really like the profile pick... Well, I have a few skins you can pick from to put on the back... Will bring em to hunt..
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Looking pretty nice George. :)
Those recurves don't contact too much so you could probably get away with a fair bit of string misalignment......if you had to. Shouldn't be a problem for stability......that said, if it was mine, it'd drive me nuts until I got it straightened out :-\
I can't imagine that borer hole causing any trouble for you, must not be bending at all way out there. I'd just fill it with straight epoxy after degreasing the hole so it sticks better. Your gonna cover it with the overlay anyway.
Lots of challenges with that stave ;D
Darcy
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Thanks guys. I know Darcy, I personally wouldn't have a problem with it but the person I'm sending it to might? I could ask them directly and ruin the surprise. Dang, I hate to do that though. I plan to shoot it before I do anything radical.
That'd be great Cipriano! Thanks. Looking forward to getting out there with you. Gary is still hoping to go with us. The lease got 2" of rain in the last 2 weeks. Should be a lot greener than it used to be.
George
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If it was for me the borrer whole would matter ;D
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If it was for you I'd clean it up real nice and hide that hole under some mesquite... ;D Probably do that anyway. By the way, the borers like the mesquite even better than the osage. I brought home a couple logs and they are riddled. ::)
George
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I think I've finished my tillering tonight. I took a picture at about 27" of draw, though I've drawn it to 29" (I have a heck of a time making myself hold it at max draw for a picture).
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5685332329_b9fe8c3779_z.jpg)
As I hoped, some of the recurve I added has come out so it better matches the natural limb. That limb has also taken a bit of set which also helps it match the natural limb. The limb on the left (the upper limb) is pulling a bit further than the other limb. I taped on a temporary rest and shot a couple arrows tonight. It shoots hard and quite a bit faster than my osage bow, but it is nearly 10lbs heavier too. I was reluctant to go to full draw with it, because without the string served I was afraid the arrow would come off the string. Here's how it looks unstrung:
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5104/5685901106_0869b2055b_z.jpg)
Still struggling with whether to bend both limb tips straight. I'm leaning against it, since it was such a crooked old stave it seems appropriate that the bow would reflect that.
George
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Man I would leave it alone as far as bending limb tips it looks great! Im very impressed at what you turned that twisted up stick into :o great job!!!imo
Josh
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I agree with Elktracker, awesome job on that very challenging stave. I don't think you should mess with it anymore either. Nice work on that George :) Can't wait to see it all prettied up.
Darcy
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Thirded!! Keep the shape in them!
Looking good, man.
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Finished up the tip overlays. Every time I get to the overlays I think about doing some other wood, but then I do mesquite again. I just love the look.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3615/5744238947_43dcbdc4a3_z.jpg)
I put some wonderful antelope rawhide on the bow today (thanks JW). Once it dries the finishing fun begins.
George
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/5744787428_39c7c7e9d1_z.jpg)
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Nothing prettier than mesquite.. Nothing.. Well, I'm partial being a Texican and all....
Tease em George.. Tell em bout the scales it's gonna have :D
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Very nice George! I like the looks of the Mesquite. My father-in-law's father moved to the USA from Argentina and started a Beef Ranch in Bakersfield, CA. He has long since passed and unfortunately the Ranch went belly up this spring but when my Father-in-law when out there to visit and help his brother get his papers in order he remembered I liked wood so he grabbed a chainsaw and hacked me off two nice chunks of Mesquite. I have them sealed and drying as we speak and I hope to use some of it for knife handles for my boys, my Father-in-law and myself and maybe have some leftovers for overlays.
I've heard that the desert goat rawhide makes a real good backing, love to try it but rarely see it listed on the Trade Blanket or anywhere else. How does it compare to White-tail?
Thanks~
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Mr, C, what was that snake, diamondback water snake? Sure is pretty and will look nice on the bow.
Lee, make sure you have the bark off that mesquite. The borers like it better than any other wood I've found. You can hear them eating on it and, unlike osage, they will eat completely through the wood in no time. I had to cut a couple pieces before I found some wood that wasn't swiss cheese. Those should be special knives, I'm sure they'll be beautiful. When you run out let me know, we have it down here in abundance.
The desert goat rawhide is like paper, unbelievably thin, much thinner than deer rawhide. I have enough to do 1 more bow, have to pick a good one. We have a goat season down here. I'll have to drive out El D's way to find them though. You can bet if I shoot one I'll be treating the hide very carefully so I get some more rawhide.
George
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Just water snake with a dark green pattern and a yellow belly
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One more picture. The bow is waiting for the rawhide to fully dry, it's good I started trying to knapp so I don't get antsy waiting for the next step. The rawhide isn't all that pretty just yet.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3600/5753547488_98855937ea_z.jpg)
But soon... Now that the A/C is running pretty hard it should dry out quicker in the house than in the shop.
George
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You need to send a before picture of the stave with that bow so the new owner can show what that beauty came from ;D Nice job!
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Just a quick update, working at finishing the bow up. Here's a look at one of the limbs. Won't be long now.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2560/5784746594_82c029590a_z.jpg)
George
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That's not nice to only show one little teaser pic George. Looks awesome from this angle ;D
Darcy
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I agree with Darcy, Jorge >:( Let em show, don't be shy O:)
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I took about a dozen pictures, and the thing is photo shy or something. I'm really having trouble getting the hide to show up because of the dark tips. Doesn't photograph very well...or maybe the photographer can't take a picture worth a hoot. ::) I'll try again in the sun, but will probably wait until the handle wrap is on. It's just about done. Hope to be putting the finishing touches on this weekend.
George
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That is a beauty George, I thought mesquite was a desert garbage tree used for bbq. didn't know it was so pretty.
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Mesquite is a desert garbage weed tree. The heartwood though is stunning. I try to cut across the grain a few degrees to get a real nice pattern in it. What doesn't go on limb tips or knife handles goes in my smoking wood spot. Like you say, it makes great BBQ! ;D ;D
George
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I tried to get a better picture, this bow is not photogenic ??? ???
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3195/5788304882_d41c10ab2c_z.jpg)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2125/5787748505_e8688a11e7_z.jpg)
I stained the rawhide under the skin a light yellow. Now I'm wishing I'd gone with a bolder light color, perhaps orange, to show off the pattern in the snake. The tips were supposed to be a deep brown, but they came out black. My wife loves it, I hope what's-his-name does too. :D
George
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Id be willing to bet who ever gets that will LOVE it! If they dont ill take it off there hands ;D
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Id be willing to bet who ever gets that will LOVE it! If they dont ill take it off there hands ;D
Dang skippy, that's a beautiful bow.
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Personally i think the subtle color is perfect,it makes you look the bow itself instead of the "bling"
And its worth looking at ;)
/Mikael
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Goes to show you sometimes you are your own worst critic, That is a smooth looking bow, very sleek in styling.
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;D thats nice. ;D
Katt
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Dang George...you've been sandbagging on us. that is a sweet looking bow. I like the dye job...for some reason it feels like heresy to me to dye any of my osage but I'll likely get over it someday. ::)
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That is one nice looking bow!! You did a fine job with those skins.. I see Ken influence in that bow..
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Well thanks guys, maybe the black tips are OK after all? :) I appreciate those kind words, I hope the tiller hasn't changed with all that gluing and filing. I'll put a temporary rest on it tomorrow and shoot it to be sure. This is the first time I've dyed a bow, for the same reason. I just love the look of osage, but I have to admit I like the dyed look too and am thinking about how the next time I do it I can make it better. Thanks for skinning that one out Cipriano, I did borrow the skin-in-the-center approach from Ken...thanks bud.
George
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As I got ready to put the first coat of finish on, was mindlessly going through the sanding, medium, fine, 400, 600 grits. I was struck with the simple beauty of a bow handle. Had to stop and take a picture. I just love the rings and the smoothness of the finish. Too bad most of this will be under the handle wrap...
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3007/5798025112_af7a281f20_z.jpg)
George
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that is cool, reminds me of how ash looks at the fades. nice to see you have a even taper out of the fades
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Man that bow is lookin SWEET! I love the skins! Cant wait to see the finished pics! ;D
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anytime George ;D
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I'll cut and fit the handle wrap tonight. I lettered it last night (I hate that job, should have let my wife do it ???) and put another coat of finish on. The bow dries pretty quickly in the hot garage. It must be 120 or so in there on sunny days. Don't know whether I'll have time to complete the wrap tonight or if that'll have to wait until tomorrow. I did the final weighing last night and the specs are: 61.5" n2n, 54lbs@28". I'll for sure work on the wrap in the house and not in the shop where it's probably over 100 degrees now. Might get some pictures tonight, but probably tomorrow.
George
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Ended up putting off the handle wrap until tonight. The leather isn't quite dry yet, but here's what the handle looks like.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2588/5830781059_454594eb2c_z.jpg)
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5155/5831334588_2ee82506a5_z.jpg)
Need to add the rest and then it's ready to send. Probably will go out on Wed.
George
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That looks really nice. the handle color contrasts well with the rest of the bow. I'm sure who ever gets that bow will be stoked.
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Wow! Being stuck with my phone as my only internet access I haven't been following much on here so I've been missing all the beauties being made. Glad I caught this one. Sweet bow George!
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nicce leather work George, tops off a sweet bow
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That came out awesome. great looking bow!
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Very nice!
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Thanks. Added a turkey feather wind indicator, rests and the bow is now done. Rushed home from choir practice tonight and got some pictures barely before the light was gone.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5066/5838222902_65e5ed14f6_z.jpg)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2497/5838211770_b09df9e5f3_z.jpg)
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5079/5837671809_f92a38ec2c_z.jpg)
Had hoped to get it shipped tomorrow, but some hog butchering is going to move it back a day.
George
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WOW that is beautiful! I whent back to the first picture of the stave you posted and its crazy to think you got that out of what you started with, You are truly skilled!!
Josh
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Beautiful bow. Once again, you've turned a horrible stave into a work of art. Well done!
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Oh please, oh please, oh please..... ;D
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Oh please, oh please, oh please..... ;D
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I know you it's fo, but I aint telling ;D ;D ;D
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Man George what a $ shot there at the end...I'd say you're photo op timing was perfect. What a tiller shot!
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I agree with Lee. That is a great tiller shot! Awesome work George!
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Beautiful bow ,that turned out great,someone is going to be real happy. ;) :) :) :)
pappy
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Maybe I missed it, what kind of skins are those? I like them.
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WOW!!! that's a beauty George, Bub
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yea those look good.. Look exotic, but true native Texas snakes.. those are yellow belly watersnakes
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O good, I was hoping you'd answer that. I got some skins from Cipriano and that was by far the prettiest. But, there was only 1 and it was not nearly long enough to cover the bow so I put down antelope rawhide first (from JW) and then covered the inner part of the limbs with the snakeskin, the way I've seen Ken75 do it.
Thanks for the compliments. I like the bow a lot and it draws and shoots smoothly. I wanted to go narrower on the limb tips, but the bottom limb has some twist in it I cannot get out and I was afraid it would not handle the twist if I narrowed it any more. I learned a lesson from this bow. You cannot bend in recurve and then later come back and straighten the limb unless you're using a caul. If I straightened, the recurve came out. Then, when I bent the recurve back in, the limb went crooked again. In the end, it seems to shoot fine so I left it. I hope its new owner is OK with that.
Tonight I should get the string made for it and pack it up. Surprisingly, it fits in the 2" PVC tube Bubby sent my bow in so I'll reuse that. Then it's on its way.
George
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gnarly piece of wood, love twisty osage for sure, beautiful bow.wow
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The bow is off to its new home, should arrive on Monday. I have the tracking number available for the recipient. 8)
George
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Amazing work George, someone's gonna be happy!! Beautiful tiller on that baby, I love the full-draw profile.
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how does this trade bow stuff work. I see alot of posts about it and just curious how it works I am interested in getting involved. great looking bow by the way
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great bow George , bow nut we did a sign up early in the year . first of next year get in the sign up deadline of july 4th
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Thanks guys,
Yes Bow-nut, we signed up to trade bows early in the spring with a shipping due date of July 4. We had to post our draw length, rest preference, etc. I am the king of procrastinators, so my wife is in shock that I have sent my bow out a couple weeks before the deadline. Watch for the next bow trade announcement if you want to get in on it.
George
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ok I will keep that in mind for next year. Thanks
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Mail man drove up to my house today, and....
couldn't be happier! ;D ;D ;D
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Awsome looks like a good fit! ;D
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Looks like alot more fun than mudding and sanding! Lucky guy to own that beauty
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Yay, am glad it made it in one piece. Hope it'll work for you.
George
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George: I just went through and looked at this project from start to finish. Looks like you got all the good outa that peice of wood - dadgum man. And with exceptional results!
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That turned out awesome George, especially considering what you had to work with :o.
Stringman, you are one lucky guy.
Darcy :)
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Wow! Look at all the holes in the walls and ceiling he has had to repair after shooting that bow! And when you see how spread out all the holes are you gotta wonder if he's that bad a shot (I doubt it) or else gstoneberg builds scattershot bows (my vote). >:D
Have fun, Stringman, looks like you got a nice bow outa the deal! Congrats!
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I have to say that I'm thrilled with this bow! I was beginning to wonder if I was gonna be the guy that was forgotten. But in this case the wait was definitely worth it. I love the thread from beginning to end. I love the snake skin and rawhide backing. The overall detail that was put in the bow is outstanding. George you nailed the draw weight, length, and tiller. And soon as I get the arrows tuned for it Im positive that it is gonna be a track driver. I can't say thank you enough. This its truly a special bow. And just think 6 months ago I was wondering if I should go through with the bow trade or not.
Also, I wanted to make sure to say thanks for the bow sock that was sent with the bow. This bow is gonna get used, I can assure you!
Scott
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George that is an incredible bow! The full draw says it all. That is going to be an cherished gift for some lucky individual. Well done!
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Scott,
Worth the wait is right.. That's a dandy bow.. Your snake skin is on this link, http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,24345.90.html
It's the big skin on the left on the trampoline.. It's the 7th pic on the page.. I think that bow will last quite some time.
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great bow ,great builder, great gift.like to see them tough pieces of wood come to life.