Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: ken75 on April 20, 2011, 04:38:03 pm
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about two months ago a guy at work brought me 30 crepe myrtle limbs anywhere from 1 1/2 to 5 inch diameter, i split and cut one to near bow dimensions and left it standing in the corner of my shop. finally got around to finishing it today 58 inches tip to tip 1 1/8th wide out of the handle tapering to 3/8th at the grooves. 51 lbs at 28 inches . i was really impressed with this wood and im glad i have plenty of it. tough elastic and takes almost no set . ebony stain and antler rest . hope ya enjoy
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That bow is really sweet, really like the full draw on that Ken.....unbraced looks flat as a pancake
rich
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Very cool! I would not have thought of crepe myrtle as a good bow wood. I have some huge crepe myrtles in my yard that would supply quite a bit of bow wood. Also, they grow so fast, that you could replenish your supply pretty quickly.
Anyone every made arrows out of it? If you prune the trees, they grow new fairly straight shoots quickly.
Great bow Ken.
Mark
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Nice bow, Ken. I have heard crepe myrtle makes a good bow. There was a guy that used to be on PA that went by the name Thimo. I think he's on paleoplanet now. He built some pretty heavy bows with crepe myrtle in the 100# range.
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thanks rich im pretty tickled with it !!
thanks tdog, 68 sg and is said to be tough and elastic like hickory , i would have to agree . not sure bout the arrows try it let us know
thanks Pat , i searched this wood on here when i first got it and found Thimos bows ,i decided then to try it sounds like a great deal . as tdog said it grows everywhere and fast too.
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Nice bend on a short bow. I like it.
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Ken I like that looks of that stump.. What type of wood is it???? And what color red is that on that barn??? looks good with the great grass >:D
Oh, super nice bow too ;D
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thanks Nate
lol thanks CP , its a pine stump for feedin birds and most importantly takin pics of birds, bow shop is barn red
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:o WOW is all I can say Ken. You have changed my mind on Crepe Myrtle.
I have tons of this stuff in my backyard, and I surely thought it was way to brittle for a Bow.
Very nice looking Bow
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Good job! I have some crepe myrtle dried and waiting. Did you peel the bark or leave it on? I left the bark on one piece and was planning on leaving it there because it is so thin....
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thanks Bowjunkie , its not brittle at all
thanks Jeff, i left the bark on but sanded it thin. you will hear some crackin when you first start to bend it but it stops during the tiller .
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51# FROM 1 1/8 INCH that is pretty impressive. full draw is sweet and I like the stain job Ken. I will have to see if they have crepe myrtle up in wa.
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thank you Scott it was the wood not me !!
thanks Eric , look in peoples yard its planted as an ornamental
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Thanks for the tip.
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Simple design, and great results..........someone should tell you you need longer staves to get those kinda draw weights and lengths...........on second thought, maybe it's better if you don't know. ;D
Darcy
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Very nice Ken. I like the way it lays flat too. I don't see any set, but my eyed are geting old. Like others I know ::) ;D
I picked up a couple "logs" that people cut and layed out by the road. I can pick up some more now that I see what can be done with it. Very heavy wood when cut, but light as a feather when dry.
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I remember hearing about people using crepe myrtle for bows before, and I've been watching the ones outside my office for a while now. Wonder if anybody would notice if one suddenly lost a couple of stems?
Great bow, Ken!
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I like seeing different woods being used most of all. Way to go!
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thanks Darcy ...you mean its supposed to be longer ? im just hard headed i guess. last one i built 64 inches i hit everything i walked by
lol Mark ,build one i wanna see it
Jon big as you are they prob wont say nuthin
thanks Parnell
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IreLly like the finish and the lines on that bow! There are mAny varieties of crepe Myrtle. The kinds I have crack in about a month after cutting. I do want to try Myrtle, from Douglas county Oregon though.. And will try to dry some more crepe Myrtle
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What did you do for the back? Diid you chase a ring? Or just leave it alone?
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first of all i stated that it had 68 sg. looked it up today and its actuall 75 sg.
Mark on this one i scraped and sanded the bark down to a super thin layer . simlar to what they do with plum. there was some surface cracking but it stoped during tillering and i have shot this one for two days with no weakening and no more noise from the back . i dont think it will turn loose . might try steaming the bark off the next one , i plan to recurve it anyway
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Super nice job on the bow. What did you use to seal the bark ?And is the wood that dark or is the color a stain?
Sorry for all the questions but I am just getting started and these slim , short, strong bows give me a warm fuzzy.
Lane
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ebony stain and clear satin spray
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nice bow! ive been eyeballing crepe murtle for a long time glad to know its good bow wood, thanks for posting it.
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thanks sa, it is a great wood to try , seems to grow everywhere and makes an awesome bow
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You sure seem to defy the rules of practicalitiy and design!!! I can see in your work that you learned from a master artisan like Halfeye :o
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Cp , it may not always be right but im going to try it anyways .i have the abundance of materials and a brain that wont stop asking what if.
as far as Rich goes his expirence and willingness to help is unsurpassed. never met a more giving friendly guy even if he is a Yank !!
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Ken, I'm just amazed at the flat unbraced limbs... No set. None. Just awesome. Oh and the rest of it is cool too. :D. I like the color, the handle, the arrow rest, the tiller. And the fact that it's not a very commonly used bow wood. At least it seems... Good job dude!
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Cirveraville, Ken....I dont believe that it's like ya said here....me and ken (and other PA friends) just have active "what-if" sort of minds. We get together and kick ideas around, what-if's etc....and sort of feed off each other. I know that Ken, Hillbilly 61, N2huntin....and others are buildin bows and tryin stuff they sure did not get from me cause they build bows I probably wouldn't even try............any how, that's kind of what's in this site for me, sharing ideas with like minded folks, and I think that's what makes all of us better at this stuff. Just my 2 cents worth
rich
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Cirveraville, Ken....I dont believe that it's like ya said here....me and ken (and other PA friends) just have active "what-if" sort of minds. We get together and kick ideas around, what-if's etc....and sort of feed off each other. I know that Ken, Hillbilly 61, N2huntin....and others are buildin bows and tryin stuff they sure did not get from me cause they build bows I probably wouldn't even try............any how, that's kind of what's in this site for me, sharing ideas with like minded folks, and I think that's what makes all of us better at this stuff. Just my 2 cents worth
rich
I have to go along with Rich and Ken. I too ask the what if question (ALOT) Unlike Ken and Rich, I don't have an abundance of wood to work with. This can make me a little apprehinsive, but still go with it and try. I broke 2 of my short bows saying what if. Rember the Luane backed Molly? Luane don't make good backing, but I was able to ssavr it with another backing. That's the kind of things we ask and brainstorm about.
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Ken...I think with an sg of 75 and the rsesults you got from this narrow short piece, that Crepe Myrtle is a top flight bow wood. The lack of set is a testiment to your tillering skills as well as an indicator that when dry this wood wants to be a bow. Great job and way to strech the limits of what if. I guess I am gonna have to add this to my list of bow woods to start looking out for. Danny
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i agree mark i love the unknown
Danny i think your right , it may be excellent as a flight bow i think i check this one to see what i can get with broadheads and 5oo grain arrows
thanks arrowind
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Great job Ken. I'm glad your not afraid to stick to the norm and work within "acceptable" designs. Many folks including myself, follow this site and greatly benefit from your curiosity to experiment and learn. Nice bow!
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thank you , maybe my broken ones will save someone else the trouble
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That is one killer looking bow,good job.
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thanks swamp
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cool bow Ken, wonder how it'd work sinew backed? Bub
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dont know you have any in your area
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ken I havn't seen any big enough to build a bow outta, Bub