Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: SEMO_HUNTER on June 04, 2011, 02:29:54 am
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I glued up a BBO for my TG Bow Swap bow this morning. Came out real nice I think, glue lines look nice.
I just got done cleaning the edges up and took a few pics, probably start tillering tomorrow early in the morning then quit during the day when it gets hot. It was near 100 deg. here today and that's way too hot way too early for Missouri. It was still 88 deg. at 10 pm when I came back in the house! :o
What the heck is going on with the weather? :-\
Anyway, here's some pics of the stave I started with and what I ended up with. Just goes to show that no matter what a stave looks like when you start, you just gotta have faith that you can straighten it out. Just call it bull headed grit and determination on my part, I haven't let a piece of wood beat me yet. ;D
(http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/ww146/mohunter68/Crookedstaveproptwist1.jpg)
(http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/ww146/mohunter68/SwapBowStave003.jpg)
(http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/ww146/mohunter68/SwapBowStave002.jpg)
(http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/ww146/mohunter68/SwapBowBBO005.jpg)
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Here's a few more.
(http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/ww146/mohunter68/SwapBowBBO006.jpg)
(http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/ww146/mohunter68/SwapBowBBO008.jpg)
(http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/ww146/mohunter68/SwapBowBBO011.jpg)
(http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/ww146/mohunter68/SwapBowBBO012.jpg)
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Nice curves,somehow that shape makes me wanna wolfwhistle :D
/Mikael
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Hey Semo, looks real good...for some reason I figured that for that caul you would use thinner Osage lams, maybe 2 or more in order to get it to follow all the curves well? I hadn't thought about chasing a ring down and then thinning the snot out of it after heat straightening the whole mess. I guess I would be too worried about the stave being perfectly straight/square so that the glues lines would be perfect for the Boo. Although having a slight crown would be nice for mating the Boo too...
I tried a Hickory / Osage glue up on mine this week but there was a bit of twist in the Osage plank I had planed down and even after 18 hours of sitting glued to the caul it popped apart at one of the limb bends the minute I took the last clamp off...suppose I could have accidently glue starved it by clamping too hard (trying to get it tight to the side and bottom of the caul, damn twist) soooo no "wicked winged monster" for me too try tillering this week :'(
Plus, I think I need to find a good Mill and use a better Hickory source as another Hick backed bow I built this week failed at a dry rotted area internally in the Hick. I know everyone loves the stuff but right now I'm only 1 for 4 using this wood as a backing. @#$#@%$!
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Looking real good, that was one crooked stave you started with.
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Thanks guys. Dbb.....I feel the same way, I love the sexy R/D hybrid shape of this caul and it's all I plan to use anymore. It's such an efficient design and from what I've studied about it is that it utilizes the largest percentage of stored energy in the limbs over any other bow design and that's why they are so popular right now. Didn't take guys long to figure out how much sting it adds to your string, or zip in your tip, and puts some sizzle in your fizizzle. 8) :D
Lee- This bow was going to be an osage selfbow originally all 1 single piece from a single stave, but there were a couple spots on the back after chasing the ring that had me concerned. I didn't feel comfortable with those areas so I decided to back it with boo.
The problem is that I sell or have sold all my good osage and tend to keep the lesser goods for my own use. It's more of a chore to make bows out of, but I think it's made me better because I'm always working with challenging wood.
All I had to do was flatten the back on the belt sander, then flatten the boo to the thickness I want and glued it up with Urac. What kind of glue were you using when you had the failure? If it was Urac, it needs at least 80 degrees temps in order to set up good and it has some really great gap filling properties that will help make up for tiny mistakes that we make. The two surfaces don't have to be perfect to get a good glue joint, just use plenty of Urac, get a good solid clamp up and the glue will take care of the rest.
Thanks Hrothgar. Like I said before I sold all my good osage and keep the lesser staves for my own bow making, but that's not a problem normally because I can always go out and cut more. At this particular time it was a problem because even though I had some better staves on hand, they aren't seasoned yet and didn't have time to wait on them. The TG bow swap bows are supposed to be shipped out by the second week in July, so even though I'm not rushed or anything, I still didn't have time to get a fresh piece of osage dry in time to meet the deadline.
Now that this one is off the caul I can start working toward my next project which will involve the use of Ipe.
I'm getting excited just thinking about the screamer that will be coming next, I've got lots of cool ideas for the next one.
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nice work on that one Semo, pretty impressivehow you got the twist out and the two surfaces mated up.
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Those like a yellow rocket fuel to me!
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Since it was a Hick / Osage I just used TBIII and I did wipe them both down well with acetone prior to gluing.
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Lookin good! :)
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Thanks Will.
Lee- I use TB II on some things, but never on a backing since I have Urac. I've used TB II on handle lams where there is no stresses. Not saying that TB glue won't do the job, but I'm not taking any chances and I know the Urac won't turn loose.
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Thanks Chris, guess I'll have to invest in some Urac at some point then...
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I would Lee if you plan on doing many backings. I'm just repeating what the older more experienced bowyers told me when I started doing this and then my experience with it has all been positive, I have no complaints about Urac except that it doesn't stick well to plastic...........don't ask. ::)
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From rags to riches! 8) Very nice bow so far Chris. You sure turned that twisted piece of yeller wood to GOLD! 8) Well done!!!
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Chris you sure did a nice job on this one. Almost makes me want a piece of osage.
Almost.
Lane
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Thanks Pat and Lane.
Rags is pretty much the story of my life Pat.
Take something ugly and make something nice out of it, so much more reward in that and makes you appreciate it more. I don't scoff at complicated staves anymore like I did when I first started. ;)
It's amazing how much strength a thin piece of bamboo adds to a piece of osage when it's added as a backing. The osage blank that I started with wouldn't have tipped the scale at 35# maybe, but after adding the boo it's gotta be at least 70# or better now. I only need about 50-55# so this worked out perfect, I've got plenty there to get my tiller right.
Gonna start tillering in the morning while it's cool, then quit when it gets too hot. Times like this is when I wish I had a basement to work in.
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Semo, my spare bedroom in our basement is where I do all my work...it is easier 15 degrees cooler than even the main level let alone what it is outside! It's been very nice but the wife is starting to crack down on the amount of yellow gold dust and pig-tailed scraper shaving that seem to stick to my legs and follow me up stairs ::)
Can Urac be bought over the counter at any of the big box stores or only at specialty stores like 3 Rivers, etc.?
Thanks!
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I've never seen it at any of the big warehouse hardware stores, so I bought mine from 3Rivers. There are some archery suppliers on TG that sell it and it may be a bit cheaper than 3Rivers? The shipping is what gets ya, I wish I could find half the stuff that I use around here locally. We only have 1 archery/sporting goods shop within 100 miles of me and they don't have squat for traditional archers. They cater to speed bow shooters mainly and the well to do types.
I did get a big farriers rasp at a local feed store the other day and it was way cheaper than any archery supplier, I thought about buying the whole box but didn't have the extra $ to do that at the time. At least I know where I can get more.
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Yeah, figured that might be the case with the Urac. I'll snoop around and find the low ball price somewhere... Never used a Ferrier's rasp, just my Sureform and my Shinto but maybe I'll give one a try soon. Heard the Nickolson #49 & #50 are the Cat's Meow but I haven't tried one and won't shuck out the coin until I can feel/see what's so special about them.
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Looks like she's gonna make a fine bow! I love that unbraced profile.
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Thanks Cam!
Lee- The Farriers rasp I got is generally used for shoeing horses, that's why the feed store has them but it's the same thing you buy from 3Rivers and pay a whole lot more for.
I bet most people don't even know what a Farrier is? Here's an excerpt I pulled off the internet for those who have ever wondered what a Farrier's Rasp actually is, what it's used for, and how it got it's name.
This is my little history lesson for y'all today free of charge.........Your welcome. ;D
"The meaning of the term "farrier" has changed dramatically over the centuries from a horse doctor to a person who shoes horses. How the change of usage came about isn't clear, and the reason is probably lost in the mists of time. The few remaining sources of information come mostly from old books. Many people are often surprised by the volume of treatments and remedies found in old farriery books and the lack of information on horseshoeing. This is because, historically, a farrier was a horse doctor. It is only in the last hundred years that people who shod horses began calling themselves farriers."
I won't say how much I paid for it just in case I decide to buy a box of them and sell them on my Sponsor's Ad page on TG, but I can make guys a much better deal on them than any archery supply place ever could. That just tells me how much mark up there is on archery supplies.
I might make up a few of my draw knives also and put them on there as well.
It's got a real agressive side that will flat eat up an osage stave in a hurry and works great for prepping staves when I smooth down the edges where there's lots of snagglies and stringies sticking out.
Then there's a smoother side on the opposite side that works great for just about everything else and I really like it cause the file is so wide. I used it to clean up the edge of my BBO after it came out of the caul after glue up. It made short work of the excess hard glue and filed down the edge of my boo till it was flush with the edge of the osage. It has now become my favorite rasp that I own.
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Yup, knew what they were just hadn't tried them yet ;D but a good "historical read/perspective is always a good thing.
I have a few rough, stringer Osage splits I need to clean up so if that rasp works nicely for that task it would be worth picking one up. Something for me to do this week. Wife and boys are heading down to VA for 10 days leaving this coming Friday so it will be a BOW Build-A-Thon for me here in just a few days.
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I love it when I finally get some time to myself, peace and solitude. I can usually get so much more accomplished when there aren't any interruptions.
Didn't mean to sound like I was educating you on the Farriers rasp, I just threw that out there for anybody that didn't know.
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I know you weren't...folk's have been trying to do that for decades and haven't succeeded so I knew you weren't taking that task on >:D LOL
Anyway, I've rambled on & on enough on your BBO build thread so I'll take a seat and watch the action. ;)
Thanks bud!