Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: RyanY on June 12, 2011, 12:05:06 am
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I haven't been posting too often so I thought it would be fun to show what I started on this weekend. First bow of the summer, D/R osage and it is going to be sinew backed. Any thoughts or tips on the design would be helpful. Thanks for looking. :)
(http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k455/ryoon4690/IMG_0142.jpg)
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Is it joined at the handle and if so, how?
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It looks like the Egyptian horn bow design James Parker made.
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Pat B, I used a 2" tapered finger joint and epoxy.
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i dont have any advice but i do have a suggestion ....... hurry up i gotta see this !!
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Looks familiar :)
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I don't think you'll get much if any work out of a sinew back with that design. Probably just make for a lot of dead weight. Cool design none the less..........Art
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I would definitely glue a handle section in there for strength with a flat lam under the handle section itself so the handle doesn't pop off. Looks like you will get alot of flexing in the handle area because that is the weakest part of the bow as it is at the moment.
You would have been better with a single continuous piece of wood and heated in your R/D to it rather than use 2 seperate sections, but then I don't really know what you have in mind for it yet either?
The areas in red are where you need reinforcement.
(http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/ww146/mohunter68/IMG_0142.jpg)
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Glue a handle on,and bend some short steep static tips and put marcs signature on it. :D
Seriously tho that's what I wood do except the last part ;)
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Have you ever glues a joint with that much reflex in it. I
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Have you ever glued that much reflex in a stave before. I'd think it would have to be make a low poundage to make it. I don't thank you could glue a handle peice in there with out it keep poping off. If it was 1 peice I thank you'd have a better chance.I wish you well on your bow and I truely like to see it when finished. But I think you've made it really hard on yourself.
GOOD LUCK
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Marc, I'm glad you noticed. I'm going off your laminated build but trying to make it sinew backed instead. Must mean I'm doing ok so far. ;D
Art, I can't say for sure if the sinew will help or not. I figure it'll help it keep a fair amount of reflex and since it's 60" long I don't think it'll get too sluggish if I keep the tips narrow.
Semo, I plan on building up the handle section but, because it was made from billets, that area is not even enough to build up with wood. I'm thinking about getting some pieces of leather to build up with first and then adding wood pieces. The reason I used billets is because it's just what I had in mind for them and I'm trying to imitate Marc's D/R design. :)
Blackhawk, I won't be putting any recurves in this one since I've been down that road.
Crooketarrow, I made a hickory deflex recurve with about that much reflex in the handle. Worked out just fine.
Thanks for looking guys. I sincerely appreciate the comments and suggestions. I'm waiting for the sinew to arrive and will start working on it asap when it comes in in about a week. When sinewing a bow with hide glue, I understand that there is a considerable drying time compared to just gluing wood. If I'm going to put on two layers, should I do each layer at a time and wait for the first to dry before putting on the second? Also how long is the waiting time and can the drying time be sped up by having a fan blow over the bow or something? I've heard that if putting a snake skin on that the sinew must be completely dry or it'll rot under the skin. I'm just wondering, if the outer part of the sinew dries faster that the same thing can happen if drying is sped up with a fan. Thanks again. :)
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Fair enough...looks sweet so far. Reason I stated the recurved is because I intend to do a similar project for next winter,but backing my Osage billets with hickory instead of sinew. I love Marc's spliced deflex reflex recurve bows so much I gotta try and make one. Its a tough build for sure.
Good luck with your project and I know you can pull this one off ;)
One question tho...does it need to be sinewed? Its borderline long length for sinew unless you plan on taking it to a 30" draw. Some guys lay all there courses of sinew on at once,as do I. And some lay one course and let dry and add another a week later, then a third course two weeks after the second layer. As you probably know drying time depends on the environment its in.
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It may not necessarily need to be sinewed but I'm sure that it wouldn't keep as much reflex without it. Plus I think it's about time I sinew back a bow. :D In TBBV1 on sinewing Jim Hamm says that it looses its advantages on bows above 64" so I think it'll be good for the design. I'll be keeping the bow in my basement so it should be in a decent environment for drying. Just want to make sure I let it dry long enough. Is there a way you tell if the sinew is dry enough?
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I don't see any reason why you can't build the handle up with wood.
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Marc, I initially thought I would need to use leather or some other more pliable material since the belly part was not very flat. I remeasured the thickness and figured I had enough to flatten it out with my band saw. I was able to build up the handle today and it looks like I got a good fit with the other pieces of wood so it should hold up. Any opinions on how I should go about sinewing the bow?
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Just me personally, but I won't sinew that design. You got to really stress sinew to get any work out of it and with this design I believe you would have to go WAY beyond your intended draw length to accomplish that. Sinewing is just going to slow that design IMO.........Art
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See this build along that I did several years ago http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,18701.0.html. Try to get at least 5" of reflex before laying the sinew down, that will make it a bit more difficult to tiller but will make the sinew work harder. That length of bow should work fine but you could shorten it even more with a sinew back
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Thank you for the link Marc. When you say 5" of reflex do you mean setback as well? Also I was thinking about how I could strategically place the sinew with more of it on the inner and mid limb area since that's where most of the work will be done. If I go shorter, how much more do you think I could take off? Going for 55#@28" with this one.
Art, The billets have a decent crown as well and with keeping more sinew in the working area and keeping narrow, stiff tips I think it'll do just fine. We'll have to see though. ;D
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I agree to adding more reflex if sinewing. It'll make the sinew do its work better and put more stress to it. I didn't check the link Marc posted,but you can reverse brace it and sinew it. I've done this,and its kinda hairy reverse bracing it,but it works,and I left it braced like that for a month while the sinew dried.
Edit: just checked the link and saw he did it the same way. I didn't see how long he left it braced and how many times and when he twisted the dowel to further raise the reverse brace height and backset.
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I seldom discourage anyone from trying something new, cause that's how we learn. I know the one R/D bow that I sinewed, it's back was used to repair a hickory static ;D............Art
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Built up the handle so time for a few more pics. You can see how theres a little snakeyness to it. The handle is about 1.5" wide and tapers to 5/8" tips so i think i have plenty of wood to work with. Also there is about 3.5" of deflex before the limbs sweep up to about 4.5" of reflex. I think I put in a bit too much deflex but I figure the sinew will add some as well. Thoughts, suggestions or questions? Thanks for looking.
(http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k455/ryoon4690/1307992481.jpg)
(http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k455/ryoon4690/1307992586.jpg)
(http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k455/ryoon4690/1307992617.jpg)