Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Dane on July 24, 2007, 08:38:23 pm
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Well, here is a new bow, for what it is worth. I am not entirely happy with it, but again, I think it came out okay. This was my first successful stave bow. It was an elm stave Jamie had provided me via the Connecticut primitive gathering that happened earlier this summer, where I got it to the early floor tillering stage.
It is 65 inches end to end, and pulls at 49 lbs. at 27 inches.
I ended up, I think, inducing some set by not having the stave quite seasoned when I was in the early tillering stage, with about 2" or a bit more of brace. Nevertheless, it seems to be a great performer, very fast and no hand shock at all, very zippy. I thought it would be a dog at first, but a few trips to the range have at least put that fear to rest.
I had to steam it twice to get the string aligned to the center of the stave, and that worked out well. The stain I used was unusual. I wanted a natural stain, and made a two part stain out of black tea (Irish breakfast, actually, :) and an iron acetate solution made from letting a big ball of steel wool soak overnight in a bowl of malt vinigar. The tea I boiled, let steep for a few hours, and then wiped on, let sit for a few mintues, and then, I wiped on the iron acetate solution. It began to darken immediately, stopping maybe after 15 minutes.
I made the tip overlays and arrow plates from, believe it or not, a couple of bone folders you buy at a craft store for paper and book making. Cut the pieces out, worked them with a power sander and then file, final finishing, and glued them on. I put a plate on each side, as I wasn't sure which limb I wanted to have as the top limb. The handle is just a strip of oiled leather wrapped on and glued where it needed to stay put.
The decorations are just four strips painted on using acylics. I wanted to try a real primitive pigment, and am moving in that direction. In fact, I had envisioned painting on some neolithic cave animal design, but at the last minute, decided to keep it simple. I made a 200 lb. linen flemish twist string for it while lying next to a salt water swimming pool and the ocean at Booth Bay Harbor, Maine, where my wife and pug and I celebrated her last birthday (the good life, pity it isn't every day, :) a couple of weeks ago. The finish is satin laquer, about five coats.
So, this is my rememberance of the Ct event. Overall, I am happy with it. I wish I had done a few things differently (for one thing, something about the tiller bothers me, but I can't quite put my finger on it. It could have been better, I suppose), but there it is, and here at the pictures. Thanks for reading. Oh yes, I don't think this should be put in for the bow of the month contest, however. I've seen far better bows than this one this month.
Dane
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I like it Dane. Nice work. I've not yet gotten to work with any elm.
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Nice job Dana,I like the looks of that ,tiller looks ok and don'nt look like it took to much set,
about normal I would say.How do you like working with staves rather than boards ? :)
Pappy
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Dane nice first stave bow, I like your idea for staining the bow and I like the simple look also.
Any chance of a full draw picture on the tiller tree? Looks like both limbs could bend more
near the fade and perhaps in the outer third. But hey I'm a rookie too eh :)
How was the elm to work with? I have a few staves from a small tree I managed to get and it was a bugger to split.
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Nice job Dana,I like the looks of that ,tiller looks ok and don'nt look like it took to much set,
about normal I would say.How do you like working with staves rather than boards ? :)
Pappy
I'm glad I'm not the only one up at o'dark thirty. Thanks Pappy. Staves are great fun, and an entirely different animal. I was actually suprised by it at times, and it made me think quite a bit more. I also got the feeling it was guiding me more than me it, if that makes sense.
Dane
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Dane nice first stave bow, I like your idea for staining the bow and I like the simple look also.
Any chance of a full draw picture on the tiller tree? Looks like both limbs could bend more
near the fade and perhaps in the outer third. But hey I'm a rookie too eh :)
How was the elm to work with? I have a few staves from a small tree I managed to get and it was a bugger to split.
Thanks, Dana. Elm was absolutely excellent to work with. I didn't, of course, have to split the tree myself.
It didn't seem to like a draw knife, so I used mostly a block plane, rasps, and cabinet scrapers after that. I'll have to take a shot on the tree when I get a chance, I only have some from earlier in the tillering process.
Funny how it is easier to see issues in other people's tillering, isn't it? Maybe we get blind with our own work? :) I do need to keep working toward having more bend closer to the fades, a block of some sort for me, but I'm getting better, I think. And, I don't think I am going to alter this any more. I want to keep it at this weight, and it performs well for me, so good enough for this one.
Dane
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Yea I'm up at dark thirty too much :(
Have fun with her and shoot straight Dane.
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I know what you mean,stave's tend to do that. :) Never built any board bows so I don't know about them but I would guess it would be more straight forward. :)
Pappy
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Dane, I like what you did with the staining job. I may have to try that on the BL I'm working on. The tiller looks good. If you take more pics, I'd like to see close-up's of the tips . Thanks ;D
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Good looking bow, Dane. I really like the color of that stain, too-turned out nice.
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Pappy, Tim Baker said that using a board, you are just freeing the wood for that shape, and I do think that is a pretty good way of putting it. If you ever try it, I will bet your work will be exceptional as always. Maybe you can find a board with 3 nails in it? :) And with some of the tropical woods, boards are the only practical way to go.
Thanks, Hillbilly and JPitts. The stain was a lot of fun to do, and it is edible, as well, ha ha. Have a nice cup o' tea while you work. Better pics would show the grays and browns it brought out. The iron acetate introduces tannin, such as is naturally found in oak, and you don't have to breath nasty fumes as well.
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Very nice bow. You should use dry heat for correcting twists. Works better
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nice job dane you did good. im the same way with tiller. i can see a lot more when its someone elses bow. i have bows sitting in the basement that have been roughed out for up to a year that i just cant seem to figure out. then all of a sudden i just see the bow and get it done. peace
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Thanks, Marc and Jamie.
I will try a heat gun one day, when I need to and want to. Although, the expression on the wife's face when I told her I was cooking a bow was very cool.
Dane
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Nice bow, Dane. Looks like a reliable work horse to me. How well do you shoot it? That is the main thing! I've not worked much with elm. I do have a few staves. I ought to give itr another try. Pat
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A fine job. As long as its not hinging or fretting near the fades, it didn't hurt ya. Ya don't need a heat gun to try out dry heat. Fire up the range top burners in the kitchen and give it a try sometime..
Dave
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Very nice, good to hear it shoots well.
Sean
This is my 400 th post! :)
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Pat, it has far more potential than I have as an archer. It does shoot well, now I just have to get better. Wish I could shoot every day for sure.
Snedecker, I have an electic range, but I do have a gas grill, so that will work just fine. And Sean, congrats on 400! My thread is honored, :)
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I have an electric range too, and it has heated reflex and/or corrected lots of bows.
Dave
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I think you underestimate yourself Dane, looks great!...Brian
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Hi Dane, looks like a good shooter!
Dry heat works well on elm ;)
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Thanks, guys. I appreciate the words. Andrew, your prehistoric bow was part of the inspiration for this one.
I am a strong critic of myself, you can see, but I think I did do okay with this one. And each bow is a learning experience.
Dane
PS I'm using this bow in a 3D match this coming Sunday. I think I will be the only primitive guy there, and maybe it will open a few eyes toward wood bows instead of borg bows?
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I like it :) A better bow than I could build. To my eyes, the outer half of the limbs seem a bit too straight.
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Hey, what match are ya attending?
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Thanks, Simon. Brokennock, it is a 3D event at my club in Conway MA. It is the big Tristate event, with folks coming from all over the region. I have only done one other 3D event, and guess that it is a big deal for some. Some guys have special compound rigs just for this stuff. 30 targets, tropies, all that stuff.
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Ya, I know what you mean about the "special" set ups. I used to go to a 3-D event Every weekend. All over CT. and parts of Mass. (mainly Lee and Stockbridge) Was fairly competitive for a while, but fell apart when I really started trying to break into the top 5%. I was shooting in the 260 to 270 out of 300 range. When I started makin a big effort to get into the 280s and 290s it all fell apart, I ain't shot the same since, target panic and all that jazz. I'm lucky if a hit 100 now. Oh well, I still love it.
Some good shoots comin up in Canaan, CT. comin up. Let me know if yer interested.
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Good luck at yer shoot Dane I'm sure she will shoot just fine if ya do your part that is ;D
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Thanks you guys. If the shoots are not too, too far, maybe so brokennock.
Thanks with the luck, Dana. I will do my best! But, having fun is really important, and I can luckily laugh at myself when I make lousy shots.
Dane
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Looks like a stick bow to me and that's why its bookmarked for July Self Bow of the Month. Nice tiller!
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Are you sure? I am honored, though I do still contend that this bow is not up to being in the contest.
Dane
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the shoots in Canaan, CT. are a straight shot down rte. 7 just over the CT. border. They used to be part of the tri-state league, not sure if they still are.
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I think it is pretty darn impressive for you first stave bow. ;D Now go whip out another one!