Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: JW_Halverson on January 10, 2012, 06:46:30 pm
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This is now my fifth attempt at a red oak board bow. The board in question is quarter sawn and has virtually no grain runouts. I chose to go with a pyramid bow design because so many people have had great luck with this design.
It is 66" from tip to tip, 1" wide handle 4 1/4 inches long, 1 3/4 long fadeouts, a full 2 inche wide limbs at the fadeouts, and a glued on walnut handle. I have radiused the edges slightly and have glued on a rawhide backing before even starting to tiller.
If this bow fails, it has to me and only me. I can't believe so many people without a lick of experience can turn out shootable red oak board bows and I make poor grade kindling from them! :-[ Oh the everlasting shame.
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Be sure to post pictures! 8) I'm sure you've just had some crappy luck. Your dimensions sound perfect, but it's always easier to make a longer bow ya know too. My dimensions I use are almost exactly like yours.
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Oh, and I am shooting for 45# at a 28" draw. This bow is a donation to an organization that will auction it off for charity. No idea whether the buyer will ever shoot it, but I wanted some margin of safety.
Yes, I will post pics of the bow in progress for your delectation and amusement.
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good luck Jw.i had terrible luck with red oak.i have made a few,but none turned out like i wanted them to.i have better luck with staves.hope to meet you at this years classic,Steve
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Maybe I should bring an oak board to the Classic, humble myself before everyone, and beg to be taken in as an apprentice!
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JW, it's obvious you're no rookie (understatement of the week), so don't take this the wrong way, but this seems ironically funny to me. I'm teaching a few friends and I start them out on RO board bows because they're cheap, easily replaced, and a good teacher; with good results so far.
You're probably just spoiled with better woods and have to adopt the motto of the red oak board bowyer: "Please don't break, please don't break, please don't break." ;)
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That's interesting- maybe you should back it before you start. >:D
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Matt: I find it extremely hilarious, too! When chanting the mantra does it help to have a degree of whine in my voice?
Gmc: I backed it this morning with premium antelope rawhide. First time I have ever put on rawhide before finish tillering and shooting in! Until now I have had the idea that I might be wasting the rawhide to back something I could still screw up. By backing this one I am forcing myself to take 'er easy!
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J-dub....red oak?
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yup, red
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Yah I knew that. Just wondered what struck ya' to make one?
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Matt: I find it extremely hilarious, too! When chanting the mantra does it help to have a degree of whine in my voice?
I usually do it while wincing, but whining would work as well ;D
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Well hopefully my 2 cents is worth something here. I have only made board bows, a lot of red oak!! Here's what I found...Lowes red oak boards tend to be extremely dry and brittle. I started getting it at menards and had better luck, also the shortest one I made successfully was 69". The poundage was a little light, so I shortened it to 66", then it broke. I never did try a pyramid bow. They were all 1.5"-1.75" wide up to about 8-12" from tip, then the tips were .75" wide. Hope that helps. Good luck JW!
Tattoo Dave
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i have made 4 ro board bows here in the last 3 months i am happy to say that all 4 of them lived to shoot critters with one is like ryoon built pyramid with 1, 3/4 " at the fadde with 2" fades straight for 8 inches then tapering down to 1/2 inch shoots 50#@ 27" but is 72" t2t and 70" n2n. the 2 others are pyramid same desin but with a glued on 8 inch solid handle and 1 3/4" @fades 2" fades and 8" straght tapering to 1/2 inch shooting 45# and 55# and 27"-28" respectfully. the 4th 1 was a 35# at 20 inch for my son who shoots it remarkably well i tillered it out to 24" and i think it 42#s it is only 50" long 1.25" at the fades 1.5 inch fades semi working handle and the limbs straight taper from 1.5 to 1" at the tips with no hand shock thin limbs but fast enough i might use it to hunt turkeys this coming up year.
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The rawhide backing turned out very nice. No edges curling, no glue bubbles, no air bubbles, and nowhere on the 'hides can you see the texture of the Ace Bandage that had wrapped each limb!
The straight taper from 2" at the fades to 1/2" tips looks pretty dramatic. I'm considering tip overlays and snakeskins on the outer half of the limbs if this one works out to be a shooter!
I've giving it a couple more days to rest before I start belly scraping to get to floor tiller. By then it should be warmer and I can work outside again. The two days I shaped the limbs, glued up the handle, and shaped the handle were brilliant! 50 degrees outside and sunshine dripping off of everything. It was so nice I brought the American Kestrel outside to sit on his perch and watch me. He thought it was pretty good until the resident squirrel came across the yard!
Kestrels may be falcons, but a squirrel outweighs him by 5X and he was having no part of it! Pity I didn't have a strung bow and an arrow at hand to defend him.
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Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought Flat Sawn was better than quarter sawn for flexing ability and non-splintering..
This is now my fifth attempt at a red oak board bow. The board in question is quarter sawn and has virtually no grain runouts. I chose to go with a pyramid bow design because so many people have had great luck with this design.
It is 66" from tip to tip, 1" wide handle 4 1/4 inches long, 1 3/4 long fadeouts, a full 2 inche wide limbs at the fadeouts, and a glued on walnut handle. I have radiused the edges slightly and have glued on a rawhide backing before even starting to tiller.
If this bow fails, it has to me and only me. I can't believe so many people without a lick of experience can turn out shootable red oak board bows and I make poor grade kindling from them! :-[ Oh the everlasting shame.
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Being backed with rawhide I have no fear of lifting a splinter on the back of the bow. The belly will fail long before that rawhide is close to feeling any strain.
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Building a board bow is something i have always wanted to do,, but in the UK atleast near me its only pine boards we get.
I have this image in my head that a lot of the decisions have already been made for the bowyer when the board was ripped from the tree. That and a case of "you dont know where its been" makes it less appealing...
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I chose to do a red oak board bow because I didn't have time to start a stave bow and finish it (I am slower than a glacier with bad knees when it comes to chasing the final growth ring). I hit the local hardwood supplier and there wasn't anything in the hickory pile worth a second glance. This red oak board was, pun intended, board straight and the grain was flawless. Lastly, I'm an idiot. Four bad outings and I still think I can do it.
What was that definition of mental illness? Oh yeah! Repeating an action thinking you will get a different result. There is a very fine line between nuts and plain stupid, and everyone knows I buy the cheap crayons that don't stay within the lines.