Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: parson on February 01, 2012, 02:43:07 pm
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This bow making thing is an ongoing education!I appreciate all of the wisdom posted here, but I guess that the real learning happens in the shop.
I was making a red oak board bow for a lady friend of the family. It tillered nice, looked good- in fact I was pretty proud of it. :)
Alas, I cut the sight window just a tad too deep into the bow and it died in my hands, taking some knuckle skin as it did so! :(
So far, I've got 4 shooters out of 7 attempts; got 3 in various stages of progress, 1 of which is my first attempt with a stave. Gonna let the swelling on my hand go down and let the knuckle heal a little and get back into it.
Likely will be a little gun-shy on the first few draws.
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grab that panther by the tail and PULL 8)
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Have you looked at the 'golf tee' shelf or a glue on leather wedge? that way you do not cut into the bow.
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4 outta 7 is better than my odds , i think i was 15 for 15 broken in the begining
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Ain't this stuff fun! ;)
My thoughts too, Bevan. ;)
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"This bow making thing is an ongoing education!" Yup. I'm still learning
Been there with cutting sight windows. They are not needed except by those who want an easier job to tune an arrow. We must all make our bows look like fiberglass bows. Thin and trim. Overlays. Sight windows. Every little bit of character heated out. FF strings. Maybe some day I will learn how to do all that stuff and be open minded about using and doing modern bow making activities.:) Jawge
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Hey George, primitive man didn't build primitive bows, so why should we ;D?
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Remember that you are not limited to cut in handle bows, you can use a golf tee of just stick some leather under the handle and glue it there
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You could also just shoot off your hand. I know its not supposed to be as precise as having an actual arrow rest, but I like the clean, uninterupted lines of a bow without an arrow rest. Its all in your preference really.
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I agtee with slack bunny, shootin w/o a cut in handle only causes a minor adjustable deviance and the increaced paradox doesnt matter unless u are shooting through wedding rings
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Appreciate all the comments. I'm gonna peruse the site here and check out pictures of options to cut outs. Maybe try to get in touch with my inner caveman.
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The easy answer is don't cut arrow shelves, shoot off your knuckle... and be really primitive.
That does beg the question, are there any real primitive bows which had arrow shelves?
Del
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Art, you shouldn't build a primitive bow unless you want to. I will someday too. I was just reading this in Yahoo. Pretty interesting. You can tell them they don't build primitive bows. :) Jawge
http://news.yahoo.com/isolated-peru-tribe-makes-uncomfortable-contact-135924259.html
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Four of 7? Still batting over .500! Whatcha whining about, there's no whining in bowyering! Man up and sit in the dark whimpering and lick your wounds quietly like the rest of us! ;D
I've been known to put on a heavy coat, welder's gloves and a facemask when pulling one of my creations. We all know about being gun-shy on the first few pulls!
Never let common sense or caution get in your way, get back on the shop and make shavings!
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I am quoting someone from somewhere and it could not be more true. "If your not breaking them, your not building them"
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LOL, Paul. I know the guy you are quoting well. It is I. But my family knows me better.
If you ain't breakin' you ain't makin. I've broken a few or a hundred or so in 23 years of doing this stuff. Jawge
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Never let common sense or caution get in your way, get back on the shop and make shavings!
That's my philosophy! There's been a constant layer of sawdust and wood shavings on my garage floor for over a year now. The only reason i sweep is to make room for more!! ::)
As for caution, if we had too much of that we'd still be living in caves, walking everywhere, and eating nothing but veggies and nuts! :laugh:
Sorry bout your hand though, if you're like the rest of us you'll be back at it long before the healing's done! >:D
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Sorry to miss quote you but you are right on! I have broken alot my self.
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Man adapts and moves on George.
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the blood from your knuckle might make a great stain for your next bow.get back in there and start an other.we have all been a little gun shy.good luck buddy,Steve
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Some do, Art. Jawge
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We're here for you George ;) ;D.
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Thanks, Art. I can use all the help I can get. But I wasn't thinking of me. :) Jawge
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Honestly, I don't think there's any help for either of us George, LOL!
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I'm definitely close minded and stuck in my way for sure. Just ask my daughters. LOL. Jawge
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"If you ain't breakin' you ain't makin. " A Jawge-ism for sure!
For me, it is the process, it's the feel of a sharp tool under my hands and the response it gets from the wood. It's how every different kind of wood responds differently. How the incredible idea you may start with is not what you end up with and you are pleasantly surprised. It's especially the look on someone's hands when after they have shot a bow you just finished and you tell 'em to keep it. No. Really. Keep it.
And it's the breakin', too. >:D
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That's why I took up gardening...a ready supply of tomato stakes. :) Jawge
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I could heat a house.... 8)