Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: H Rhodes on July 31, 2012, 06:08:27 pm
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This little bow is 55" tip to tip and 50lbs at 28". It is 1 3/4" at the fades, bend thru the handle, semi-pyramid tapering to 3/8 inch tips. Heat treated white oak continues to amaze me. This bow had a hole in a knot middle of one limb that I filled with saw dust and superglue. The other limb has big knot about seven or eight inches from the handle which I left fairly proud. It does have about an inch and a half of string follow but has great early string tension. A very sweet shooting little bow. This one is from the same tree as the leftover stave bow that I posted previously. I have started another bow from the best split from that tree and it promises to be a really good bow. I will post it when I get her finished.
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I've been wanting to do a bow like this for some time now. I've always loved recurves! How did you bend your tips? Heat gun? Boil them? It looks like I've going to get my chance soon, with a 60" black locust stave of mine. The only problem is it can't bend through the handle due to a giant knot that goes almost all the way from back to belly, and almost halfway through from one side to the other. It may break, but I think that I might try it. Great bow man!
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Sweet! Love the coloring on it.
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Thanks oscar3b! I steamed it for forty-five minutes over a pot on the stove and then clamped the bend right quick to my little bending jig. I bet you could get by with a non-bending handle in a 60 inch bow. Good luck with your bow. I am falling in love with these little recurves. They really shoot sweet and are easy to carry in the woods.
Thanks Tortoise! I stained it dark since I plan to hunt with every bow I make. I am not a real slick finisher. I even left rasping/sanding marks in it. One of these days I will learn to slow down and pretty one up, but I seem to be in a lather to get to my next one asap >:D It is an addiction....
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Nice work, I suppose you're practicing up for the best stave? Thats a good idea. That one looks like a keeper though.
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Exactly Tom. I really wanted to be sure I understood the way this wood behaves before I started on the best piece of it. I have learned so far that Mississippi white oak rocks!
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Been sneakin over here and gettin my wood, huh? ??? Well, I guess you did alright by it. Good job, Howard!! :laugh:
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Like seeing oak bows....don't see enough! :)
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cool bow tiller looks good.
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Thanks guys. I have built a couple of bows from red oak boards, but white oak staves are far superior bow wood. Yeah Kenny, I have a friend of mine that has land over the line and he keeps me in bow wood these days. A belly toasting makes white oak as good a bow wood as i have tried. This is my fourth white oak bow and the shortest unbacked bow that I have made to date.
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Howard, that's a real beaut....that full draw is priceless,sir!!!!!!
rich
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Thanks Rich! That means a lot coming from you. Oh and by the way, you should be receiving a package this week. i procrastinated a bit, but there are otters swimming your way. ;)
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Excellent little bow with great tiller. 8)
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Thanks Pat!
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that's your best tiller and bow IMHO howard....its fun watching you work hard and get better..keep up the good hard work ;)
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That's a really cool little bow!
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Beautiful full draw shot! excellent work.
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Howard you did a really good one there, I like that bow without a slick finish, it's got a real rugged, rustic look that suits it perfectly.
Great looking full draw too, looks to be bending the right amount in all the right places. I may have to pester you for some tips on working white oak in the near future. Cut one down recently after you had suggested I give this wood a try, now I'm getting excited
about it after seeing what you did with this bow.Great job.
Greg
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Blackhawk - thank you so much. Your bows are always an inspiration to me.
Thanks Fritz, Eric, and Badly B - thanks a bunch. BB, from the looks of the fine bows that you turn out, i doubt you will need my help, but i will be glad tell you what i have learned about white oak.
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Very cool bow and a sweet bend!!
Makes me want to cut some oak... the stuff surrounds me :)
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Great little bow that 8) good weight too.
If it has good brace twang then the set is fine. I have a little one very similar that i made from a heavier bow that developed a problem in one of the tips to i had to shorten it. That also took a lot of set but it didnt seem to affect it in the way that it does others. Probably due to the recurves and straight tips.
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Nice! I love the look! I've wanted to get some white oak to try heat treating for a while now.
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Thanks guys. This one may end up being one of the better bows that i have built so far. I know what you mean dwardo... even with the set, the early string tension is surprising. I don't know if that is more a part of the design, the quality of the wood, or a combination of factors - all i know is it is fast and i like it :D
White oak will remind you of elm or hackberry in that it bends to what ever shape you desire, with the added benefit of being easy to work, easy to split, and fairly impervious to moisture. It is prone to taking quite a bit of set, but a good heat treating mitigates that effect. Try it, you will like it. It is not like the red oak we have here at all.