Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: H Rhodes on August 10, 2012, 06:57:33 am

Title: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: H Rhodes on August 10, 2012, 06:57:33 am
I practiced on the first three and saved this stave for last!  This will be my last one of these for a while - you guys may be bored with them since they are really starting to look alike... Honestly, I am ready to do a different design on my next one.  I am sold on short recurves though.  This little bow is the flattest shooting, quietest bow that I have built so far.    This was the best stave from this tree and it did not dissappoint.  I had to post it before any finishing work (got a little excited).  It is 58" ntn and pulls 57lbs at 28".  This bow was tillered with a bit more care than the others and was very stubborn in giving up any of the  three inches of reflex that I started with.  The working areas of the limbs were lightly toasted and the recurves were steam bent.  There is no bend in the handle and at the time of these pics the bow had around a hundred arrows shot through it.  I will post some more pics later when the finishing work is done.   
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: dwardo on August 10, 2012, 07:03:52 am
Looks like a fine bow  8)

Can we have a picture of the front profile? Have some white oak here that i want to play with.
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: Del the cat on August 10, 2012, 07:06:00 am
Sweet, I didn't know Oak could pull that much bend, but prob your White Oak is different from the UK Oak.
Del
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: H Rhodes on August 10, 2012, 07:10:12 am
dwardo, it will be a few days before i can post more pics, but the front profile is pyramid shaped - 1 3/4" tapering to 1/2 at tips.  I have a 5 inch handle area.  White oak is good stuff - extremely tension strong.  I think you could tie it in a knot before it would break.  It responds well to heat treating and, actually, would probably have excessive string follow without it.  Just my 2 cents...

Thanks Dell, it is different than any of the other oaks that we have in the states as well.  It may be a lot like your wych elms?  Responds well to steam and heat. 
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: Pappy on August 10, 2012, 07:35:22 am
Man that looks great,tiller is dead on.Very nice ,I bet it will spit and arrow. :) :)
   Pappy
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: H Rhodes on August 10, 2012, 07:43:28 am
Thanks Pappy!  I am excited about this one.  I think it is the first bow that I have made that actually shoots better than my fg recurve - that was sort of a personal goal that this little bow helped me achieve.  Now if October 15 will hurry up and get here, i intend to put it to work! :)
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: blackhawk on August 10, 2012, 07:56:57 am
I think your just posting the same bow over n over....lol  :laugh: looks good. I still haven't tried a white oak stave. How bout some outdoorsy shots for your finished product  ;) and how long is that arrow?
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: H Rhodes on August 10, 2012, 08:01:30 am
I know!  They are starting to look mass produced....  I am gonna start on a persimmon molle today to break this pattern.  I think that arrow is 31" I think that my draw length has shortened to around 27.  This bow was pulled to 29 on the tiller tree and was just shy of 60lbs draw weight by my fish scale.   I do have the most boring back drops on this site.  I gotta work on my photography.   :D
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: half eye on August 10, 2012, 09:05:17 am
Howard, sounds like ya got them recurves down pretty pat sir, this one is like Pappy says....perfect.
rich
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: H Rhodes on August 10, 2012, 09:08:46 am
Thanks Rich! I am gonna have to leave them alone for a while.  I got to get back to my straight sticks now.   ;) Hope all is well up in the north end o the country. 
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: lesken2011 on August 10, 2012, 09:39:15 am
Nice job, Howard! You are definitely getting that design down pat. That molle you are planning sounds interesting, too!! :P
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: lostarrow on August 10, 2012, 10:07:51 am
Nice. It may get boring but it looks like the practice really paid off.Very well done.
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: okie64 on August 10, 2012, 11:09:37 am
Another very nice bow Howard. You got that design down to a tee. Ive never had a chance to work with white oak, we dont have many true white oaks around here. I do have some post oak staves dried out and ready to work and its in the white oak family. I may have to try one of those out and see how it works out. Good luck on the persimmon bow.
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: druid on August 10, 2012, 11:52:55 am
Just scrape a little inner half of lower limb and it will be perfect. Nice bow, vey nice!
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: scp on August 10, 2012, 12:22:26 pm
I think it is the first bow that I have made that actually shoots better than my fg recurve - that was sort of a personal goal that this little bow helped me achieve.

I have the same goal. But I almost gave up on oak selfbows, at least for the time being, and am now working with bamboo backed bows with recurved siyahs. Is it possible to find out how fast you can shoot 9gpp arrows with that bow?
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: UserNameTaken on August 10, 2012, 01:48:55 pm
I like that a lot! It's got a very attractive profile. What color are you going to stain it?

Had a chance to pick up a truckload of white oak a few weeks ago, but unfortunately my storage area is filled to the top with black locust. I'm thinking the white oak is probably better wood?
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: FRITZ 86 on August 10, 2012, 03:57:45 pm
Great looking little bow! I'm gonna have to try white oak. I can actually find them around my area.
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: Badly Bent on August 10, 2012, 06:10:32 pm
Another nice one Howard, the bend on that bow looks great. That one looks very good in the braced , unbraced and full draw profile . You gotta post it again finished up. Now you really got me stoked about this white oak. Took the hatchet to a
4" dia. white oak that I cut down a few weeks ago and roughed out a bow from it today. Gonna let it dry awhile now and then I'll be
after it. May need some advice along the way. Again real nice job on that bow looks to be a real shooter.
Greg
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: Arrowind on August 10, 2012, 06:44:27 pm
Very nice! 
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: H Rhodes on August 17, 2012, 05:16:10 am
Thanks Arrowind, Badly Bent, Fritz, UserNameTaken, lesken, lostarrow and Okie! 
  Druid, I took your advice and worked on that lower stiff limb a little more.  SCP, I am sorry, but I don't have access to a  grain scale or a chrono at the moment, and I don't have any arrows that light, I don't think...  This bow seems to shoot faster than my 50lb fiberglass recurve, though.   

The bow finished at 55 @ 28 and I got a few more pics to post.  I will include the braced and full draw shots next week when I come out of the woods and get back to a computer.  I liked the feel of the wood handle so I made a thin wrap of waxed thread for a grip.  I cut an arrow shelf into this one, which is something I rarely do.  I love the way this bow shoots.  It did take a little set similar to the previous white oaks that I have done, but the performance is outstanding.  This will probably be my hunting bow this year.   
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: Pappy on August 17, 2012, 06:26:57 am
Now that's a beauty,very nice. :)
   Pappy
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: H Rhodes on August 17, 2012, 06:29:41 am
Thanks Pappy!
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: SLIMBOB on August 17, 2012, 09:11:32 am
Like it a lot!  Nice job on that bow.
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: Jodocus on August 17, 2012, 11:14:44 am
Thats real nice, I really like short recurves.  :-*

Say, since you really practised this design, what did you learn and do that makes this one the best of them?

Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: coaster500 on August 17, 2012, 11:27:39 am
Great Oak shooter!!!  Super job :)
Title: Re: The best of four white oak recurves
Post by: Denham Archer on August 17, 2012, 12:35:40 pm
Great lookin' white oak recurve!  Well done!  I love the oaks, white or red.