Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: blackhawk on November 06, 2012, 07:13:34 pm

Title: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: blackhawk on November 06, 2012, 07:13:34 pm
Heres two bows I finished simultaneously so im gonna post em up in the same thread. One is a 62" holmgaard made of flowering dogwood,52@27",19 ounces mass,the levers do bend and the last 6" of them are stiff,dyed brown,osage tip overlays,and leather stitched grip,with a couple of kinks  ;) I cut this sapling back in march and it is heat treated as well. This is the first time i used dogwood and its about dead similar to hophornbeam id say. Good wood if tempered.

The other is a 61" R/D black locust flatbow,57@26",15.5 ounces mass,osage tip overlays,and barely a slight bending handle with a hemp wrap soaked in titebondIII. This was one of two staves I traded with clint(osage outlaw) for back at the tennesse classic. This stave was a mess,it twisted 90 degrees from end to end and had those two deflex kinks out the fade areas,and one deflexed kink has a sharper reflex out of it than the other,and the bottom limb has a lil more reflexed flip to it. I basically straightend it enough to be a bow but its still a airplane propellor,and i put a tad more reflex in the limbs as well. Its a tough one to judge based from these pics alone,but trust me shes right on the money  ;) i put pics of the braced bow and full draw from both sides so you can see the prop in full draw and the diff from each way

Even though they are plain jane workhorses,both are fast hard hitting bows and i shot super tight groups with,which is always a plus with a hard hitter. wish i could take better pics,it was a lil hard trying to do both in the same frames

(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/blackhawk28/100_0505.jpg)

(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/blackhawk28/100_0506.jpg)

(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/blackhawk28/100_0509.jpg)

(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/blackhawk28/100_0513.jpg)

(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/blackhawk28/100_0518.jpg)

(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/blackhawk28/100_0521.jpg)

(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/blackhawk28/100_0522.jpg)

(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/blackhawk28/100_0526.jpg)

(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/blackhawk28/100_0529.jpg)

(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/blackhawk28/100_0530.jpg)

(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x436/blackhawk28/100_0531.jpg)
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: paulsemp on November 06, 2012, 07:29:08 pm
You turn out more bows than some company's!!! Where you get time?(I am jealous). Once again nice work and great tiller on both. 
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: hunterbob on November 06, 2012, 07:30:34 pm
You just keep cranking them out.Get out there and get a deer.
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: sharpend60 on November 06, 2012, 07:47:23 pm
I'll take the dogwood.
Please drop it in the mail at your earliest convenience.

Seriously, good work.
I dunno how you bust em out like ya do.
Neither of these look like Osage, I approve.


Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: osage outlaw on November 06, 2012, 08:05:53 pm
I can't believe the bows you made out of those BL staves.  I don't know how you do it.  Amazing work.

I was going to PM you, but since you posted these I'll just ad it on here.  I spotted a small osage tree with your name on it tonight while hunting.  It already has a natural D/R shape to it.  About 3" diameter.  I trimmed the top of it off a couple of weeks ago to clear a shooting lane.  It has very tight rings.  I'll cut it down and bring it to you at the Classic next year.  We just might have to make this a tradition.  I'll bring you a challenging piece of wood each year and then I'll set back and watch you work your magic on it.
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: Adam on November 06, 2012, 08:26:47 pm
Great looking bows!  I like the names too.
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: seabass on November 06, 2012, 08:39:54 pm
sweet bows Chris.i'll be getting with you soon.i'll send you a pm.
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: turtle on November 06, 2012, 09:18:03 pm
Those are both great looking bows. The dogwood makes me want to go cut a stave. Ive only made one bow from flowering dogwood but it was my favorite bow for years.
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: beetlebailey1977 on November 06, 2012, 09:18:20 pm
Very nice pair of bows.
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: Ifrit617 on November 06, 2012, 09:21:02 pm
Sweet! I love the perfect profiles you get on your R/D bows.. I would love to shoot one of those sometime. absolutely gorgeous work.

Jon
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: Badly Bent on November 06, 2012, 10:46:10 pm
Both are very nice bows, sharpened can have the dogwood but only because I'm partial to black locust ;D. Like both of em, look good
 
back profile to brace to full draw. Prop twist not obvious to me in the pics, looks fine. I can't seem to build one without some propellor,
if it doesn't have it naturally I somehow manage to give it some while working it into a bow.
Nice work on those two Chris.
Greg
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: missilemaster on November 06, 2012, 10:51:24 pm
Great looking bows Chris, as always. I like the finish, whatever it is.
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: blackhawk on November 07, 2012, 07:51:58 am
Thanks everybody for the responses  :D

Bring it Clint..just what I need,another mess to clean up..lol


Finish is tru oil Cody
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: lesken2011 on November 07, 2012, 08:04:49 am
Nice job, Blackhawk. As usual, both bows are exquisite!!
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: Parnell on November 07, 2012, 09:09:26 am
You're a machine.  Do you have a room full of bows?
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: BowEd on November 07, 2012, 09:23:17 am
Just turned the comp on and looked at pics.You said you were gonna post em and there they are!!!WOW....Just what a person expects to see from a bowyer like you.Sweeeet profiles.Low masses.All from difficult pieces of wood.I use that hemp wrap soaked in TT3 too.I like it.Thanks for sharing.Do you think you might have to thank hurricane sandy for holeing you up in the shop to crank two bows at a time?
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: blackhawk on November 07, 2012, 09:30:02 am
You're a machine.  Do you have a room full of bows?

No Steve..room wood be plural,I have a few rooms with bows or wood in them. Don't know how my family puts up with me/it. Lol.....thanks
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: blackhawk on November 07, 2012, 09:32:49 am
Just turned the comp on and looked at pics.You said you were gonna post em and there they are!!!WOW....Just what a person expects to see from a bowyer like you.Sweeeet profiles.Low masses.All from difficult pieces of wood.I use that hemp wrap soaked in TT3 too.I like it.Thanks for sharing.Do you think you might have to thank hurricane sandy for holeing you up in the shop to crank two bows at a time?

Thanks ed and yeah I forgot to mention a BIG thank you to Sandy for holing me up in my shop..lol
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: BowEd on November 07, 2012, 09:40:54 am
I'm gonna cut my dogwood sometime today.I remember you saying yours was cut in March.You made a bow from it in October and it still checked on you while reducing it?Man that's got to be some finiky stuff to dry.You know if BL had a reason to chrysal that bow of yours was a candidate in most other bowyers hands.Great job.I can't see much prop twist on it either.
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: BowEd on November 07, 2012, 09:52:38 am
Oh forgot to say......Those two bows are a bit long for you are'nt they?You might as well give em away.They won't suit you.....LOL.
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: blackhawk on November 07, 2012, 09:53:42 am
I'm gonna cut my dogwood sometime today.I remember you saying yours was cut in March.You made a bow from it in October and it still checked on you while reducing it?Man that's got to be some finiky stuff to dry.You know if BL had a reason to chrysal that bow of yours was a candidate in most other bowyers hands.Great job.I can't see much prop twist on it either.

Yup I cut the dogwood march this year and when I got it home I started to reduce it immediately and before I could finish reducing it,it started to seriously check,so after I reduced to near bow dimension I shot superglue in the checks on the belly and sealed the whole stave,back,belly,and sides n then set in my dark cool basement. Very finicky wood for sure to dry. Ill try to get a better pic of the prop in it tonight,the pics didn't show it very well I guess.

And zero frets on the locust,I've never had a locust bow fret on me(n I've made 5 so far)
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: Will H on November 07, 2012, 10:03:42 am
Very nice as usual blackhawk! You are a machine!
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on November 07, 2012, 10:15:25 am
They are just as you desrcibed man. Simple and effective. Nice lack of set as well. Since I know what your caul looks like I can assume little set was taken by looking at the unbraced pics. Excellent tiller work friend....and thats all that matters with selfys!
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: k-hat on November 07, 2012, 11:02:40 am
It's all been said, but I'll say again ... Well done!!!  Both are beautiful and sounds like they're fun to shoot.  You're making me feel lazy though >:( ;)
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: rps3 on November 07, 2012, 04:56:00 pm
I like them both. Very nice. How would you rate black locust as far as performance? That stuff grows like a weed around here, but I have never tried it.
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: Bowman on November 07, 2012, 05:03:58 pm
Nice bows. Like both of them. Cool. :-)
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: blackhawk on November 07, 2012, 05:06:26 pm
Thanks guys.. :D

Bob..I love black locust..its my second favorite wood..give it a go ...they make a hard hitting bow for sure,and if I didn't have osage around me it wood prob be my main course for bow wood..just treat it right,which I know you wood do anyways,and you'll get a great bow. The stuff grows like weeds over here too,n most folks don't care if ya cut it.
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: Buckeye Guy on November 07, 2012, 09:37:25 pm
Good looking bows !!
I hope I have not missed to many since our internet hardly ever works anymore !
Good to see ya still at it !
Hope to see some of your work in person real soon !
Take care !
Guy
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: Keenan on November 07, 2012, 10:16:54 pm
What a nice pair! Very good looking bows
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: bubby on November 08, 2012, 02:17:58 am
sweet bows there blacky, but i doubt that holmie is a DOG :laugh:, Bub
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: Holten101 on November 08, 2012, 06:25:26 am
Very nice bows:-)

"The Sopwith Camel" is an awesome name for a work horse bow with propeller twist:-)

Cheers
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: SLIMBOB on November 08, 2012, 09:20:31 am
Both really nice.  Love the Dogwood bow.  Looks to have been a challenge tiller wise.
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: jimmy on November 08, 2012, 12:46:10 pm
Cool.  I dig your bows.  Names for bows are interesting too.  The bow I'm hunting with this year is called Stone That The Builder Refused.  It was a belly split bound for the scrap pile, wind checks and all.  It made it into a 65#, 60 " ttt huntin' machine.  3 years later, strong as ever.
Title: Re: Holmy the Dog and The Sopwith Camel
Post by: Trapper Rob on November 08, 2012, 08:40:47 pm
Sweet bows how long does it take you to crank them out they look great when I bring your rawhide up I'll have to get you to show me how you do it.
Rob