Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: IdahoMatt on January 29, 2013, 11:43:04 pm
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She broke but thought I would post anyway. It's honey locust I think, no thorns but smooth bark.
66.5" long and 37 @ 26". Critiques welcome
Sorry no full draw pics
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where is that crack? looks like maybe bad piece, scraped in all the wrong places...... :o
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In the second pic just to the right of the grip. What do you mean scraped in all the wrong places
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Looks good Matt, except for the crack of course.
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I see 2 cracks bro one middle and one on edge? Brock
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It still shoots should I continue to shoot her.
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I was going to patch with some sinew that is what that is
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Very heavy tips.
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Would you reduce width or thickness
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Thickness. It may be fixable but personally I would not shoot it anymore. You obviously know how to make a bow so just make another with some improvement, maybe a different wood. Is that a belly crack? Maybe flatten the belly next time.
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It's a crack on the back, I have a bunch of this wood and I have broken two of these now. I am bound and determined to make a bow out of this wood. For now it is all the wood that I have.
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Start again, go a tad longer. Aim for 2" wide at the widest, just tapering over the last 1/3. Don't have thick unbending tips or a long unbending handle. A total of 4" stiff at the centre is plenty, the more of the bow that bends, the less stress at any one point.
Slow and steady wins the day.
Good luck.
If that was one small splinter lifting, it could be chiseled out and a piece let in, but I think it's too far gone.
Del
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Thanks Dell. I'll take some pics of the staves that I have and y'all can tell me what you think. They are more like small branches.
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Honey locust, Im told, doesnt compare to black locust.
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I am getting four black locust logs soon just don't know the condition yet. Should I keep trying with the honey or should I wait for the black.
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Sorry man, my advise is to make sure the back is one ring and then smooth all cuts and nicks before tillering. Tiller slow and give plenty of time for working the wood into a bend. Good luck on next one.
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If you your tree had slick bark and no thorns it isn't honey locust. Every honey locust on the face of the earth looks like this.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/ekrewson/Honey_locust_thorns.jpg)
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I'll take a pic of the tree at work today and maybe y'all can tell me what it is.
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Stick with black locust if you can. Paul Comstock believes Honey is inferior compared? That is one mans opinion.
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and to think my parents have over 30 to 50 staves worth of BL but wont let me have any :'(
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I know there is a cultivar that has no thorns.
Gleditsia triacanthos inermis. Just looked it up.
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In the second pic just to the right of the grip. What do you mean scraped in all the wrong places
Lol just kidding. kind of like that old song, "looking for love in all the wrong places."
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id suggest you get a hickory make that or bettr a good ol osage ,,blk locust takes a lota learning the wod is the teacher with blk locust you learn to tiller blk locust u got it made personally i hate the stuff brock
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There are a lot of honey locust trees that don't have any thorns, they're actually pretty common around me.
Same here, but I dont believe its honey. More of a hybrid city sidewalk tree of sorts.
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Matt if you are ever up this way I have some staves that I could probably trade. Dont you guys have juniper down there?
Tell
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We do have a lot of juniper and I have made a few bows out of the stuff. I just didn't get to harvest any this year...so far anyway. And it is a city sidewalk tree got it out of a parking lot from an arborist doing some tree trimming. Thought it would be fun to make some bows out of the stuff because it was free bot on labor and money. I have made one bow that worked out of this stuff bit it was nothing to write home about.
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You all are right and I put out some bad info, there is a thrornless honey locust,Gleditsia triacanthos inermis, my mistake.
Botanic Name Gleditsia triacanthos L. Synonym The genus name has also been ... of wild trees usually bear branching thorns, but a thornless form (f . inermis Schneid.) ... Honeylocust has strong and durable wood of specific gravity 0.70- 0.80.
Pretty high specific gravity, should make a good bow.
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I made a shooter from honey locust, but I overbuilt it and backed it with linen. I stayed two inches wide over 60% of the length, 4 inch handle, and 66" long - sort of like Del described. It should make a good bow, if you find the right tree - I found it to be a very finicky species. All that said, the bow has had hundreds of arrows shot from it and took very little set. You could probably wrap that splinter real tight with some B-50 and super glue and probably have a bow that would last you a long time. Your tiller looks good.