Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: bow101 on November 26, 2013, 04:00:54 pm
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What is your most unlikable task about archery building..? I would have to say fletching, don't care much for leather handles either.
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Waiting
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sanding is my least favorite. Removing bark and sapwood from osage is a close second.
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Breaking
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I don't have any aspect of the sport that is least favorable, one thing I just accept that, it must be done, is splitting, trimming, and generally prepping raw feathers to be fletched, there are just sooooo many and always the need for more, but when I start into a session I'm okay with it! ;D
Robby
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about archery, breaking arrows. about bow building, sanding.
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I used to not like the work that takes a half-log down to an actual stave that is near-net-size. But I've learned to do much more of the work with my splitting axe and hammer, and now I don't mind it so much. I've also got a better drawknife now which helps.
Also I don't care for trimming feathers.
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i used to despise sanding, but that was before i really gained the patience to appreciate what a little extra work can give you. Now i actually enjoy sanding to some extent, as i work through the grits you can actually see the beauty of the wood rising to the surface.
Now i just hate having to clean up after a session.
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Without a doubt... Makin strings sux!... Brian
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Chasing a ring on osage.
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Stopping... A bad day at the bench is still better than work.....
Thanks Leroy
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Roughing out a stave before tillering. If floor tillered blanks grew on trees I would be one happy guy.
Jon
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I am not a big fan of finish work, enjoy the process of getting them tillered and shooting but that last little bit just wears me out, rather start a new bow.
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Waiting
+1
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Without a doubt... Makin strings sux!... Brian
x2
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Breaking and Bending good Draw Knives while roughing out staves...
I keep refining my technique, but I also keep bending and breaking good drawknives.
-gus
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I hate anything to do with arrows. Cutting, staining, fletching.....I hate it all. When I get done with a bow I just want to shoot it and not worry about arrows. I have no patience for them.
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I hate sanding with a passion but I also appreciate how important it is to a good finish so I suck it up.
I love the handle work and don't mind making a string at all. It's funny to hear the variety of responses to this. Sounds like some of us need to team up and split the work. :laugh:
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Finish work and strings for me.
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I am not a big fan of finish work, enjoy the process of getting them tillered and shooting but that last little bit just wears me out, rather start a new bow.
Me too! I admire the beautiful finishing work done by some of these talented bowyers on here, but I am just not into it. Once I get it shooting like I want, I am already looking toward the next one. Once in a while I will take time to pretty one up a bit, but it's usually the exception. A bow is more about function over form to me. It is cool to see all the different likes and dislikes in this post. Aside from finishing work, there isn't any one part of the process that I really dislike. Ring chasing used to be a pain to me, but I have come to enjoy that as much as any other part.
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Stopping.
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Strings for Me too. I'd rather bleed from the Eyes than have to make another string !!!!!!!!!!!! Bob
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I like most everything about it,weak suit is finish work,I just want to get it sealed
and use it,and strings,I trade out with Jon on that unless I am making the bow for someone special ,then I want to do it all ,I do tiller work for string work with Jon. ;) :) :) I also trade out with Will on grip work, again unless I am make a bow for someone. :)
Pappy
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Making arrows. It's a task I have no patience for at all. Love every aspect of bow making. Ring chasing on Osage is enjoyable for me, but arrow making is nothing but a chore.
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My least favorite part is cutting trees way off the road, splitting large trunks into staves and man handling them back to my truck by myself in 95 degree heat. I always seem to find bow wood in the middle of the summer. It is always get it now or the bulldozer will get it tomorrow.
Next would be to looking at that huge pile of logs or staves I have collected and tackling the bark and sapwood removal, all the while thinking" why did I cut so much".
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The least favorite thing for me is picking the "right" stave and then finding out that it won't work after I start getting into the wood. Once I get past this first part, and have a good stave, I love everything else.
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As far as actual work goes,
I am Weakest in Arrow Building.
So I derive more Frustration from it.
I Love it when I make One More Pass on a Cane Shaft that is nearly perfect.
To get that last wiggle out of it, only to make it worse...
Add to that my knappung skills are still Rough at best.
And there ya have it.
But as is my want, I tend to focus more effort where I'm weakest.
Hoping my skill will increase, and hopfully it will.
I am still Amazed when I get a Straight Flying Arrow...
:-)
-gus
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It's not that I do not favor Arrow Building, it just does not favor me yet. Only because I have not put in the time to learn it well yet. Besides, with friends like CMB out there, no need to learn!
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Going from log to stave, Straightening shafts (more that three) and heat treating to some degree
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Like Pearlie, its the waiting for me too. I love doing all the rest of the stuff related to our addiction. ;)
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I'm surprised by how many people don't like making strings. That doesn't bother me at all. I understand the arrow making though.
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I guess I agree with the string haters sometimes. I like to make one string at a time. Any more than that and I don't enjoy it. Problem is I only hit my target length about half the time, so I usually end up making two or three at time before I get one that fits. And I must make all my bows similar length because no matter how many extras I make, I never have one that is the right size!
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I do love the way Osage and Tung Oil smell together while Heat Treating...
Smells even better than Ole Regular Gasoline...
I used to Love that smell as a child...
Hmmm... maybe that part of what's wrong with me.
:)
-gus
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i actually like making strings now, im really good with a reverse flemish twist. the key is to use those tiny irwin clamps to hold the string, after that all your doing is twisting.
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I hate crashing through the brush to find a nice Pacific Crab, carrying it home for an hour and then splitting it and having 180 degrees of twist in it. But I toughed it out, roughed it out and clamped it to a 2x8. Now I can forget about it for a year. At least I've got Ocean Spray. It splits straight every time--so far.
Don
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Some interesting stuff on here, I would probably have to consider sanding a strong second as far as un-likeable tasks. Have not done enough bowyering to actually call waiting a bad one, mabe after I have built 30-50 bows and mastered the skill somewhat.. All in all its fun, addicting, challenging and very humbling.
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I'm surprised by how many people don't like making strings. That doesn't bother me at all. I understand the arrow making though.
i'm with you Clint, strings are pretty easy, I just make them as needed, arrows are another matter
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I dont understand what folks do to not get the correct length of string and cant lengthen them or shorten them? All my string will adjust for almost any bow length.
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Yeah, strings and waiting for staves to season. I go from plant to string though and it sucks. Lots of tedious finger work.
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I'm surprised by how many people don't like making strings. That doesn't bother me at all. I understand the arrow making though.
i'm with you Clint, strings are pretty easy, I just make them as needed, arrows are another matter
I'll spend hours looking for a lost arrow. I figure if it takes me two hours to find it I'm still several hours ahead if I had to make a new one.
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Hmmm...my least favorite task, and it's specific,
is thinning down the wood on the belly of a bow.
I'm talking post hatchet and pre tiller. I always
have at least a centimeter of wood that needs to
come off. I usually bounce between my Shinto
rasp, a small draw knife, and this wood "cheese
grater" thing I have because the monotony kills
me. I dream of getting a bandsaw one day.
Japbow.
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Japbow, have you tried a farriers rasp? It is pretty aggressive at removing wood.
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So far, I think I have heard every stage of bow work disparaged by several people in this thread. Yup, used to hate chasing rings, now I love it, used to hate sandpaper, string making, arrow making, the whole shebang. It's all the same to me now, but the one thing,,,that one little thing that I just can't work up any enthusiasm for....
(and now you are all gonna look at me funny.)
(Again. ;D)
...is shooting them. Never really have enjoyed it. Probably never will. Shocking huh? But I didn't get into this for a bow, you can buy those. Instead, it is the process, the simplicity of old hand tools, the sweetness of a curl breaking over the lip of a spokeshave, it's the journey.
Oh, and the look on a kid's face when you tell him or her to go ahead and keep that bow, after all, they shoot it pretty good, it must have been theirs from the beginning.
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And now I understand why you dont own a single bow you make... JW.... I like you. And dont worry, I'm not lookin at you funny. I'm just lookin at you because you look funny...
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Actually... I have to recant. I really dont mind makin strings although ive worked with my hands in construction and factory work my whole life so the twisting makes my hands cramp. :o... What I absolutely cant stand is makin what you know to be the best shootin bow you ever made( with a good 30-60hrs in) and giving it to someone who just had to have it...then find it hangin on their wall..strung..and never shot... Grrrrr..... Maybe we should start a thread on our favorite part of archery, lol.... Brian
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Making strings. Absolutely no doubt. Hate it. :(
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Waiting
YES :-\
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JW, I understand the shooting thing. I don't like target practice. And I hate it when I lose and arrow. Breaking an arrow is fine... I can tolerate that. But losing one drives me nuts.
However, I thoroughly enjoy shooting at living, moving critters. >:D
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With a bad case of tendonitis in my right arm, I have a ready made excuse to not shoot the bow this year. However, last nite I ran across my archery buck tag and immediately remembered the $35 it cost me. Maybe I need to go down to a lighter bow and get SOME shooting done. *sigh*
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Without a doubt... Makin strings sux!... Brian
x2
X3
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Waiting for wood to dry is absolutely the worst in my opinion I also hate everything about making arrows there not fun like making a bow is
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I'm surprised at how many folks hate making strings and arrows. Heck, if you guys want your strings and arrows, send me the materials and I'll make em up for ya. I'll do Flemish twist strings in whatever color combo you want (with serving), and I'll make your arrows for you with whatever fletching, crown, and/or cresting you want. Just send some quality staves my way! ;D I enjoy almost all aspects of making a bow and producing the various archery tackle. I find making strings to be kinda relaxing because it's this repetitive thing I'm just doing with my hands. Arrows I enjoy for much the same reason. It's a process, and I enjoy going through the different stages. If there's one thing I could say I don't enjoy - it would probably be tillering, mostly because I seem to always start out heavy and so it takes a long time to get a bow tillered well and at the weight I want. For me, I've always obsessed about the various designs and different woods, so I think I've always been impatient to try new things. I'd barely finish one bow before I was planning the next grandiose adventure.
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@outlaw:
I never tried a ferrier's rasp. Have you tried a Shinto?
I'd love to upgrade to whatever will do the job the
quickest. Then again, I don't even have a proper
draw knife yet...
Japbow.
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My least favorite part of bow making is the lumberjack part, cutting trees and dragging them out of the woods. I'm surprised at how many don't like the finish work. That's the best part, that means it's a bow and all that's left is to pretty it up.
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Strings, and looking at wood I can't cut...because I don't have permission.
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I just got permission to cut on 320 acres of little swamp after little swamp, each one with lots of Pacific Crab. ;D ;D ;D
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Splitting elm
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Roughing out a stave before tillering. If floor tillered blanks grew on trees I would be one happy guy.
Jon
+1
and def cleaning up and prepping staves... and drying and waiting and bark removal!!!!
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Its not a task but I'm not enjoying my lack of experience. My first bow broke as soon as I got it done and before I could put an arrow thru it and now I'm paranoid about my second one. My paranoia is making it hard for me to work on the bow. I will go out and tiller for a little while and then lose confidence, go back in the house, and not touch it again for a few weeks sometimes. Right now I'm at 45#@24" but my last one blew soon after full draw and I can't bring my self to finish it. I keep telling myself I'm going to go see Eric Krewson and let him look it over and make sure everything looks good but its hard to make the time. So I guess my least favored task is each new task I come to at the moment because I don't know what I'm doing. I haven't even thought about arrows yet but from what I read on here the worst may be yet to come. haha
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x3 on the strings. I turn into a fumble fingered clutz everytime...
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The only part of bow making I hate is roughing out staves. I enjoy cutting and splitting the wood, don't really mind chasing rings even, but I hate getting the stave from a split log to a layed-out rough bow blank. Once I get it to the floor-tillered stage, I enjoy working on it. I don't like sanding much either, mainly because it makes my hands cramp up and hurt like hell nowadays. But unfortunately, I'm obsessive about sanding and finishing. :)
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Its not a task but I'm not enjoying my lack of experience. My first bow broke as soon as I got it done and before I could put an arrow thru it and now I'm paranoid about my second one. My paranoia is making it hard for me to work on the bow. I will go out and tiller for a little while and then lose confidence, go back in the house, and not touch it again for a few weeks sometimes. Right now I'm at 45#@24" but my last one blew soon after full draw and I can't bring my self to finish it. I keep telling myself I'm going to go see Eric Krewson and let him look it over and make sure everything looks good but its hard to make the time. So I guess my least favored task is each new task I come to at the moment because I don't know what I'm doing. I haven't even thought about arrows yet but from what I read on here the worst may be yet to come. haha
dude if you have access to a great bowyer like Erik Krewson MAKE TIME
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Waiting for October ;D Had three good groungd hunting chances chances this ear and no shots, but archery is back in here in VA
And sanding...I hate sanding.
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I do most of my sanding with a $13 orbital palm sander from Walmart. I don't use it on the bow's back, only sides, belly, and handle. It takes a little hand sanding to get rid of the tiny swirls left by the palm sander but with a palm sander you get rid of any washboard effect you get from scraping, even in the fades.
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I have one of those somewhere. Definitely going to try that - thanks Eric!
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The really LEAST FAVORITE PART IS HAVING TO WORK THE DAY JOB TO PAY FOR MY ADDICTION >:(, Wheeew glad I got that of my chest.
Knapper