Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: ajooter on February 23, 2014, 04:48:07 pm

Title: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: ajooter on February 23, 2014, 04:48:07 pm
This is the third bow ive made but the first over 50#.  This came in about 57# @ 28.  Its 2 3/8" wides at the fades tapering to 3/4# tips. It has one strip of fibatape on the back which will be painted over soon enough.  There was one spot where the grain swirled a little and I thought it wouldnt hurt.  Im going to narrow the tips down and maybe put a small overlay on the pin nocks.  Trying to finish rightaround 55#.  I heated about 3" of reflex into the bow before final tillering and it comes bacj to just about a straight bow after being unstrung.  I was thinking about doing one more lighter heat treatment just before finishing.  Any comments/thoughts are more then welcome.  Anyway....here's some pics.

(http://i.imgur.com/NTEgDkF.jpeg? 1)
(http://i.imgur.com/UMxgwbC.jpeg? 1)
(http://i.imgur.com/wJuf7B4.jpeg? 1)
(http://i.imgur.com/RLEtKqF.jpeg? 1)
(http://i.imgur.com/iW12CXS.jpeg? 1)
(http://i.imgur.com/WmzXAMa.jpeg? 1)
(http://i.imgur.com/HQIQZPM.jpeg? 1)




Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: George Tsoukalas on February 23, 2014, 05:16:20 pm
Tiller is excellent.
Poplar is not the best choice but you did well.
What does the third photo from the bottom show with the nock like that?
Jawge
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: mwosborn on February 23, 2014, 05:18:31 pm
Tiller looks good to me.  I have never tried one with poplar.  Nice job to get 57# out of it.
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: ajooter on February 23, 2014, 05:20:13 pm
I left the tips thick for now George.  Gonna narrow them down quite a bit and maybe even thin them down some.  I used poplar as a means to practice before getting into some better woods.  I have a maple board bow that is almost finished.  This will be the first bow that I will actual finish and try to make look presentable.
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: ajooter on February 23, 2014, 05:34:20 pm
Thanks you btw :-)....I saw ryoons poplar bow and thought it would be an all right place to start.
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: kleinpm on February 23, 2014, 07:34:25 pm
I like your reflex setup. It looks just like mine. There is not much you can't do with a vice and some weights, and clamps for prop twist.

Patrick
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: ajooter on February 23, 2014, 07:43:23 pm
(http://i.imgur.com/7QifiXb.jpeg? 1)
(http://i.imgur.com/VB6bG7x.jpeg? 1)
It was kind of an experiment.  I didnt have any water when I was heating the bow so I used the cup of black tea I had sitting there  :P.  I narrowed my tips down this afternoon as well.

Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: burchett.donald on February 23, 2014, 08:16:04 pm
  I like that bend and the stiff outers...That's white wood for sure!
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: Joec123able on February 23, 2014, 09:51:50 pm
Awesome bow now I really want to go cut a log of poplar or cottonwood haha
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: adb on February 23, 2014, 11:06:28 pm
I would definitely reduce the thickness of your tips.
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: ajooter on February 23, 2014, 11:46:22 pm
I will do that adb...lotto meat there
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: VicNova on February 24, 2014, 12:38:50 am
Great bow! Just go's to show that you can make a serviceable bow out of anything if the design is right.
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: adb on February 24, 2014, 10:23:42 am
Great bow! Just go's to show that you can make a serviceable bow out of anything if the design is right.

I wouldn't quite go that far, but you've got the theory right. Design must match material.
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: blackhawk on February 24, 2014, 11:46:29 am
Well that's always interesting and fun to see...don't see these everyday being posted....congrats on getting a shooter from it(for now)
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: ajooter on February 24, 2014, 11:54:03 am
Lol...thanks for the vote of confidence Blackhawk! :P. I googled poplar bows and there aren't many (at all!).  I know there's a reason for that but what the heck...I thought id give it a try.  Im still gonna finish it.  Give me a chance to practice that aspect of bow building.
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: adb on February 24, 2014, 01:17:13 pm
Poplar is ryoon's favourite bow wood. Right buddy?  8)
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on February 24, 2014, 01:34:53 pm
Victor is right. Properly designed, almost any wood can make a bow. The question lies in how long they last. Take a poplar bow and make it a weekly shooter for a year or two and it probably wont be around. Use hickory or elm and it lasts a lifetime.
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: ajooter on February 24, 2014, 01:44:00 pm
I have some nice hickory drying that I should be able to rough out soon.  Im looking forward to that.  Ultimately making a bow from a tree stave is the plan.
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on February 24, 2014, 02:05:29 pm
If you can build a poplar bow with no issues, you'll breeze right through a hickory bow!
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: Badly Bent on February 24, 2014, 02:30:50 pm
Only the second one I'e seen from poplar, pretty cool and nice work getting it to work so well for ya.
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: echatham on February 24, 2014, 05:07:11 pm
didn't anybody ever tell ya you can't build a poplar bow?  :laugh:
Title: Re: Poplar Board Bow
Post by: ajooter on February 24, 2014, 05:58:59 pm
Yeah....thats the word out there...but I dont listen too well.  Like pearl said it probably won't last as long as some of the other white woods but for now its a bow.  I will surely let everybody know when its firewood  ::).  It would be way cool to see it laying across a fat whitetail this fall though  >:D.  I will have some other better efforts by then hopefully.