Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Marc St Louis on March 13, 2014, 07:58:16 pm

Title: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 13, 2014, 07:58:16 pm
Here is a bow I am just finishing up for someone.  It's a deflex static recurve of HHB backed with Maple.  The bow is 64" long with shallow D section limbs just over 1 3/8" wide tapering the 3/8" nocks.  Because this bow is for someone I didn't do a great deal of performance optimization but I am sure it is quite fast none the less.  I glued in about 4" of reflex and it retained 1" in the end.  It pulls 55# @ 28", I have pulled it to 29" to justify its existence  :).  I still have a bit of finish work to do to it before I can test it.

(http://i.imgur.com/OUlHA2W.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/qhVs0on.jpg)
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: bubby on March 13, 2014, 08:03:50 pm
as always, sweet, bub
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: HighEagle on March 13, 2014, 08:10:14 pm
So cool, I'm Speechless
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: lesken2011 on March 13, 2014, 08:26:32 pm
You outdid yourself on that one, Marc. Sweet bend.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: bow101 on March 13, 2014, 08:39:01 pm
Can't argue with that one, very nice.  Hopefully some day I'll get there.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: burn em up chuck on March 13, 2014, 09:31:53 pm
    sweet profile, very cool

                       chuck
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 13, 2014, 09:32:30 pm
Thank you guys

The bow is very smooth to draw and there's a bit of let off at about 24" of draw.  In reality this bow could easily be made 4" shorter for a 28" draw as it's hardly stressed as is
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: BOWMAN53 on March 13, 2014, 09:34:58 pm
That's amazing. If ever I had a favorite tiller, this bow has it.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Badger on March 13, 2014, 09:57:44 pm
   Good broadhead bow Mark.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Arrowind on March 13, 2014, 10:10:17 pm
AWESOME! That pretty much sums it up!
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: missilemaster on March 13, 2014, 11:34:19 pm
Great looking bow Marc....as usual. Are the recurves doing a whole lot on that design? Hard for me to tell but it appears to be just barely lifting off at full draw.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: BL on March 13, 2014, 11:35:06 pm
This bow seems to have the reflex concentrated further in on the limbs than some of your other D/R bows.  Does that have to do with the overall length of the bow being longer, or perhaps because it has statics?  Especially after reading through the reflex thread a few weeks ago I'm curious what your design consideration was for this one.  Maybe I'm just imagining things, but it can't hurt to ask.

I love how the full draw limbs look like they're hardly bending, even for so much reflex.  It's impressive how much that sharp deflex brings them around.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Badly Bent on March 13, 2014, 11:36:13 pm
Nice bow and design Marc, your tillers always look just like they should.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: IdahoMatt on March 13, 2014, 11:49:42 pm
Man that's a cool looking design.  Looks smooth and fast.  It almost looks like a modern Egyptian style angular bow.  I dig it a lot.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: soy on March 13, 2014, 11:55:05 pm
Nice bend!!!
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Blaflair2 on March 14, 2014, 01:28:04 am
As always Marc, beautiful
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: adb on March 14, 2014, 01:35:18 am
Nice bow, Marc... except it's bending a bit too much at the fades. You should try getting a bit more work out of the last third of the limbs.  ;D ;D ;D

Just...



           kidding!
     

     
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: blackhawk on March 14, 2014, 07:12:00 am
I guess its OK  ::)   :laugh:
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 14, 2014, 08:43:24 am
Thanks guys.  These bows are a bit more work to make but certainly worth it.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: SLIMBOB on March 14, 2014, 08:49:35 am
Sweet!  I'm no authority on the profiles of these R/D bows, but this one looks like money to me.  Nice work Sir.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: burchett.donald on March 14, 2014, 09:05:14 am
Marc, all of your bows are eye candy to me...Tiller is exceptional as usual from you...
                                                                                                                            Don
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Pappy on March 14, 2014, 09:26:02 am
Beautiful curves,very nice as we have come to expect from you. ;) :) :)
 Pappy
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 14, 2014, 09:39:30 am
Thanks guys

If you look at the unbraced profile and the full draw you will see that the limbs work to within 6" of the tips with most of the work being done where the limbs are widest.  For a bow with tapered limbs this is how they should work to get maximum durability
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: dwardo on March 14, 2014, 10:37:53 am
My fledgling bow brain can barely understand how and where its bending.
Amazing thing that.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: ohma2 on March 14, 2014, 11:33:57 am
as always mark, spot on
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 14, 2014, 01:32:47 pm
Thanks guys. 

HHB is one of the top wood species for making bows like these.  It is essentially as good as Yew or Osage in this design
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Bryce on March 14, 2014, 01:54:27 pm
That's über slick bro!
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: PatM on March 14, 2014, 01:59:33 pm
Is it HHB heartwood? I hardly ever see HHB with heartwood of significance but it is that color if it's there. Is the Maple backing milled or outer growth ring?
 Nice all around bow.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: adb on March 14, 2014, 02:04:27 pm
Thanks guys. 

HHB is one of the top wood species for making bows like these.  It is essentially as good as Yew or Osage in this design

Ever try ipe?
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Peacebow_Coos on March 14, 2014, 02:06:12 pm
Heck yeah!  that's one sweet looking bow there
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 14, 2014, 03:10:38 pm
It is actually HHB heartwood Pat.  You need a tree at least 6" in diameter for it to start having any substantial amount of heartwood.  HHB heartwood is very slick and scrapes like butter.  The backing is a quarter sawn strip I cut from a stave.

I started on one about 7 years ago Adam but never finished it, it's still sitting on a rack.  I was trying to make it without splicing in the recurves, tough to do.  One of these days I'll get back to it
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: PatM on March 14, 2014, 03:18:04 pm
I generally cut the trees a bit smaller in diameter and have only seen one tree with sizeable heartwood. Oddly it had formed heartwood more like you would expect to see on a Yew or Cedar. Just a small ring of sapwood. There was central decay so it was probably compensating for something  by upping the natural preservatives.
 I did notice a difference in the texture for sure.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: adb on March 14, 2014, 03:25:03 pm
I tried to heat bend ipe once. It was a disaster.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Jesse on March 14, 2014, 03:29:09 pm
Looks great. That would make a nice ground blind bow.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: PatM on March 14, 2014, 03:50:19 pm
I tried to heat bend ipe once. It was a disaster.
I found some literature once that claimed Ipe was excellent for steam bending and used extensively for bentwood construction. I wonder if it would react differently if obtained green.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 14, 2014, 06:00:57 pm
I tried to heat bend ipe once. It was a disaster.
I found some literature once that claimed Ipe was excellent for steam bending and used extensively for bentwood construction. I wonder if it would react differently if obtained green.

Most likely they used the Ipe for the form and were steam bending something else  :)
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: PatM on March 14, 2014, 06:37:07 pm
They were very adamant that it was used.  I'll try to find it.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: adb on March 14, 2014, 07:48:26 pm
The ipe I tried to steam bend moved just slightly more than a cast iron frying pan.  :laugh:
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: ajooter on March 14, 2014, 10:44:07 pm
Love those deflexed.bows sir!!
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Parnell on March 15, 2014, 11:50:09 am
Wouldn't be hard to pick one of your bows out of an anonymous pile.   :)
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 15, 2014, 12:39:18 pm
Thanks guys
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: bubby on March 15, 2014, 02:01:59 pm
 Justin Snyder did a combo of steam and kerf cuts here with epe but he still had to glue some of the bend in  http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l253/justinsnyder_2006/archery/Scoutcamp019.jpg
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Bryce on March 15, 2014, 04:35:07 pm
I tried to heat bend ipe once. It was a disaster.
I found some literature once that claimed Ipe was excellent for steam bending and used extensively for bentwood construction. I wonder if it would react differently if obtained green.

Most likely they used the Ipe for the form and were steam bending something else  :)

Boil it. Best way I've found so far.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: killir duck on March 15, 2014, 05:06:14 pm
now that bow looks like an exellent combo between speed, durability and manuverability.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Jodocus on March 15, 2014, 05:50:02 pm
That one's brilliant. It's by far the most beautiful example of this style I've ever seen. Someone's probably going to be very happy with it!
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 15, 2014, 07:15:01 pm
Thanks guys.  The bow turned out well.  So much so in fact that I pulled out some more wood to make another.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: vinemaplebows on March 15, 2014, 07:17:58 pm
Really like your design there Marc. :)
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Bowman on March 15, 2014, 07:45:48 pm
Hophornbeam. Wish I had that wood in Norway. "Denne buen er helt sjef" Like it. Nothing wrong with the tiller.  :D
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Ink on March 15, 2014, 09:51:31 pm
I think that this is my favorite bow i have seen on this site to date. Awesome job Marc.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 16, 2014, 09:33:21 am
Thank you guys
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: steelslinger on March 16, 2014, 11:54:03 am
I want one! Wow that is a fine looking bow.
Title: Re: Maple backed HHB Deflex Recurve
Post by: Marc St Louis on March 18, 2014, 06:01:29 pm
Thanks again all

I shot the bow several times today with a 530 grain arrow.  It is fast