Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Poggins on May 15, 2014, 01:23:56 am
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This is my second Molly and it has a little character to it , a little snake and some twist or waviness to it .
This one is 56" TTT 54 1/2" NTN and I'm shooting for 50# at 25" .
Still need to center the string a little more and work the levers down some more to reduce the tip weight . I have exercised it a lot and put about 20 arrows through it this evening .
First pic is at 16" ; second is braced at 6" ; third is just unstrung and fourth is after it has set for about ten minuts .
(http://i1367.photobucket.com/albums/r800/Poggins/297BD2DF-74F0-4056-A5A3-E3680DA04608-13660-0000193334AF2872_zps9e294bfd.jpg)
(http://i1367.photobucket.com/albums/r800/Poggins/40DEDB98-4E3A-49C0-8A96-94E51E5BDDCC-13660-000019333E522DC1_zps87f11f85.jpg)
(http://i1367.photobucket.com/albums/r800/Poggins/FEC54435-EA9A-491D-B7ED-FA7DB647B27C-13660-0000193346FA6391_zps080ad15c.jpg)
(http://i1367.photobucket.com/albums/r800/Poggins/9136C73D-73C6-45B2-8D5A-833B21884A08-13660-000019345EE3C459_zpsdfc565f3.jpg)
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Thar be some pretty severe bend in them fades lad!
Get the outer limbs working a lot more; with so little working wood you need to spread the load as close to perfectly even as possible. You might be able to keep a little weight on her with a good heat treatment.
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The limbs are the same thickness down the working limbs , used a caliper on this one , the limbs start at 11/2" at the handle and taper slightly to about 1 1/4 " at the levers .
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Well then the taper needs to be more severe; those fades are the sight of all the set in this bow, and the only working wood. It's like making a really short bow to draw ~70#@12", only you have long levers to [efficiently] lower the weight and lengthen the draw. That itty bitty bow in the middle needs to have perfect tiller!
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The limbs are the same thickness down the working limbs , used a caliper on this one , the limbs start at 11/2" at the handle and taper slightly to about 1 1/4 " at the levers .
You can't tiller a bow with a caliper! Ditch the thing and tiller with your eyes. It's only bending in the inner working limbs and not nearly enough in the outer portion of the working limbs. That is a typical problem I continue to see with about 75% of the mollies we see on this message board.
The bow is also a bit short. I know you only want a 25" draw length, but you are just really pushing it here. I'm afraid the bow will take a lot more set as you progress tillering. I would have made this bow 62" myself. An advanced bowyer might go 58", but 54½" is short. You'll need impeccable tiller to make it to 25" without too much set.
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I have followed this build along before.
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,5129.0.html
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Get those outer working limbs bending more As you get those areas bending it might even increase in weight a little bit. Half eye mentioned that with my first molle that wasn't bending far enough out into the working limb. Sort of seemed strange to me that removing wood could increase draw weight, but if you think about it if you get those outer working limb areas bending that were until then working as a lever instead of working limb you are then using a shorter lever to bend more wood, and as such the weight increases.
Some things to consider on the next one. If your going to make a 56" molle, half eye made up some really good dimensions for short mollegabets. It involves shortening the fades to 1.5" instead of 2", and to push the working limbs out into the levers 1 inch to compensate for such short working limbs in an already short bow, giving you 2 extra inches of working limb on each limb.You may of done this though.
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1 1/2" fades at the handle and the levers , working lbs are 12-12 1/2" and the levers are about 11" .
This was a peace of twisted warped osage that was checked on the back , took it down to get past all but one check and it is centered in one of the levers .
This was a peace of wood to work some frustration out on , work and weather had me worked up pretty good so I calmed myself down with a peace of wood but didn't want to ruin a realy good peace ,
Plan on using this one for bowfishing so it's going to get beat around a lot , I'm going to true oil it then a mix of beeswax and grease to help with the water .
I'm calling this one " Oklahoma Wind " .
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Just worked the outer 1/3-1/4 of the limbs and it is at 50# at 25" , I know it will gain a little when I heat it to line the string up .
(http://i1367.photobucket.com/albums/r800/Poggins/D13DE82B-E81F-4646-8276-35D45600B607-14389-00001A1B2FF47B79_zpsc80ee92b.jpg)
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Took a quick pic at 24" .
(http://i1367.photobucket.com/albums/r800/Poggins/4AF2174E-1A73-44E5-9BB9-D346AC2E4904-14499-00001A2BBDB2C5EC_zps44785528.jpg)
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Left looks ok but the right is still bending mainly in the fade
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The right is a series of three hinges.
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The right is a series of three hinges.
Could you point out the third? I'm only seeing two.
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I would say fade, mid limb and then right at the transition from lever to limb. Very slight in the outer one but the step down angle to the limb rather than a smooth curve points to it potentially getting worse.
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Okay I see what you mean now. Thanks.
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There are a few dips from side to side on that limb as well as a little snake to the bow , I used the caliper when I was scraping the back to keep the thickness the same side to side on the dips .
Been usingy phone to take the pics and it doesn't show it very good , I need to get outside in the sun and try again .
(http://i1367.photobucket.com/albums/r800/Poggins/C2E7B12B-1892-4E3A-B146-C811757DBF68-14788-00001AD1D5B7D47A_zpsca305ea6.jpg)
(http://i1367.photobucket.com/albums/r800/Poggins/F01585B5-04AF-40F4-9BBC-CD9D80FFD8BB-14788-00001AD1C766B1EC_zps4827891b.jpg)
(http://i1367.photobucket.com/albums/r800/Poggins/2A078C72-8EE3-425C-875A-0CEBB0B073B4-14788-00001AD1B22583D2_zps2b6ed759.jpg)
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Not much to add here....other than that stave wasn't a very good candidate for a lever bow because of the crooks n such..especially the one at the lever fade there...I'm guessing your string doesn't track true down center of the lever,and in doing so it will now need to have more mass in the lever to maintain lateral stability.... think recurve when choosing stock for a lever bow...straight with no crooks
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I was well aware that this peace of wood wasn't the best canidate for this , please forgive me if this upsets anyone , I didn't mean to I was just practicing on some lesser wood instead of my good wood ( kinda like the knappers say " break a lot of lesser grade rock before you start on the good stuff ).
This bow will work for what I have planned for it ( bowfishing ) it may set in my truck at work till I get off and stop by the river to shoot a few carp .
I promice to set a couple of good staves back for a try at a good Molly later , just the way things have been lately I didn't want to take a chance of ruining a good stave .
Working on something challenging helps clear my mind , I pay more attention to what I'm working on and think less of the way my day had been ( working on a turnpike next to 80mph traffic and being short handed at our barn , low man on the totem pole , three bosses , two senors and a supervisor ).
Just looking for advice and getting some practice in .
I guess if causes bad vibes I'll reframe from posting my practice peaces and only post the ones that I'm more serious with .
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It doesn't upset me that ya post it...and you should be glad ya did because your getting good advice on how to make a better one...if ya hadn't ya wouldn't have gotten it and wouldn't come to the table with as much as ya know now if ya hadn't, and when ya do get to a good stave and really try to eek every bit of cast out of one you'll be more equipped to do so ;) ..BTW...I'm still trying to eek everything I can out of these designs and have more to learn yet I'm sure myself...isn't this stuff fun ;) :)
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Thanks Blackhawk , I have good straight wood but its green cut back in February .
I didn't want anyone thinking I was bragging on my work , I don't have the numbers under my belt like a lot of you do , I'm just looking to learn as much as I can so maybe I can pass that knowledge on to someone else .