Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: bubby on March 29, 2015, 09:21:01 pm

Title: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: bubby on March 29, 2015, 09:21:01 pm
the 15th of feb I cut this privet, roughed it out to bow deminsions and sealed the back and clamped it to a board, this is what I had the 15th of march not even 30 days as it's been in the corner since I got it tillered and shot about 100 arrows threw it #40@26" and shoots pretty snappy and hits hard, nice and smooth too(http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt320/bubncheryl/Mobile%20Uploads/20150329_171322_zpsaeqzkdfj.jpg) (http://s623.photobucket.com/user/bubncheryl/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150329_171322_zpsaeqzkdfj.jpg.html)
(http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt320/bubncheryl/Mobile%20Uploads/20150329_171307_zpsa3vttgy9.jpg) (http://s623.photobucket.com/user/bubncheryl/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150329_171307_zpsa3vttgy9.jpg.html)
(http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt320/bubncheryl/Mobile%20Uploads/20150329_171244_zpsjnjtix5g.jpg) (http://s623.photobucket.com/user/bubncheryl/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150329_171244_zpsjnjtix5g.jpg.html)
(http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt320/bubncheryl/Mobile%20Uploads/20150329_171238_zpsonnyt2se.jpg) (http://s623.photobucket.com/user/bubncheryl/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150329_171238_zpsonnyt2se.jpg.html)
(http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt320/bubncheryl/Mobile%20Uploads/20150309_173020_zpscm5ktocm.jpg) (http://s623.photobucket.com/user/bubncheryl/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150309_173020_zpscm5ktocm.jpg.html)
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: bubby on March 29, 2015, 09:28:30 pm
here's the money shot, 60" ttt I steamed the hook's in by eye and had to one three times to get it to match, just a sapling the handle is full sised and fits my hand fine 4" handle with 1 1/2" fades, no finish no sanding it had several knots to consider and all in all I think its a very good bow wood that you can prolly get anywhere(http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt320/bubncheryl/Mobile%20Uploads/20150329_171121_zpspza7ev8t.jpg) (http://s623.photobucket.com/user/bubncheryl/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150329_171121_zpspza7ev8t.jpg.html)
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: bubby on March 29, 2015, 09:29:54 pm
here it is after being strung for quite a while

(http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt320/bubncheryl/Mobile%20Uploads/20150329_163309_zpsnafvyxws.jpg) (http://s623.photobucket.com/user/bubncheryl/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150329_163309_zpsnafvyxws.jpg.html)
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: Danzn Bar on March 29, 2015, 09:32:46 pm
nice looking stick.............love the primitive look.. :)
DBar
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: bubby on March 29, 2015, 09:33:30 pm
click on the fd and the pic is bigger and better
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: bubby on March 29, 2015, 09:37:07 pm
thanks Dbar, hows the knee doing
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: Danzn Bar on March 29, 2015, 09:45:00 pm
thanks Dbar, hows the knee doing

Getting better everyday, working out the stiffness.  If MoonTree would have been one week later or I had my surgery one week earlier I would have made it.  Looking forward to the Classic and Marshall now.  thanks for asking. 
Bill
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on March 29, 2015, 09:45:44 pm
Now that's a primitive bow. Pretty cool stick, literally!
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: Danzn Bar on March 29, 2015, 09:47:39 pm
Now that's a primitive bow. Pretty cool stick, literally!

That's what I said..... >:D  Can't you come up with something original?   :) ;)
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: Badly Bent on March 29, 2015, 10:07:51 pm
Cool, has that survival bow look to it, nice bend too. Funny I have a buckthorn that I shaped months ago that looks like a twin to yours. got it to floor tiller and it checked like crazy. I filled the cracks with super glue and its been sitting around the shop since then taunting me to tiller it out so it can blow up in my face.
Nice work on your stick Bub, I like the style in it.
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: George Tsoukalas on March 29, 2015, 10:20:30 pm
Very nice, Bubby. Tiller is excellent. Jawge
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: osage outlaw on March 29, 2015, 10:27:44 pm
Nice looking green bow Bubby.  Can't wait to see what you make out of a seasoned piece of that stuff.
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: bubby on March 29, 2015, 10:48:57 pm
Thanks guys I'm just gonna throw it in the corner for a couple month's and check it again, see if it gains any weight in the draw, and cut some more and let it season proper
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: bubby on March 29, 2015, 10:50:38 pm
No checks at all Greg, might be because i roughed it out to near bow dimensions and right to the pith on the limbs
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: Drewster on March 29, 2015, 10:50:44 pm
May be primitive but well done......I like it.  Your tiller looks terrific.
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: Pat B on March 29, 2015, 11:44:52 pm
Cool bow, bubby. Privet is pretty widespread in the SE US so lots of good bow wood for the taking. Makes good arrows too.
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: bubby on March 29, 2015, 11:47:03 pm
Thanks pat and yeah its everywhere, and it grows straight too
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: Hamish on March 30, 2015, 01:34:44 am
Nice work, looks cool.
Like everyone has been saying privet can be found almost anywhere, and it grows pretty straight too. It reminds me of an area I went to, with about 2 useable osage and hundreds of pipe straight privet from 4" to 8" diameter.
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: IdahoMatt on March 30, 2015, 01:37:56 am
Cool lookin bow Bub :)
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: bubbles on March 30, 2015, 01:44:14 am
Nice, love the simplicity
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: Aaron H on March 30, 2015, 08:17:42 am
Cool looking bow, I dig that primitive look
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: Knoll on March 30, 2015, 06:36:54 pm
30 days . . . the express route!  Fine lookin' lil bow.  Congrats!
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: bubby on March 30, 2015, 07:18:31 pm
mike this was just an experiment to see how fast in this climate I could get a bow from a decent bow wood
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: Stixnstones on March 31, 2015, 10:39:31 am
Very cool, so that makes a pretty decent bow when seasoned? What does the bark look like?
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: Sidmand on March 31, 2015, 10:52:01 am
thats great.  I tried privet myself, and came out with a decent bow.  Then, I tried to get creative with it and tried to heat in some hooks with dry heat, that didn't work at all, had to shorten it down and then had to do some more tillering and broke the dang thing.  BUT, I was surprised by the wood, it seemed to be a lot heavier than I had anticipated, it didn't take much set at all even with a very quick and fast tillering (I was experimenting and not worrying to much about stuff).

It grows as a weed around me; you can't go anywhere without seeing vast patches of privet.  Plenty of wood to experiment on.  Bark is thin gray and mostly smooth, smells a bit like watermelon when your peeling it (to me anyway).  The smell of the wood when your dry heating it is fairly offensive, I didn't care for it at all.  Here is the wikipedia page for privet:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligustrum_sinense

Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: bubby on March 31, 2015, 11:25:01 am
Sidman i used steam to bend in the hooms on this and it bent pretty good, like you said a good hard wood that is ivory white so I'd stain it myself
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: turmoiler on March 31, 2015, 01:57:37 pm
The privet that grows in my country is this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligustrum_lucidum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligustrum_lucidum) . It's bigger and it is not a shrub but a small tree. It sometimes grows pipe straight. Do you think think this privet would make a bow?

BTW: Great bow!!!
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: bubby on March 31, 2015, 02:54:02 pm
Turmoiler if you look at the fd pic the stuff directly behing me is privet, some of it in there is 6-8 in diameter i think it's the same as you have so yeah it should make a bow
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: Knoll on March 31, 2015, 07:36:19 pm
Have the privet arrows to go with it?   ::)
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: bubby on March 31, 2015, 07:44:55 pm
Nope
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: turmoiler on April 01, 2015, 05:15:34 am
Turmoiler if you look at the fd pic the stuff directly behing me is privet, some of it in there is 6-8 in diameter i think it's the same as you have so yeah it should make a bow

Great news!!!

I'm going to cut a sapling/small branch to test it.
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: paulsemp on April 01, 2015, 07:38:06 am
I like projects like this, it's a good reminder that it could be done. nice job and look forward to hearing how the bow does a month from now
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: bubby on April 01, 2015, 09:14:33 am
Yeah paul it's good to know there's other wood around for guys that don't have access to the king
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: make-n-break on April 01, 2015, 09:38:10 am
Nice looking bow bubby. Any tips on keeping the checks in check? I always have terrible luck with saplings gettin real nasty deep cracks.
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: bubby on April 01, 2015, 10:06:41 am
I can't be positive but i think reducing the limbs to the pich is the key and i put three good coats of spray laquer on the back and clamped it downevery few days the clamps were loose and i tightened them up, just how i handled it maybe i just got lucky too  :laugh:
Title: Re: privet from tree to bow in 30 days
Post by: simson on April 02, 2015, 07:48:29 am
Cool project, Bub.
It's fascinating how fast a deadly weapon can be made out of a stick. A few years ago I've made a similar bow also within 30 days, but it was elder. And elder is drying mutch more faster that the more dense privet.
I like yours and the primitive look.