Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: DC on April 19, 2017, 06:04:10 pm
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I want to make a bow like I made when I was a kid but with a bit of my new-found knowledge. I have a 1" diameter OS stick 67" long. It has 3-4" of deflex or reflex. Depends on which way you hold the bow. If the bow is going to be bend in the handle with a round cross section would it even be possible to brace a reflexed bow like this? I can glue a block on the handle to stop it from flipping while I'm tillering but what about day to day use? Do I have to steam it straight first?
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibX_0LgbTEwYeah, I bet it's possible.
I also want to make oceanspray (holodiscus discolor) straight bendy and static bendy bows at some point in the future, I'll have to find oceanspray somewhere... ...
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I had the same thought yesterday, DC. I was hunting mushrooms and kept seeing small diameter elm trees and thought, I bet I could make a bow out of that. Maybe I'll bring one home next time. Yesterday I grabbed an osage walking stick instead.
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Step outside and grab a straighter stick to start with haha. I bet you could. It'll be a pain to brace for sure. I made one similar to what you talking about out of salmon berry. It had about 2 1/2 " of reflex to start. It kept about a 1/2" of it. It really wanted to flip at first, but it got over it. Haha cheers- Brendan
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I'm steaming some reflex out of the worst end and I've glued a block to the handle.
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So you are going to use the reflex side as the back and take a bit out?
g
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Yup. I didn't get quite as much of the reflex out as I hoped but i'll work it from here and see what happens. Sorry for the blurry picture. I'm a little shakey this morning. I might try to take more reflex out of the left limb.
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I had the same problem with my last bow, made from a wild plum sapling. It had about the same reflex and length, but compared to your stave a tad more of the reflex located in the handle. I made it reflex and couldn't brace it until I straightened it.
I ended up with a quite straight bow (about 3/4 inch of reflex), easy to put the string on and still pleasant to shoot with.
I tillered it so that the handle area, which is almost round (just a bit of wood removed from the belly in the handle area), bend less than the rest of the bow (the bend in the handle area is hardly visible).
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Don, just try to get a near perfect floor tiller, with a near perfect thickness taper, and get it braced as early as possible. :D
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I was toying with the idea of seeing just how much draw weight I could get out of this stick. Unfortunately I'm sure I wouldn't be able to brace it much alone pull it. Maybe I should make this one a manageable weight. I've got another stave very similar to go for weight. This will be my first bendy handle so maybe a little caution is in order.
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I was playing with floor tillering. I couldn't move it :-[ :-[. I put a long string on it and put it on the tiller. The string tightened at 10", it was 40# at 11" and 50# at 12". 10# per inch. If it was to hold together,which I doubt, that would be 200# at 28 or so. I know I'm dreaming but it does show how stiff OS is. All this from a stick that is max 1" dia. at the handle.
I'm steaming some more reflex out now.
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So much for that >:(. I steamed it to take out more reflex yesterday. Everything was fine. I looked at it today and the limb that I steamed has a split two feet long down the back. So here is another case of OS doing the unexpected. It has been drying for over a year and I only moved the tip an inch or so. Strange stuff. I'll stand it in the corner for a while to see what it does.
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Don, just try to get a near perfect floor tiller, with a near perfect thickness taper, and get it braced as early as possible. :D
Yup...what Goat said...if ya by-pass long string with more floor tiller then your bow tryin to flip on ya just aint an option 👍.... Brian
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Bummer dude!.. Time to grab another stave 😉..., Brian
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Why the hell this small piece of wood has so much strength?
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Ocean Spray (Holodiscus discolor) is a very dense, hard wood. SG is over 1, it sinks in salt water. It is extremely stiff. There is not a lot of info about the wood on the net. Probably because it's so small it has no commercial value. Do a search for Ocean Spray.
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Wow, that is some dense wood. No wonder it is good bow wood choice.
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Can't wait to harvest some..
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Wow, that is some dense wood. No wonder it is good bow wood choice.
It has it's drawbacks. It checks easily and seems to pop splinters at pins on the back if highly stressed. On the plus side if you ever have to beat something to death, this is the wood. ;) ;) ;)