Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: upstatenybowyer on November 02, 2017, 08:17:07 pm
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This is a character trait that many of you experienced bowyers seem to have, and one I deeply respect. It's a tricky one to "work on" cause whenever someone thinks they have it, they don't. Anyway, I got a lesson in humility tonight...
A friend of mine has been wanting to go traditional with hunting because he feels it is just too easy to kill a deer with a compound bow, and he wants to have a more traditional/natural experience. I offered to make him a bow and he gratefully accepted.
He has a 26" draw, so I made him a sugar maple flatbow that drew 45# at 26". I used Steve's no set tiller approach and never pulled it past 45# or 26".
I excitedly brought the finished bow to a weekly gathering and everyone was "oo"ing and "ah"ing. My friend had not arrived yet. Another friend (a much bigger and stronger individual) asked if he could try pulling it back.
Ego in full force I said, "yeah, of coarse!" He asked, "are you sure it won't break?" And I said, "positive!" I didn't even consider that this guy might pull it way past 26, which he did. We all got quite a jolt when the bow exploded into quite a few pieces.
He felt terrible (as you can see from the pic) and it was then I got my lesson in humility. I tried to explain to him that he should not feel badly at all; that I should have told him not to pull it back too far, and that it's the nature of making all-wood bows, sometimes they break. (--) :)
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Welcome to the club. :OK (--)
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OPPs!!! That looks too much like me! >:D. Back to the bow bench! :BB
Hawkdancer
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Yep hate it when that happens. :)
Pappy
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Yes found that out too.Even had them try to bend it backwards too.Learned my lesson.
Your friend you made the bow for is taking the same path I took for deer hunting only I had used a muzzleloader previously.
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It happens more than you think.
We gather on Thursday nights to make self bows, flint knap, make flint locks or shoot the breeze. It is one of those what ever you want to make nights. One night one of the guys brought up an osage bow that he finished earlier in the day. Strung it up and said he had been shooting it all day. He handed it to me to take a shot. I draw a 30" arrow. He draws a 26 " arrow. YUP, snapped the bow in half. I just handed it back to him and told that he had a two piece now. It was a good laugh all the way around.
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Posted a lesson on selfbow etiquette on the Stickbow site, the usual stuff about ask about draw length before you draw someone's selfbow back and how they are made for a specific draw length.
Most of the traf guys who read my post didn't know selfbows and the information came as a revelation to them, they didn't have a clue.
My # 1 rule is never had a strung selfbow to a stranger, it is apparently a manly thing to instantly jerk it back as far as they can before the word "don't" can get out of your mouth.
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Got atlatl? (AT) >:D!
Hawkdancer
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Interesting points guys.
I'll have to check out that post Eric, sounds like a good read.
Jeb, I wish there were others around me that make selfbows so we could have get togethers like that. Sounds like fun :)
Ed, the guy I made it for actually didn't even show up! LOL I've got a few others in the works, one of which I'm sure I'll get into his hands before bow season is over. In NY it goes into December. :OK
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Like get tin' back n the horse? Btw, are you out running with your daughter - good exercise! May be humiliating, but good exercise for you >:D! Listen to the old medic! At least ride your bike with her while she trains! Good bonding, might get her fired up about self bows, too! Keep smiling, they'll wonder what your're up to.
Hawkdancer
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Bet that was like a stab in the guts.
I was wondering, when it’s said not to draw past where the bow is tillered to, why is that? I’ve been tillering out to 28-29” my draw is 27-28 depending on how I’m shooting. In my limited experience, if the bow is bending evenly by the time it gets to 26” then it don’t change much other than weight from 26-28”. So if there is enough limb to bend, why is it unsafe to draw a bow tillered to 28” out to 30”?
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When you get out to 30" you are crushing belly cells and stretching back cells that have never been exercised to this extent, this might result in increased set or in some cases it might cause a bow failure.
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It also has to do with our general way of looking at bows.
You often read "he has a 30" draw" or I have a 26" draw. Complete nonsense, if you ask me.
It's the bow that determines the draw length, not the bowyer, sorry, archer. Someone with a so-called 26" draw can surely draw some bow 30", and vice versa.
We should all have the reflex of getting to know the bow's draw length, and adapt ourselves to it.
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I don't agree, with over 150 bows to my credit, I was the one who determined a bow's draw length during the building and tillering process, a bow never made this decision for me.
A person's draw length is where they draw a bow to with correct form for everyday shooting. Anyone can go English and draw a bow past their ear to their shoulder blade but you never see that with every day American shooters.
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Sure, you decide as the craftsman what the bow's draw length will be. My point it's not the person drawing the bow afterwards who decides to where he or she should draw the bow. That's been decided already by the bowyer.
It's not the archer's draw length that matters, it's the bow's draw length.
If you don't know how to draw a bow intended for a 26" draw when you're accustomed to a 29" draw, then don't touch it. Simple.
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I agree. In this case it was my fault cause the guy that broke it doesn't know anything about bows and I let him have at it.
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Sad but true here....Many archers outside the loop of making natural material bows think it's a waste of time to try to make or even shoot these wooden sticks with wooden arrows to boot.So some to try to prove their point by paying no heed of caution by the bowyer just plain try to break the bow to prove their point.I've had those type encounters too.
It's sad really too because at 3D shoots where FG and compound shooters are at in between rounds of shooting I don't leave the bow out of my sight.At bow making gatherings like Twin Oaks and Mo Jam no type precaution is needed.
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The main reason I don't sell finished bows! (A) Some buddy will end up picking up a bow not made for him and Bam! :o