Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: PaulN/KS on March 24, 2008, 08:29:35 pm
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Greetings to all here. Just got registered here today and wanted to remind folks of the hatchet bow contest at Mojam.
Simple rules, harvest a stave with a hatchet and then build the bow with just the hatchet. No clamps,bench,vise or other tools...
B-50 for a string,(note,ya got to cut the threads with the hatchet BTW...) and some beeswax to rub on the bow and your string.
I won last year by virtue of being the only guy who showed up with an entry,two actually, but the cedar one blew before the contest so I entered my hackberry "creation"...it held up and passed the test but let's get a real contest going this year.
Now would be a good time to start on your entries... ;)
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Paul, got 2 hophornbeam my son and I brought down and split with the trusty axe...see ya there....Brian
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Does the bow need to be made with just the one axe of can more than one be used, say a larger axe for cutting and splitting the tree, medium axe for roughing out, smaller hatcher for final finish and detail?
No way I could get to Mojam but I made an ash bow with axe and knife a few years ago and working on an elm one now. I have found a Gransfors Swedish Carving axe with a failry curved blade is good for taking a bow to fairly good tiller, but guess you are using a hatchet with a straighter edge. Would be good to see the tools you are using and progress through the making of the bow. Cutting the string nocks with an axe is an interesting idea! I "cheated" and used a knife on mine.
Mark in England
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I know Gary Davis has one to enter,he was working on it at LBL this year,a small white oak
tree,it looked pretty good.He hunted with it while he was there.He was heating it over the fire and straighting it in the forks of a tree,then was rubbing it down with deer fat.Pretty cool.It shot
good also.. :)
Pappy
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Mark, dont know if it has to be the same axe, but im usin the same one. Got an 18" handle and a slightly curved head but I would love to have the Gransfors or something similar but they are pretty pricey :o. Lots of folks use side nocks on their hatchet bows for ease and string aligning issues....Brian
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I'd like to get in on it but may not be able to make the meet.
Can I use the hatchet any way I like? Chopping, scraping, etc? Can it be as large as a broadaxe?
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Brian,
The Gransfors are pricey but good. If ever a woodwork tool was sexy the Gransfors are the axe supermodels!
The wildlife hatchet is a very good all rounder. The carving axe great for a lot of wood shaping.
I found it very interesting makingmy last axe bow. Carving the bow to final shape from a half log I could understand some of the early bow shapes. They made sense in a way they didn't just looking at the sections and technical information.
Mark in England
PS I was so tempted to say that I found the wheels and cams very difficult to make with the axe on my last axe bow! ;D
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Hi Paul, nice to see you on here.
I hope to get one going for this year, but I'm wondering how well it would do with (hopefully) all the compitiiton there. Pappy, you said Gary Davis was heating his over a fire, so that is 'legal'? I was thinking about attempting a heat treated white oak (or other wood) bow.
Sean
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Thanks for the mention of Gransfors, their web site is an interesting read.
Regarding the hatchet bow contest, I was under the impression that these contests were a "live" competition. What I mean is, that each competitor showed up with a seasoned stave and a hatchet. B50 and wax are provided by the host. The start command is given and at the end of X amount of time, or the end of the day, the fellow with the best bow wins. The idea that you can show up with a completed project is, well, lame. Don't get me wrong, I'm certain that everyone doing it this way is far above criticism, the most trust worthy, salt of the earth, honest as the day is long type of fellow. But, I didn't *see* it and therein lies two facts. Firstly, we live in 2008 with frequent media covered reminders of what a bunch of liars inhabit the towns where we live. Secondly, competition is just so much more fun when it is head to head, face to face, in person, and in front of an enthusiastic crowd. The pressure, the nerves, and the self control of a mind racing with doubt. Now -that- is competition.
How about it?
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Do you get extra points for making the hatchet you use to make the bow?
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jeduffey, that would be alot of fun but mojam is only a 2-3 day event and is jam packed with stuff goin on and none of us wanna miss anything. ;) Kinda a family reunion only you want to be there and actually visit with folks. :D And no aunt with a beard tries to kiss you.... :-* :'(.....Brian
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Good to see all the interest this year. To clarify some of the rules:
*One hatchet, used any way you can to make the bow is how it has always been.
* We have used the honor system these last couple of years so folks can make them at home and bring them out. This allows you to enjoy the other
fun before the test.
* You provide the B-50 and other materials for the build. If you made the hatchet that you used there will be respect, awe and a hearty WOW for your work and dedication. Alas, no extra points for that tho... :)
Oh, about the fire, this came up last year and the rules "committee" decided that fire was not supposed to be used .
Hatchet, stick, wax and string. It will be frustrating, humbling and give you a true appreciation for those long ago who did this with less but it can be done...
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Oh yeah,
Hey Sean, don't you let these guys "intimidate" you, I've seen your work and you can do this as well as anyone here. Besides, remember the loud CRACK that my cedar bow made when it blew...? :o Heck, that was almost worth the fun of building it.
Or not... :(
Good thing I had the hackberry as backup.
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I didn't know that,Gary has been on the judging committee so I figured he knew.Wished
I hadn't brought it up.I know he heats and bends a lot of wood with a heat gun but he said couldn't use anything but fire on this one.O will he be surprised. ???
Pappy
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I hope it doesn't cause a problem. Like I mentioned, someone brought up the question of using heat on another forum last year and the general consensus was to keep it "cool", as in no fire. I'm not on the rules committee, just passing on what we discussed last year. If you can start a fire with the materials allowed I'd say go for it...
Not trying to start trouble just wanting to get folks interested and participating in the contest this year... :)
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I remember that being the interpretation last year, regarding heat. However, as you are running the show this year I think it falls to you to interpret the rules. I'm personally for being more liberal, given the low entry number last time.
So, is my Homelite gas-powered hatchet going to pass?
Looking forward to visiting with you and the family Paul. I need to get busy and create some Mojambrew so we don't go thirsty.
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Hey Len,
Good to hear from you. Hope you guys are doing OK. Looking forward to some of your tasty Mojam Brew. ;D
As for me "running" the contest, I just feel that I should carry on the simple rules set by the founders from the start. Useing a fire to help build the bow sounds nice and simple but what if a fellow rationalizes that a stove is an "indoor" fire...etc.
Hatchet, string and beeswax are the main materials.
Some hints: A stump can make a useful bench. Sitting on the stave works as a vise if you prop the stave against the stump. A tree branch can help you tiller the stave. Hack out a club from the tree you cut down and also "whittle" a wedge ,or two,for splitting out the stave . The hatchet can be used as a scraper with a bit of practice.
Think working on the ground not at a bench. Don't pick a big tree, a good and straight 3-5 incher might allow you to split it in half which gives you a spare stave. Trust me, a backup is a GOOD idea...
Think Oetzi guys, simple and basic stick and string. You will surprise yourselves and it is a fun challenge.
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i aint never been any hand with a hatchet. do good to make something that shoots with all the tools i got. good luck.
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Here's a bow that John Strunk made with a hatchet, a pocket knife, and charcoal for stain.
It's ~70# @ 26" and it SCREAMS a 660 grain arrow downrange. I'm seriously thinking about taking it caribou hunting this fall.
[attachment deleted by admin]
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wasn't there also a rule that you can use a file to sharpen the hatchet (for safety purposes) but could in no way can it be used on the bow?
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thats a fine bow.
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Beauty of a bow. Strunk is a fine craftsman. What kind of wood is that?
I know the premise of the hatchet bow contest, but honestly I would thiank fire should be added to the list because man had fire way back when and if you were thrown into the wilderness with nothing but a hatchet and had to feed your family, first thing you'd want to do would be to make a fire or at least get the makings of one, both for warmth and cooking. And you could make a fire with flint and your hatchet. Not that I think that is the only fire source that should be allowed. In fact, fire is fire. Just like we don't limit the kind of hatchet.
I do think previous interprettations, had us using only one hatchet and not an array. Thats why I used a thin-bladed hatchet for my attempt two years ago. It wasn't optimal for felling, but made the finer work possible.
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You are right Gopher, a file is allowed to sharpen your hatchet but not for anything else while building the bow.
Lennie you make a darned good point and I agree that fire would be a first priority right up there with shelter in a survival situation....so, if fire is added to the "tools" list will that help with participation?
I think the whole original point of the Hatchet Bow Challenge was to see what you can do with the minimum of available stuff which is why the originators of it made that basic list. It is a quandary for sure but my "gut" says keep it as it was started...it was a "challenge" and not so much a "competition" I think. I wonder if it is too late to change the thread title...?
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Its a challenge to keep the bow from exploding.
I'll try and make another one for this year's event. I might even REALLY get in the spirit and make it in a loin cloth. I'll be sure and post pics if I get that into it.
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See, That's the enthusiasim we need to see ;D. OK, maybe not the loincloth part, heck, Oetzi was wearing pants, sort of... Ishi was the one in a loincloth.
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ok so everyone pretty much knows im still quit new to all of this.
but that sounds like a cool challenge. do they have this contest every year? if so do you have to be present or could a person build a hatchet bow and ship it down there and let someone els put it thru all the trials and tribulations( i dont foresee being able to make it to the jam for at least a couple of years)
i will probably try and get a start on a hatchet bow this summer and would be willing to ship it to some trust worthy individual to get it to the jam for next year if thats at all allowable.
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I have never officially participated in the MoJam hatchet bow contest but my take on it is to keep it simple; a hatchet, some B-50 string material and beeswax(or whatever it was)...plain and simple. Too many seem to want to make it more complicated than it was meant to be. Pat
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The John Strunk bow is made from...Vine Maple! In my opinion, for a hunting bow, Vine Maple blows the doors off yew and gives Osage a run for its money! ;D
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Well it is a fine looking bow. It doesn't grow in Kansas Toto so guess we'll have to get by with just the osage... ;)
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Are threatening me with a trade? >:D
I'll trade Osage for Vine Maple any day of the week! It grow like weeds out here, and I'm talking by the millions.
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Hmmm, a trade of hedge for some vine maple....I'll PM ya Joe.
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Hey, while you are busy trying to toss all that vine maple out of your State, I'll take some. ;D
I am also curious about the make and ship option on playing in the hatchet game. Now that I think about it, anyone sending a bow to an event, without going in person is either really trusting, or expecting the piece to wind up as donated prize for some of the contests at the event.....
So, remind us in this thread what the due date is?
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MOJAM is the weekend of July 18-20. The hatchet bow judging is on Saturday in the afternoon. I see no reason that a "mail in" entry couldn't be done if you know someone going there. Course you might miss out on gettin' your picture in a magazine if you win and are not there... :)
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Thanks to Pat B, Joe Klink, and especially John Strunk for the ideas, the bow and the pursuit of simplicity and what, in my mind, is what "primitive" archery ought to be. Of course, there are a lot of other fellows (and gals?) out there who are getting way down to basics (Mark in England and others) and building bows with minimal tools. Wish I could attend this MOJAM gathering and see what everybody produces...and I certainly hope that the magazine will dedicate an article and lots of pictures on the bows made with a hatchet, B-50 and beeswax. May I suggest the Gransfors mini axe for the following reasons: It will certainly cut down a stave of 3"-4" in diameter and it allows one to perform extremely fine (knife-like) work including shaving or scraping. They are not cheap but most certainly worth the price. I use mine for making spoons when I'm off camping and if they'll work on spoons then they'll work on bows. In fact, I'm starting work on a "chapote" (Texas persimmon) bow and might just use the mini for the entire project.
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I'm brand new, where is this contest? Figured I'd add: For those of us that can't afford a $170 hatchet, I love my light (I live to pack around the wilderness) gerber hatchet,they come really sharp (almost too sharp if you're chopping hard stuff) and I'd imagine that they'd scrape reasonably well. bout $30 oh yah, they fly like a champ too, and the handle is indestructable, I'll get a grouse with it eventually:)
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servicebeary,
The "contest" is held at the event known as MOJAM which is held the third weekend of July in Marshall Missouri. It is a for fun and bragging rights challenge that got started some years back as a "what if" all you had was a hatchet, roll of B-50 and some beeswax, could you make a bow to feed the family with. Kind of a Y2K,(remember that?) scenario...
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not sure I catch your drift bout y2k, but it sounds like something I'd like to attend if it was a little closer to Idaho, thanks for the info.
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Y2K was the "Uh Oh" that some folks were worried about when we went from 1999 to the year 2000 and they were afraid society would shut down cause all the computers would quit due to the century change.
Not that that would be a "bad thing..." ;)
And we have folks come from all over to Mojam. As far away as the west coast, even had a couple from Germany and Denmark one year.