Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: IrishJay on October 20, 2019, 08:36:18 pm
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Does anyone here know if the bellies on traditional Sioux bows were rounded or flat? I've been all over google looking at pictures of Sioux bows and other plains tribes gullwing bows and it seems to be a mixed bag of rounded and flat bellies.
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I would say mostly...semi flat...I will check some references and get back
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Thanks Brad. I was leaning toward "semi-flat" myself as the pics I've seen with rounded bellies don't have any where near the crown of an ELB, more like a flat belly with rounded edges.
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Jim hamms book...shows flat,..and a little rounded on some,,.
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Thanks for checking. Flat with slightly rounded shoulders should work nicely on this stave.
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Just thought I'd share some progress on this one since there aren't many gullwings posted on here. When straight the stave was 61" ttt, which is long for a Sioux style bow. I went longer on it because it's Black Cherry, which is comparable to the green ash the Sioux used in crushing strength and m.o.e. but it is weaker in tension.
The highest reflex, located at 17.5" from center stave is 2.5" forward of the handle. Tips are 1.5" forward of handle. Stave is 5/8" x 1.5" along its entire length. At this point I probably could force a low brace, but the wood needs to cure and the tips still need shaped.
(http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h66/jayres83/bow%20pics%202/20191022_232350_zps7k9hsrrm.jpg) (http://s61.photobucket.com/user/jayres83/media/bow%20pics%202/20191022_232350_zps7k9hsrrm.jpg.html)
(http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h66/jayres83/bow%20pics%202/20191022_232417_zpsthff7mnv.jpg) (http://s61.photobucket.com/user/jayres83/media/bow%20pics%202/20191022_232417_zpsthff7mnv.jpg.html)
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Tappered the tip width and cut in nocks. Measured in a straight line bow is 57.75" ntn. Also did some more heat shaping on the limbs. They now reach 2.5" reflex at 17.5" from center and then stay straight to tips, meaning tips are now 2.5" forward.
(https://i.imgur.com/f6bkoiv.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/YnV7VhI.jpg)
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Looking good! I am very interested to see how the black cherry does for you. I have lots of black cherry around but have I havent made a cherry bow yet.
Cheers,
Taylor
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I've had mixed luck with the cherry in the past. My first shootable selfbow was black cherry. But I've had other cherry bows fail spectacularly on the tillering rig. It can be a good bow wood if you get the right piece. Where some of the "higher grade" bow woods will let you get away with soaking a knot in CA or wrapping a ring violation, cherry will not. But if you have a nice clear piece and you treat it right, it'll make a good bow.
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Good Looking Bow, I like the lines in profile.
Have to admit, don't recall anyone using the roof of their car in a bow profile picture before, extra points for creativity. :-)
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My garage is a cluttered mess right now, that was the only place I could get a pic with a blank wall behind it. ;D
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So far looking good.
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Thanks for the encouragement fellas. Hoping to make a Christmas gift for my father from it.
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Ran into a sticky wicket on this one tonight. Was truing up the stave trying to get the belly parallel to the back, which went fine. However, when I finished I realized I hadn't left enought meat in the handle/fades. Fortunately I had a nice straight flat 1/8" x 74" lam strip made from the heartwood of the same tree the stave came from. Unfortunately this makes it even less historically correct. I cut 3 24" lams and am building them up on the center of the stave. They whole shebang will still get tillered as a bendy handle bow. Just wish I could have gotten it right without the need for the lams.
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Two lams glued up one to go.
(https://i.imgur.com/4fGKZHU.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/7Q4lvYh.jpg)
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Another update. Belly lams have been cut to taper on the black cherry bow. Doing some sanding work on it and will probably have a low brace worked out by the end of the week.
I also started another gullwing. This one is hard maple. The rock maple does not take heat shaping very well (I actually ruin 2 otherwise good staves trying to bend them). So its just going to be a long slow walk to get the stave to a good profile without cracking the belly.
(https://i.imgur.com/GRYIpgD.jpg)
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Pulled a low brace on the black cherry bow for the first time. One limb is definitely stiffer than the other. Once I even that out it should be braced well enough to start tiller.
(https://i.imgur.com/v8zNf9R.jpg)
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Up to 2.5" brace, still working on that stiff limb. Added a binding of B50 around a questionable spot in the handle for extra insurance.
(https://i.imgur.com/Fq1z9FH.jpg)
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Last update for today, I promise. 3.5" brace, which is going to be its final brace height. Its just enough that the string shouldn't catch the back of your bow hand on release. Limbs are fairly even, going to get it sanded down and toast the belly, then its onto tiller.
(https://i.imgur.com/pM0ObVb.jpg)
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You'll lose your belly lam if you toast it.
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Pat, belly lam is not full length. Its only on the 20" or so spanning center stave. I plan to wrap the laminated area with a welding blanket to prevent heat from getting to the glue and just toast the unlaminated portions of the limbs.
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Non-laminated sections of the limbs toasted out nicely with no glue damage in the laminated area. Profile is showing virtually zero set after several braces and short, low weight pulls.
(https://i.imgur.com/XX4rYBT.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/3ISC8Ux.jpg)
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Black cherry bow had a no warning blowout approaching final tiller. Had about 35lbs @ 26" inches, heard it tick and before I could let off the tension kablewly.
(https://i.imgur.com/W60BoeI.jpg)