Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 08:22:15 am

Title: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 08:22:15 am
I have been following along with the recurve challenges. I had one of my own going on at the same time. I had several requests for a build along on the leatherwall bowsite.

I picked out a not so friendly stave to work on knowing I would probably use every trick in my book to get everything to line up.

Here’s stave with ring chased and reduced to near bow dimensions.

Snaky and a nasty dogleg out of the handle

Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 08:26:54 am
First I steam in my recurves on my Half caul. I like this system. I do both limbs one at a time. I can use this caul for all lengths of bows. I put my recurves in and also do a little tweaking to help line up tips with handle. I know I won’t get everything but I will get a little closer.

Bjrogg

Gotta eat breakfast now be right back.
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 08:41:34 am
Next I steam my second tip. I use the same half caul when I pull it out of the steam.
Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 08:49:03 am
My tips are shaped now but I still have that dogleg out of the handle.

I have another half caul. This one is the center section of bow. I made it for straight limb bows but I found it useful for alignment of my static recurve bows to. It also has a slight reflex. One inch over the limb.

I place the caul in my vice offset so I can really clamp my handle down good. Then I work my way down each limb with heat gun clamping as I go.

Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 08:50:13 am
Here’s a view from above.

Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 08:51:58 am
Starting to look better.
Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 08:54:44 am
I sight down the limbs trying to line up the tips with the handle. I narrow up the tips a little removing wood from the edge that doesn’t line up as well.

Looking pretty nice

Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: HH~ on December 27, 2020, 08:56:29 am
Now that's cooked. Blacked Osage-fish with Cayenne. Lookin good BJ
HH~
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 08:59:23 am
Then I rough out some overlays from some water buffalo horn that PA Steve gifted me.
Bjrogg

Yup this one was kinda thick and needed a quite a bit of heat to correct that dogleg. The black charred stuff will come off in the tillering phase
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 09:01:59 am
Then I glued on my overlays and let it set for a few days to re acclimate.
The. I rough shape my tip Overlays.
Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 09:05:20 am
Here’s the unbraced profile I started tillering with . It’s not extreme but I think I will be lucky to keep it with this stave.
Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 09:07:28 am
I tillered it out to 55@27”

Here’s braced profile.

Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 09:08:33 am
Here’s full draw.

Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: HH~ on December 27, 2020, 09:09:23 am
That tip bend is about what 45 BJ?

Shawn~
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 09:15:01 am
This is what in braced profile looks like after shooting for several days. Took a little set mid limb, but I’m pretty happy with how she turned out. Really thumps a arrow nice.

Bjrogg

PS  I’m thinking something like that Shawn. I had a sharper longer tip before, but I really like this one better for my draw.
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: Selfbowman on December 27, 2020, 09:19:50 am
Well done Brian!
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 09:29:48 am
Thanks Arvin.

Maybe I can get a chance to work on a really nice stave in the not so distant future. Be interesting to see what I can get from the one you gifted me.

I gotta admit though. I love the looks of these wiggly ones and they speak to me in a way I just can’t seem to ignore.

Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: RyanY on December 27, 2020, 09:47:33 am
Nothing wrong with that! Great job!
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 10:49:45 am
Thanks Ryan.

I’m not trying to toot my horn or promote another site. However I did do a lot more in debt build on LW titled “Bending Static Recurves 101” if anyone is interested.  This stave has a couple other interesting problems to. I think it’s going to be a dependable hunter though.

Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: scp on December 27, 2020, 10:56:42 am
Good job.

But the challenge in "The Ante" is for 190+ FPS from a highly reflexed recurve self-bow. It probably would take an exceptionally good and straight stave with high natural reflex. Good luck, anyway.
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: HH~ on December 27, 2020, 11:08:06 am
Easy on a $99.00 Chrony. Do that with a no reflex self recurve.

But real test is PatG or aka Runner to try one rather talk about one. (SH)
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 11:11:02 am
Good job.

But the challenge in "The Ante" is for 190+ FPS from a highly reflexed recurve self-bow. It probably would take an exceptionally good and straight stave with high natural reflex. Good luck, anyway.


Yup I didn’t do this one for the ante challenge. I’m hoping to get at it soon with a stave that Arvin sent me. This one was for the challenge of the stave. It was to show some of the different tricks I use to bend static recurves and alignment of tips and handle.

I’m curious how far it would fling a arrow though.

Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bassman on December 27, 2020, 11:17:56 am
I watched your build from the beginning on that one Brian. Very well done, and your step by step was very informative. Your stave was not ideal, but you whipped it in to shape nicely. Much easier to build one with a clean straight piece of wood. 2 thumbs up.
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bownarra on December 27, 2020, 11:32:17 am
Nice 'curve :)
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: Bob Barnes on December 27, 2020, 11:37:58 am
BJ...as a retired farmer/ag. teacher, I am amazed at how fast you can make a bow.  I can't make one that fast even now that I'm retired.  :)  It looks great and it needs to put meat in the freezer.   :OK  Thanks!
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 11:40:30 am
I watched your build from the beginning on that one Brian. Very well done, and your step by step was very informative. Your stave was not ideal, but you whipped it in to shape nicely. Much easier to build one with a clean straight piece of wood. 2 thumbs up.


Thank You Bassman. I tried. It was quite time consuming posting and explaining everything. I wish I could edit on that site. I know I have a few typos.

Hopefully the thread will help someone. Maybe even direct them here for more information and help.

I really appreciate the help others have given me and just trying to pass some of it along.
Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 11:44:34 am
BJ...as a retired farmer/ag. teacher, I am amazed at how fast you can make a bow.  I can't make one that fast even now that I'm retired.  :)  It looks great and it needs to put meat in the freezer.   :OK  Thanks!


Thanks Bob. I gotta admit that the pressure of keeping the build moving forward was a pretty good motivator. I kinda even surprised myself.lol 

Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 11:51:32 am
Nice 'curve :)


Thanks bownarra.  I was really rutting for you on that  elm. Marc sure does seem to have those highly reflexed designs figured out. I would love to watch him tiller a bow.

Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bentstick54 on December 27, 2020, 11:52:54 am
I followed your build-a-long start to finish also. I definitely learned that I have a lot more leeway on using dry heat than I have been using. I would have thought turning the belly black would have made that stave firewood. Thanks again for taking the time and photos.
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: Hawkdancer on December 27, 2020, 11:59:08 am
Nice job, Brian!  Build along will he helpful to all!
Hawkdancer
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 12:04:56 pm
I followed your build-a-long start to finish also. I definitely learned that I have a lot more leeway on using dry heat than I have been using. I would have thought turning the belly black would have made that stave firewood. Thanks again for taking the time and photos.

Just make sure you are thick enough to remove it tillering yet. When you get it thinner it doesn’t take nearly as much heat. Usually it barely changes color and moves really nicely. I usually hold pressure in direction I want wood to move until I feel it start to give up from the heat. Osage reacts really nice to heat corrections.

Try experimenting with some scrap wood. Not as much pressure that way. One thing that makes trouble is heat getting around to the back and scorching it.
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 12:08:41 pm
Nice job, Brian!  Build along will he helpful to all!
Hawkdancer

Thanks Jerry. I have tried a couple times to do one here but it gets so difficult to keep my pictures organized and resize and post them. It sure would be nice to be able to just post pictures without resizing them.

Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: Marc St Louis on December 27, 2020, 03:53:24 pm
Looks good but I don't believe it will do 190 or even close to that but it may do 180 but more likely mid to high 170's.  You need excellent wood to do 190, a character stave just won't cut it. 

Many of the highly reflexed recurves I was making years ago wouldn't do 190, most would do mid 180's.  Looking though my old photos I've been able to find 3 that hit 190
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 04:10:13 pm
Looks good but I don't believe it will do 190 or even close to that but it may do 180 but more likely mid to high 170's.  You need excellent wood to do 190, a character stave just won't cut it. 

Many of the highly reflexed recurves I was making years ago wouldn't do 190, most would do mid 180's.  Looking though my old photos I've been able to find 3 that hit 190



I’m sure you are right Marc. I never intended to even attempt it with this one. I’m quite certain I have never made one that would hit 190. I don’t really have any idea what my bows FPS are. I’m certain they are faster than the first ones I have made, but that’s not much help.

Marc what do you think of my tiller? If I went more reflex through entire limb and same tips. Never mind I’ll just have to look at some of yours again.

Bjrogg
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: PatM on December 27, 2020, 04:12:54 pm
Easy on a $99.00 Chrony. Do that with a no reflex self recurve.

But real test is PatG or aka Runner to try one rather talk about one. (SH)

Posted one  a few weeks back on the wall.   It!s not a kids weight bow though.
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: Marc St Louis on December 27, 2020, 06:56:40 pm
The tiller is good.  What is the braced string tension like?
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 27, 2020, 08:00:46 pm
I guess I would describe it as pretty decent.  Not the highest I have done for sure, but very respectable. I’m sure a really good piece of wood it would be higher.

Bjrogg

Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: M2A on December 28, 2020, 07:27:27 am
Well done Bj. That turned out great.
Mike
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: George Tsoukalas on December 28, 2020, 08:23:37 am
Awesome build along, BJ. Very nice an thanks for doing it. Jawge
Title: Re: Recurve challenge.
Post by: bjrogg on December 28, 2020, 12:55:30 pm
Thanks Mike.

Thanks George. I’m sure you have helped a lot of beginners catch that bug to. Thanks

Bjrogg