Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: DanaM on August 05, 2008, 03:22:46 pm
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I finally finished this bow, final stats are 57.5" NTN, 38#@26", 1.5" wide limbs tapering to 1/2" nocks, pear tip overlays, after resting has about 1.5" of reflex.
It has two knots in it, one on each limb, the top limb is stiff at the knot. Grip is hemp cordage with built up leather and sealed in spar varnish. I was only pulling about 25"
in the picture I went water skiing the night before and my shoulder was sore as heck, thats all I could manage. Going to have to see a doctor one of these days >:(
Also as I was taking the full draw picture it popped a little sliver at the knot, I will shoot it full of super glue and wrap it.
This bow is 95% broken, I pushed the wood to its limit :)
I think a longer wider piece will easily make a hunting weight bow. Sumac is very soft making the tip overlays a must, I think burnishing the
back would also help, it takes dry heat perhaps better than osage turning to putty when hot.
This may be the only Sumac in existence at least for now :D
Comments and questions welcomed.
Profile
(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/DanaMont/Bows/Sumac/Profile.jpg)
Knot
(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/DanaMont/Bows/Sumac/Knot.jpg)
Belly and my mark
(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/DanaMont/Bows/Sumac/Belly1a.jpg)
Braced
(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/DanaMont/Bows/Sumac/Braced.jpg)
Grip
(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/DanaMont/Bows/Sumac/Grip.jpg)
Just Unbraced
(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/DanaMont/Bows/Sumac/Afterresting.jpg)
Full Draw
(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/DanaMont/Bows/Sumac/FullDraw1b.jpg)
One More
(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/DanaMont/Bows/Sumac/Fulldraw1a.jpg)
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looks good uncle dana......man, i called in sick today i should have came and visit.
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Thanks Josh, The bows mass is 12oz, light as a feather.
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Wow Dana i have been really excited to see this! What a bow! :) I will have to keep my eyes open for some sumac now :)
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Thanks David, it turned out ok, I wish I had another stave longer and wider so I could try again.
I would suggest you look for better wood than this :)
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Even if its so-so wood i would like to try it sometime :)
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Dana, that turned out to be a great looking little bow-and i'm impressed that it held that much reflex. I like seeing bows made from untested woods-great job.
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You did good Dana. Justin
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Great job. Who'd a thunk...sumac. Tiller looks great. I bet it's easy to scrap, huh?
John
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Steve I like messing around with different woods, I induced 4.5" of reflex and it kept 1.5" so not bad.
Thanks Justin, I pushed the limits on this one ;)
Okie it scrapes like hard butter :)
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Dana, great job. How long had the wood cured and how did you process it? Danny
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Danny I cut it last June at my brothers in central NY, about 3 months later I bandsawed it in half and peeled the bark. It sat all winter and spring
earlier this summer I roughed it out and let it dry for a few weeks. It has pith in the center but I managed to tiller it all out. The heart wood is green
not something you see in wood very often. If yer interested in trying it I would suggest finding one at least 3.5" to 4" in diameter and no knots :)
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I have to admit Im suprized it made it. Who'd of thunk it..... ::)
Looks like it might do good sinew backed eh? Did it splinter on the back or the belly?
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Ryan it splintered on the back at the knot, If you happen to run across a nice clean piece about 4" in diameter cut it and send my way, we can work a trade out :)
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Nothin like good ol yooper ingenuity, I'm gonna do that hemlock bow, got some rawhide coming hey escanabejosh, I'm only about 50 miles from ya here in Menominee.
VB
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I had no idea you could make a bow out of staghorn sumac but YOU DID IT! Congrats and bookmarked, too, for August Self BOM
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Thanks VB Josh is my nephew by the way.
Thanks Don :)
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Good job, I just love those D-bows.
Sean
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Looks great! The tiller is as good as it gets. I'll be on the lookout for some big sumac. If I find some, I'll let you in on it. ;)
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Great job Dana, my woods is full of that stuff, gotta see if I can find any big enuff.....Brian
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Thanks Sean :)
Shannon ya better :), Now cook them brats like I told ya ;)
Go for it Brian :)
Just remember Sumac ain't osage its pretty fragile, but I sure would like to see what y'all can do with it. 8)
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Sumac grows all over the roadsides here. I mean ALL OVER
I have seen some pretty big plants. I will see what i can come up with. Maybe a night raid sometime >:D
Also that drawing of the UP is really good :)
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Nice job Dana, nice to see it's still holding relex. I really like how ya signed it. ;D
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Nice job Dana,just shows you can make a workable bow of about anything. :)
Pappy
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Thanks Josh, The bows mass is 12oz, light as a feather.
or as light as a beer ;)
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Thanks Rick
Thanks Pappy, Sumac ain't for the faint of heart, I cringed every time I drew it :D
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Good lookin' bow Dana, and a really good job on the tiller! Brave of you to venture into the unknown... ;D
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Thats a cool little bow! My parents have groves of that stuff I think.....is it the stuff with the red cone thing on the end?
Bunch of UP guys on this thred. Have you guys ever thought of doing a bow makin day or weekend up there? Might be fun. It would be a long drive for me but worth it.
SJM
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WOW. very cool. next time ya go to new york dana let me know. we have a camp out that way
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Greg Like Captain Kirk said Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before :)
Yew there is myself, venison burger, and JesseS is close, couple guys downstate who's maybe one of these days we can do it eh :)
Jamie my brother lives close to Rome NY, probably head that way again in 2010, would love to hook up with you :)
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Cool, we should try and put something together. Ryano is also lookin to get a bunch of us Mi guys out to his area for a shoot. We gotta start plaiing some stuff.
Steve
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Cool little bow.. How was the wood to work??
David
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Knight, Sumac is soft so it scrapes really easy it also dents really easy ;)
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Nice job Dana ! It turned out great !!
I would be interested in a get together sometime, maybe plan it around a little hunting trip ???
I'm only a few hours from Jesse........
John
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How about a hunt and build weekend........whos gonna host? :P
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Sounds like fun, What does an out of state deer tag cost in Michigan ???
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Nice job Dana. That's pretty cool to get a bow out of an untested wood like that.
Alan
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John an out of state deer tag is pretty high :o As for getting together I'm centrally located but I don't own land or anything
I have access to about 200 acres of private land but the hunting isn't great either unless we shoot wolves >:D Wouldn't really need to worry about a license
either as the the govenor has pretty much gotten rid of most of the DNR officers
Thanks Alan, ya never know until ya try eh.
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I could just work on bows and cut the deer up you guys shoot :D or maybe just small game hunt, is Bo ready for bird hunting ???
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Bo ain't ready, willing but not trained to much. Like I said there isn't much in the way of deer where I hunt, partridge are on the upswing,
hardly ever see a rabbit anymore, I have access to land but no cabin or electric and would have to haul water and sleep by the fire for heat :)
It would be primitive, like in caveman UGH ;D
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Good lookin bow there Dana. Man you sure look better after you quit smoking. much stronger lookin.
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That's a fine bow. Nice job. Jawge
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It's unbeleiveable that a piece of wood this soft and light....had that much energy stored up in it.....I really liked that little Bugger!!!
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that outting idea sound great.....i have yet to learn the ways of bow making but count me in.
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Thanks Finnish
Thanks Jawge
Mike it was pleasure meeting you, hopefully next time you can stay longer
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I am heading off right now to the GLII. When I get back on Monday I will start up a new Michicgan hunt and build thred.
;D
Steve
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It lived a short but sweet life. Gave out after 1500 or so shots :(
[attachment deleted by admin]
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Just saw you finished it up. Looked great :o Well you proved it can be done and if you were in a situation were that's all you had it would at least be good enough to shoot 500 practice shots. And you would still have 1,000 shots left for hunting ;D
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My thoughts too, Jesse. Dana, thanks for the effort you put into a not so common bow wood. Your experiment will get other folks thinking out of the box with their bow building. 8)
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That is too bad Dana, I hate that it broke on ya. Well maybe a bit longer and wider. Any way you proved it can be done, especially as a survival bow. Kenneth
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Too bad Dana :-[. All that work and craaaaaack - never know till ya try..
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Damn and blast ... or words to that effect .... :'(
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Bummer Dana, Sorry to hear that . Sometimes we get fairly attached to these sticks that we play with and at times when tragety stikes its almost like breaking your own arm :'(. But On a good note There are still lots of other trees to fondle. ;D
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I'm not too bummed that it broke after all who would have thought sumac would ever make a bow eh :)
Keenan I like that thought fondling trees :) Is that illegal :o ::) ;D
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That sucks. Sorry to see it broken, I was hoping it was going to make it to TN. That sinew wrapping where the crack started, was that a patch for a trouble spot in the tillering stages?
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At least you got 1500 shots to enjoy before she went.
VB
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Yea Rick it had started popping a splinter at a knot there, glued it and sinew wrapped it. Worked for a while :)
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Oh Well, Nothing ventured nothing gained.
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Dang, that sucks!....Brian
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Dang, that sucks!....Brian
Dats da breaks eh Brian :D
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I got lots of it round my house, wanna try again? ;) ;D.....Brian
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I got lots of it round my house, wanna try again? ;) ;D.....Brian
Sure find me a six footer about 4" in diameter and no knots ;D
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I think thats salvagable Dana....Maybe a little Duct tape....? lol... :D Sorry, I couldn't help myself. You know what Jawge says, if you ain't break'in you aint making. I broke more than my fair share recently.... :-\
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You know.....why isn't that bow salvageable?.....couldn't you just wrap it with sinew every 3/4" and call it good? Start the patches at the handle and work outward? Or maybe install a cool criss-cross sinew wrap pattern?
Offered in seriousness,
D
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Nope not salvageable, cut it in half at the handle and have a nice walking stick fer a short person :D
I heard that you had a little blow up with a bow the other day Ryan, 5 pieces as I understand :o
Thanks for the thought Diligence :)
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Can't imagine where you heard that Dana...? ::)
It was more like 3 or 4......lol. Sounded like a 12 gauge shot gun going off. I've discovered hard maple doesn't like to be really dry.
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I've discovered hard maple doesn't like to be really dry.
Figured that one out the hard way myself >:( :D