From Two Comes One... Franken-bow Takedown Finished!

[Josh]

     This bow started off as two failures....  I had made a highly reflexed bamboo backed ipe bow and got it to around 23 inches when it blew up at a knot that I uncovered while tillering.  It kinda erked me but I just put it aside and started another bow knowing I would come back to that one and make another limb for it one day.  Well the next bow I started was a hickory backed ipe bow and I had it drawing to a full 28 inches and was just kinda tweaking the tiller a little on it when the hickory backing I planed out failed.   There was a wavy-ness to the grain in that area that I saw before glue-up but decided to press forward thinking it would be alright, boy was I wrong!   
     Well since I had two broken bows both with one good limb left I decided to put them together to make this Monstrosity.  It is 62 inches NtN and pulls 51# @ 28 inches.  The bottom limb holds around 1.5 inches of reflex while the top limb took around an inch of set.  Kinda makes it look wavy if you look down the bow from limb to limb.  I will include a photo of that.  When you unstring it and lay it down with the back of the bow on the ground the tips touch the ground so I don't count it as having stringfollow.    The top limb is a little stiff towards the tips but I decided to leave well enough alone and call it done.  Whaddaya think?  Thanks for looking!     -josh

[Josh]

some more...

[Josh]

and some more... I got kinda pic happy 

[Josh]

and the rest...









Thanks for looking and for sharing your knowledge with me everyone...  This is the best site and Magazine in the world for information on the wooden bow hands down!     -josh

[rileyconcrete]

Looks awsome.

Tiller looks great also.

Nice job.

Tell

[FlintWalker]

That's slick!  Finish looks like glass and the tiller looks good too. 

[El Destructo]

                                   Nice Save Josh! How does it shoot?? Any different feel from either Limb??

[Bullitt]

Nice marriage! Those two were meant to be together!

Nice work and tiller, Josh!

[aznboi3644]

that is on beautiful bambickery backed ipe bow

[hammertime]

great fix,nice save, beautiful bow,like the handlle...hammertime

[medicinewheel]

That is COOL!!!

[gmc]

I think it looks great, best of both worlds, two bows in one.  That tiller looks great, fine job on that bow.

[Josh]

thanks Riley!

thanks Sawfiler!

thanks El D, ...when I shoot it I really can't tell that one limb is backed in bamboo and the other is backed in hickory, it just shoots really nice.  The added weight of the takedown sleeves probably is the reason... It shoots fast and shoots where I tell it to so I am very happy indeed!   

Thanks bullit!! Both pieces of ipe came from the same 2x8 board, so really all I did was rearrange them and then put them back together but you are right, they are a match made in heaven!   

thanks aznboi!   "bambickery"  <<<<bamboo + hickory...  hmm... can i steal this term you coined?   

thanks hammertime!  I was kinda hesitant with the handle Idea, Thought it might be "too much" 

thanks medicinewheel (frank)!  You were the one who taught me how to do tip overlays!  thanks for the buildalong!

thanks Scott D, it does shoot very great!
 
thanks gmc!   

[sulphur]

josh what a great bow.  as long as the timing of the limbs is right it should be great.  tiller looks really good.  I think the name is too easy though!  maybe dicot or binary or something or even duece.  great bow  no matter what!!

[juniper junkie]

good salvage could call it jekyl & hyde.