Author Topic: 100yr old R/D Fencepost Bow (finished!!!)  (Read 27252 times)

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Offline Will H

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Re: R/D or recurve??? (New Pics Added)
« Reply #15 on: May 27, 2011, 12:21:16 am »
Thanks Saw Filer. Ill get the heat gun out tomorrow and see if I can get it right.  :) :)
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Offline k-hat

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Re: Reflex/Deflex??? (Need Advice!!!)
« Reply #16 on: May 27, 2011, 01:06:29 am »
I'm lovin this!!  A nature-made r/d bow from a fencepost?!?!?!  Unbelievable!!  Rootn fer ya to maker a shooter!! ;D ;D

Offline criveraville

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Re: Reflex/Deflex??? (Need Advice!!!)
« Reply #17 on: May 27, 2011, 01:33:48 am »
WOW!! Such a super neat bow 8) Im cheering for ya!
I was HECHO EN MEXICO, but assembled in Texas and I'm Texican as the day is long...  Psalm 127:4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

Offline Arrowind

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Re: Reflex/Deflex??? (Need Advice!!!)
« Reply #18 on: May 27, 2011, 01:56:20 am »
Looks Awesome.   Nice boots too.   ;D
Talking trees. What do trees have to talk about, hmm... except the consistency of squirrel droppings?

HatchA

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Re: Reflex/Deflex??? (Need Advice!!!)
« Reply #19 on: May 27, 2011, 06:22:27 am »
Does indeed look pretty damn good!! 

You've done a great job in just getting this far, considering they were fence posts and it's your first splice an' all.

I'm another one looking forward to seeing how it turns out :D

blackhawk

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Re: Reflex/Deflex??? (Need Advice!!!)
« Reply #20 on: May 27, 2011, 08:36:34 am »
Well you'll have to fix the twist to keep the string on....but...IMHO I might leave her as is. Sometimes folks get caught up in a picture perfect fiberglass mentality look with there bows. As you know we don't work with perfect straight line material. Your braced profile looks great for the unbraced profile. You can tiller as is and tiller carefully to where both limbs are bending in time with each other equally sharing the load. It might not look "right" to our minds eye and it'll look like mismatched limbs at full draw,but it wood be right if tillered well. I have an Osage I left a kink in one limb and just tillered it accordingly,even tho yours is Lil more tricky. But its up to you and you can use heat to try and match them too.

Offline gstoneberg

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Re: Reflex/Deflex??? (Need Advice!!!)
« Reply #21 on: May 27, 2011, 11:02:22 am »
Looks like you're coming along nicely.  I personally don't care too much what the brace configuration looks like on a character bow and focus more on the full draw profile.    On a "straight" bow (like I'd ever see and work one of those...) I do try to make the brace profile look good as part of the tillering process.  Sometimes limbs that appear to be out of sync seem to even themselves out as they're shot in.  I agree that you have to deal with keeping the string on.  Even there though, recurved/reflexed bows are tricky to get strung at first when the draw weight/string tension is high at brace.  That shouldn't be as bad as you near your target draw weight and the string tension at brace goes down.  I keep my tips wide at first so I can have deep string nocks if things are a little crooked.  Then, if there's twist you can narrow the limb tip from the weak side to help that.  Sometimes a little heat makes everything a lot better.  A picture from tip to tip while strung might help us.

Having said all that, just keep tillering and take it slow.  You're doing great.

George
St Paul, TX

Offline ErictheViking

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Re: Reflex/Deflex??? (Need Advice!!!)
« Reply #22 on: May 27, 2011, 02:04:25 pm »
I'm with Hatcha, pretty impressive first splice. that is too cool as a natural r/d profile. keep it coming it should be a sweet looking bow.
"He that but looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart"  C.S. Lewis

Offline Will H

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Re: Reflex/Deflex??? (Need Advice!!!)
« Reply #23 on: May 27, 2011, 11:32:31 pm »
Thanks for advice guys! Ive got it on the caul coolin down right know...I heated the top limb and moved the tip in the direction I needed the string to go. I'm still on the fence about the extra reflex in the bottom limb. Ill probably just leave it be. Ive never really been much on the "fiberglass mentality" My first bow was from a vine maple stave full of huge knots and rollercoaster dips and dives...since then its been Osage...Anyway, thanks again for the input guys! I really appreciate it!!  ;D
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           Clarksville, Tennessee

   "Middle Tennessee is the place to be"

Offline johnston

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Re: Reflex/Deflex??? (Need Advice!!!)
« Reply #24 on: May 27, 2011, 11:56:44 pm »
Sure appreciate you posting this...it is fun to watch something special take shape especially knowing you can't personally screw it up ;D

Lane

Offline Will H

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Re: Reflex/Deflex??? (Tiller Check Please)
« Reply #25 on: May 28, 2011, 11:47:22 am »
Well it seems heat did the trick! :D No problems keeping the string on anymore...Thanks guys! Its at a 4 1/2" brace and pulled to 40#@15" I'm shootin for 60#@27"... As you can see in the pics, the top limb (left) is bending a little farther than the bottom limb (right) by the lines on my tiller tree. How does it look? Judging by the lines I think I should keep scraping the bottom limb until it bends as far as the other but I'm not really sure since that limb has more reflex... Any thoughts?
Proud Member of Twin Oaks Bowhunters
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   "Middle Tennessee is the place to be"

Offline gstoneberg

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Re: Reflex/Deflex??? (Tiller Check Please!!!)
« Reply #26 on: May 28, 2011, 01:37:49 pm »
I don't think there's a huge disparity in the limbs, not enough to worry about yet.  I think the bow is on there with the left limb a little low.  I believe your next step is to even the bend out in the limbs.   Looks to me like both limbs are a little stiff from midlimb out.  I'd work both limbs in the outer half to get some bend mid-limb and outboard.  My trade bow is a little like this one and as it got closer to full draw the disparity in the limb tips faded and finally disappeared, even though unbraced it is very evident.  I think you will experience something similar. 

Looking good, keep at it.

George
St Paul, TX

Offline Will H

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Re: Reflex/Deflex??? (Tiller Check Please!!!)
« Reply #27 on: May 28, 2011, 05:57:39 pm »
Thanks George, I tried what you suggested. I think I got em bending a little better...I think Im gonna miss target weight a lil but thats ok. Here she is 50#@22" Any thoughts?
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   "Middle Tennessee is the place to be"

Offline SEMO_HUNTER

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Re: Reflex/Deflex??? (Tiller Check Please!!!)
« Reply #28 on: May 28, 2011, 08:29:09 pm »
Stay away from the fades and the tips, work on the mid limb areas. Go slow and check it on the tiller tree often cause when it goes, it goes quick. About 8 scrapes or so and check it again, or if your using a palm sander just about 4-5 passes back and forth on the mid limb then recheck. I had kinda a rough time with my first R/D bow myself and it just seems like the mid limbs don't wanna bend and don't wanna bend........then boom they go all at once so you gotta be careful or you'll lose all your R/D and miss target wt.

I think this is the first time I've ever seen anybody build a bow out of recycled fence posts? Who woulda thunk it.  ;)
~Varitas Vos Liberabit~ John 8:32

Offline gstoneberg

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Re: Reflex/Deflex??? (Tiller Check Please!!!)
« Reply #29 on: May 28, 2011, 09:45:15 pm »
I build fence post bows all the time.  I had a spectacular failure with one last year that's posted on here.   Found it: http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,22983 That one had insect damage.  Old osage corner posts are the most seasoned wood you'll ever use. 

I agree that you need to avoid the area where the greatest bend is now and work outboard of that to get it bending.  You might still make weight, but only if you're careful and exercise the bow a lot so you don't take any more wood off than you need.

It's still looking good.

George
St Paul, TX