Odawa replica bow and arrows

[riverrat]

 this past summer i went to Grand Rapids Ohio. for the annual apple butter fest. i had a great time. thousands of folks there. besides the apple butter , its a lot like one great big yard/antique sale. when we were leaving , right in the middle of down town  Grand Rapids is a cemetery.its a cemetery for some of the folks that were the first white settlers in this region. it was known as Gilead at that time.anyhow outside of the cemetery, way in a corner in the back is a grave stone. a Mr. Te Na Beek is buried there. as i read he was a friend of that family that owned the cemetery. come to find out he was the last Odawa to live in Ohio . as a free man i guess you could say. sooooo. after i went home i did a little researching.and i decided i might just make a replica bow and arrows to donate to the city of Grand Rapids in honor of Mr. Beek and his people who once lived right there at the head of the rapids.maybe something more to show than a grave stone wayyyyy in the back , outside of a private cemetery . dont even know if they will accept the offer. do know im building a bow , a replica, of a Odawa bow......it is started with a American Elm stave. split out, bark removed, 48 in. long x 2 in. wide to start....more to come....Tony

[Hrothgar]

Great idea, keep us posted.

[sieddy]

That'll make a nice tribute to the man and his people. Connect the sacred hoop Tony! :-)

[riverrat]

like to give a thank you to Half Eye for the pictures and info he sent me. other info ive obtained from many areas of the internet and a book called bows arrows and quivers of the American frontier. from what i understand most Odawa bows were around the 45-50 in. long.about 1 1/2 in wide if you count the scallop edges. and scalloped both sides.any of the hardwoods could of been used in the area, ash, hickory, elm, oak, ect. theres lots.i chose elm because i just so happen to have a nice stave of it nobody wanted in a trade. lol so i cut it down to 48 inches. its o.k. past that 48 inches it had a little propeler back and forth going on. so now its much better.this is what im going for....kind of similar to that osage sapwood bow i just recently made . bottom pic is what i have to work with . has a little bump on it but thats nature. lol Tony

[Blackcoyote]

cool idea tony...can't wait to see it finished up!

[Hans H]

I`m very intrested, Hans

[riverrat]

one thing i plan on is coloring the bow with walnut husks after im done. got a bag full of them in the garage and a bottle of vinegar to try and match that color in the picture.then scratching them designs in the belly.i need to pick up a rasp tomorrow, got a slight deflex in one limb i need to get thinned down some. once i get it to floor tiller stage i plan on heat bending any corrections. have a very slight twist at one tip. and that deflex i might try to get rid of.Tony

[riverrat]

update: bows ruffed out, with scallops ruffed in. tips ruffed in. all this needs refinement. i.e. sand paper and file work. then ill be getting to floor tillering.....its coming along.
normaly, on bows i make for myself, i dont like putting scallops all the way to the tip. makes it hard to get the bow string to slide up into the nocks.i like leaving about 4-5 inches of non scalloped area there towards the tips. however, its a replica of how one was done soooo.....scallops all the way .
on a further note. last night i heated the areas around the tips and used a space between 2 boards on my deck out back to jam the ends of the bow into after heating and twst the twists out. worked like a charm. then i had a tiny amount of side to side bend....a little more heat and prop it against the deck step sideways and a little standing on it later, gone! lol all good now
Tony

[Drewster]

Look'in good......keep us posted on your progress.

[Hrothgar]

Looking good! I may have to try one someday...

[Danzn Bar]

I really like your "high tech" bending technique ....
DBar

[Pappy]

That's looking good, ya rich has them type bows down pat.
 Pappy

[Aaron H]

Coming along nicely Tony

[riverrat]

o.k. got it looking pretty even tillerwise to brace. heres a couple pics of side views. top limb has some deflex where that lump {old grown over knot}is. and reflex in the bottom limb about 5 inches from the tip.

[Badly Bent]

Looking good.  I always enjoy seeing another scalloped bow, something about them just appeals to me. Keep the pics coming.