Hickory Sioux replica build along

[1/2primitive]

Well, I haven't been working on it whole lot lately, but I tried to bend the handle yesterday. I tried. And got nowhere. This Hickory is tough! I attempted to bend it over my knee, and I could barely bend it 1/4". I'll be making a jig to bend it over soon.
     Sean

[1/2primitive]

I've been pretty busy lately,j so not a whole lot has gotten done. Plus I've got tons of other projects on my hands.

So far, no jig, but I'm bending it over my knee, gradually making the handle a bit more reflexed with repeted steamings.. Pictures should be tonight of it finally bent.
     Sean

[1/2primitive]

Here are pictures of it almost reflexed enough for me, I'm going to be gone over the weekend, so no more work is going to be done on it then, either. AFter this, I've got at least two more bends, maybe four, to do (two for deflexed limbs, maybe two for the recurves).



    Sean

[bootboy]

looks like a holmegaard

[radius]

yeah, i was gonna say, looks like a holmegaard...but with the added feature of a setback handle...pretty cool...i've seen how you persevere, sean, so this should be good...

[carpenter374]

'fork of a tree works good for bending. you can get a lil more leverage. lookin good. keep up the good work.

[uwe]

Just found this thread.
I did it from the same book with the given dimensions, but in maple. It got a little too weak. Some day I`ll try to continue with a sinewbacking.

[1/2primitive]

Thamks, guys.
In vol. 2 of the bowyer's bibles it has the plains bows and arrows, and it incudes two that are shaped like this. I was thinking about going with one of them, and just 'decurving' the tips. I wouldn't worry about performance with it, just focus on the historical accuracy.
Sorry that I havn't gotten to work much on it lately, I guess the effort to bend it has been a little bit of a damper, but it'll come. 
     Sean

[1/2primitive]

One more bend will do it tomorrow, then I'll get it final floor tillered and then on to sinew!
    Sean

[1/2primitive]

Here is the to-be bow with finished bending. The tips are deflexed (decurved?). This is a replica of the bow shown on page 130 of the TBB vol. 3. I'm also going to stain the backing red, as the caption says underneath the picture in the book.




    Sean

[cowboy]

Lookin like a goodun Sean! I need to get to hammerin some sinew.. Can't wait ta see her bending..

[1/2primitive]

Well, it's been a while, I guess I should update the topic. I should have named it a 'slow-mo' build along.

Anyway, I was looking at my bow and decided that I could make a really mean short bow out of it, so I started visualising it if I cut off the tips and recurved it along with a reflexed handle. I liked what was coming out. I ended up getting started on a bendy handle 'five curve' bow. It is now (I think) 43" ntn, and a little over 1" wide at the handle, tapering to about 1/2" at the nocks (obviously I havn't done any measurements on it yet ). I am going to reflex the handle some more, pictures of that to come.







      Sean

[david w.]

looks good!
i cant wait to see it finished

[1/2primitive]

Here it is now, the reflex comes to about 4 1/2" and the recurves will add some to that, and when all is said and done (deflexing the limbs, sinew, and tillering), it will hopefully end up with just a little bit of reflex.


     Sean

[1/2primitive]

Here we are, I am almost done with bending it, I only have the deflex in the limbs to do. I reflexed it a little more, I think it will look better this way.  I'm probably going to keep it in the form and let it cool/dry until tomorrow, because I don't want it to lose much of the reflex that I put in. With the recurves and reflex together, it has about 8 1/2" of back set.

I'm not sure how much deflex to give the limbs because with the sinew backing it'll be pulled into more reflex, and tillering will pull some out. I want it to end up with a few (2" or so) of reflex... where do y'all think the tips should be to account for all of it? And how much reflex (approximatly) will the sinew put into the bow?






      Sean