Author Topic: 87" 100# Ache Ash bow  (Read 10571 times)

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Offline loefflerchuck

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87" 100# Ache Ash bow
« on: May 18, 2017, 11:51:34 pm »
The Ache are a people native to what is now Paraguay. They made these 85+ inch bows of ipe wood. They shot arrows the size of spears. Macbeth hardwoods finally carries ipe wood, but only 3/4" lumber. Not enough wood to make one of these bows. I found perfect long white ash to suffice. I fumed the stave and treated it with vinegar/steel wool. The bow was still not dark enough so I added a stain to give it the ipe look. This is the 3rd heavy round cross section bow I have made. The first to make it to 100# at 32" draw. I was only able to draw it about 27" where it drew about 75#. The person I made it for said it needed to shoot over 200 meters. I took 2- 690 grain 32" arrows to the range. With my max draw of about 27" the arrows landed at 206 and 210 meters. I was satisfied and did not take any more shots. The cross section is round from mid limb to tip and oval in the middle. Pretty similar to English long bows of the middle ages. A 87" long bow with a 32" draw is not a stressed design, but it still had a inch or so of string follow. This thing was a bitch to string. Took a while before I finally half hitched string below the nocks and put a stringing string on those string nocks. Stood on the stringing string and pulled the bow up to string. How does one string a 87" long 100# bow?
 White ash. 87" long. 100# draw @ 32". Round cross section. Braided rawhide nocks. 

Offline loefflerchuck

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Re: 87" 100# Ache Ash bow
« Reply #1 on: May 18, 2017, 11:53:49 pm »
full draw

Offline Traxx

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Re: 87" 100# Ache Ash bow
« Reply #2 on: May 19, 2017, 12:33:58 am »
GOOD LORD!!!!!

Offline chamookman

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Re: 87" 100# Ache Ash bow
« Reply #3 on: May 19, 2017, 03:39:55 am »
Cool Bow Chuck - made My Back & Shoulder hurt just thinking about it tho  (SH) ! Bob
"May the Gods give Us the strength to draw the string to the cheek, the arrow to the barb and loose the flying shaft, so long as life may last." Saxon Pope - 1923.

Offline Del the cat

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Re: 87" 100# Ache Ash bow
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2017, 05:03:41 am »
Nice work, great post :)
200 metres. that bow laughs at 200m  ;D
Those V long bows certainly are a pig to string. I'm currently doing a repair/re-tiller on a warbow (not one of mine) I thought it was stupidly long at 84" (I may take an inch off each end). I dread to think what 87" feels like!
Del
Health warning, these posts may contain traces of nut.

Offline Pappy

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Re: 87" 100# Ache Ash bow
« Reply #5 on: May 19, 2017, 05:10:28 am »
Nice but like others it hurts me to think about drawing it.  :)
 Pappy
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Offline WillS

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Re: 87" 100# Ache Ash bow
« Reply #6 on: May 19, 2017, 05:24:28 am »
Fantastic bow, and so nice to see bows from different cultures being made!

To string something like this, the knee-in-the-handle method works perfectly.  Just lean the bow away from you, with the belly facing you.  Put your knee smack in the middle of the handle and lean your entire body weight onto it.  Pull the top limb towards you and brace it that way.  It works up to about 140lb, so should be a piece of cake with this one (unless you weigh less than 100lb, in which case...  :o )

If I remember correctly, many of these bows have the string stored by being wrapped around the handle and tied off, instead of being slid down the string.  To brace them, you loop the bottom nock end on first, then do the knee method and bring the top loop up and over the top nock.  This lets you build up those sinew wraps quite thick to add safety and security, because the string doesn't need to fit over them to slide down the limb.

Offline FilipT

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Re: 87" 100# Ache Ash bow
« Reply #7 on: May 19, 2017, 06:54:14 am »
What is cross section dimensions of this bow?

Offline Hrothgar

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Re: 87" 100# Ache Ash bow
« Reply #8 on: May 19, 2017, 06:58:16 am »
Nice job, very primitive looking. A person would have to be a stud to string or shoot that one.
" To be, or not to be"...decisions, decisions, decisions.

Offline upstatenybowyer

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Re: 87" 100# Ache Ash bow
« Reply #9 on: May 19, 2017, 07:01:12 am »
Wow Chuck, that thing is a monster! >:D Outstanding job! Love the fuming, nocks, and beautiful simplicity.
"Even as the archer loves the arrow that flies, so too he loves the bow that remains constant in his hands."

Nigerian Proverb

Offline neuse

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Re: 87" 100# Ache Ash bow
« Reply #10 on: May 19, 2017, 07:05:04 am »
Incredible. I would need a boat winch to draw that monster.

Offline Aaron H

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Re: 87" 100# Ache Ash bow
« Reply #11 on: May 19, 2017, 07:24:53 am »
Cool bow, I like the braided nocks

Offline leonwood

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Re: 87" 100# Ache Ash bow
« Reply #12 on: May 19, 2017, 07:27:24 am »
Wow that is a serious long bow! Very nice! I bet the arrows will make at least 250 meters when drawn to the full 32!

Offline Bob W.

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Re: 87" 100# Ache Ash bow
« Reply #13 on: May 19, 2017, 08:11:15 am »
Beautiful bow Chuck, i would like to shoot that girl!

Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: 87" 100# Ache Ash bow
« Reply #14 on: May 19, 2017, 09:12:06 am »
That is very impressive. I like the tiller! Jawge
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