Inaugural “junior” bow trade

[sleek]

I really hate that I cant post pictures right now, and even if I did, it would probably give it away who gets this bow. But as an update, the bow is "done" and shooting. I say "done" because it's ready for the salt flats flight shoot, but it's still rough. I'll put makeup on it when I get home. I have high hopes for the bows performance if I can just nock out the arrows I need tomorrow, as tomorrow is my last day before I fly out.

I was going to heat treat the bow, but it is so character laden, any heat may cause over stress and I can't afford it to break. Plus, it's shooting 197-204 fps with a 450 grain arrow and 50#. I hope I can shoot well without having to add any reflex or heat.

[Muskyman]

Sounds like a great bow sleek. Good luck at your event on the flats.

[paulc]

Morning All, I haven't given up completely on getting a bow done but maybe I should...   Is our ship date Sept 1 or Sept 30?  I have my piece of birch bending pretty evenly but have just started trying to get it bending out to draw length.  And it is everything that, as near I can tell, a person shouldn't do with birch but it is what it is.  I expect it to blow before I get it to full draw.  And of course I want to shoot it a good bit before I send it out.  Seeing some of the pics the other are posting, if this thing survives, it just doesn't belong being traded along side these other bows...

that's what I am thinking this AM, I will post again when it comes to an end either blown or me shooting it in....Paul

[Muskyman]

Hang in there partner. Heck every time I put a bow on my tillering tree I expect it to explode. It might turn out to be the best bow in the trade. As far as ship date I really don’t know.
Good luck.

[stuckinthemud]

No rush, we were looking at some time in September, later not sooner, there’s no fixed deadline as such.  Don’t forget that this is the junior trade, designed for novices.  Hopefully it won’t be the only junior trade ….

Your bow doesn’t have to be show quality, just your best at this time.  Every bow I build is a big step forward on the last one, if I waited until my quality peaked, I’d be dead before anyone saw any of my work.  Every bow I build I ask for tiller advice. Do not be discouraged by where other builders are, heck none of us can compete with a national championship level builder…

Post some pictures and we can give you a more objective opinion on where you’re at. 

I used to teach carving and one time one of my novices insisted her first carving was awful - it was lovely but all she could see were the imperfections which no-one else could see (including me) so I dropped the piece in the finishing oil, wiped it clean and told her it was done.  If she had carried on picking at it she’d have ruined a lovely piece.

Show us some pics , or, email me some to look over if you’d rather?

[paulc]

Made some progress today, went for broke and put the short string on the stave.  It didn't blow up, it does look not bad but a ways to go yet.  And there is already a bit of string follow.  I only had the short string on maybe 3 or 4 times getting the two limbs to match up better but it was enough to induce some follow.  I have brought it back inside to rest and am hoping it will return to its original almost flat profile.  I think I might heat treat it again as I suspect I have removed a lot of the heat treated wood scraping the limbs.  There is a weird hump in one limb that is hard on the eyes but my straight edge says the limbs are bending pretty evenly.  Thanks for looking.  Feedback welcome.  Paul

[stuckinthemud]

Definitely showing potential!!  Not sure if the outer third of the lumpy limb is a tiny bit stiff?  Some follow is almost inevitable, you can try a heat soak: I have found most (but not all) of the follow returns as soon as you restring the bow.  Don’t forget that a tiny amount of set at the centre looks terrible as it moves the tips a long way, where a major amount in the outer thirds will show much less.  Any chance of an unstrung picture?

A straight edge is useful but a gizmo is way more accurate. Like many here it revolutionised my building- I now have several sizes - piece of 2x1 drill through for a friction fit on a pencil stump and away we go

[Muskyman]

Starting to look like a bow. I use a gizmo too. Not 100 percent of the time but it’s definitely a great tool.

[paulc]

Here are two pics from before I put the short string on....I do have a gizmo but never seems to work quite right.  Either riding the pencil point or the point wears down and its not long enough to touch the limb...fwiw  Paul

[stuckinthemud]

I think I might be tempted to refine the tips a bit and get as much of the bow working as possible

[sleek]

The flight archery event is over and the bow did well. In test flight with a synthetic string ( not legal for competition ) and a plastic nock ( also not legal ) on a wooden shaft the arrow went 237 yards.  In competition we couldn't get an arrow that would fly correctly and that put a major handicap in performance. The best shot was still 208 yards, enough to win the gold medal despite not breaking a record. I know the bow had it in it, just needed the right tuning
 

After I get home I will do a draw weight check and speed check to see if any weight and speed has been lost due to having been put thoroughly through its paces and report back the findings. Either way, this bow will make a fantastic companion in the woods. Also I will be taking the time to do the finish work on it, sanding, handle wrap, snake skin, and a finish coat.

It may be towards the end if this month I get shipped, but it should be a good bow when done.

[stuckinthemud]

Fantastic Sleek, congratulations!!!

I need a postal address from you please

There’s still a few working on their bows so end of the month sounds perfect

[Muskyman]

Congratulations on winning the gold. Sounds like someone is getting a great bow with some history to it already. To bad you couldn’t get a good arrow to fly. 

[Muskyman]

My poundage problem just won’t quit. I had this bow back down to about 53 lbs (again ) I think it’s the third time I’ve took it down in weight. 50 lbs is the high side of my recipient’s requested draw weight. I figured if I can get to 52-53 okay. Was going to work on another bow so I took it to the shop with me. Put it on my tillering tree and pulled it 15-20 times then checked the weight. 55 lbs again. What am I to do. Two options I guess. Try reducing the weight or leave it 5 lbs over. My fear in reducing it is I’m concerned about screwing it up this close to the shipping date.
I guess I can try and sand on it some more but I’m really ready to be done with this bow. Guess I can’t complain. It’s not taking any set and hasn’t blown up yet and has probably had 150 or more arrows through it.

[stuckinthemud]

Sorry, this is not something I’ve come up against, hopefully someone will chime in.  I believe some woods change weight with r/h and others can appear fully seasoned and then dry out some more.  I’d probably take off a couple of scrapes