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01-04-2013, 10:00 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1
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Pictures of Finished Bows
I would certainly like to see some of the finished products with descriptions as well.
It sounds like the community has some great ideas.
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01-04-2013, 10:23 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: rocky Mountain House
Posts: 1,538
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Anybody ever make a bow from Cherry wood?
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01-04-2013, 11:12 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 2,824
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Snakey Osage longbow for a grandchild, 36" long. It has sinew backing, and just needs final tiller and a finish coat.
Ash Holmgard, 66" 38#
Hop Hornbeam longbow 65" 50#
Holmgard aand Hop Hornbeam risers.
Last edited by petew; 01-04-2013 at 11:36 PM.
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01-04-2013, 11:20 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 2,824
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01-04-2013, 11:27 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 2,824
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Another of the 48" maple board bow I made for my Grand Daughter. I can get 2 bows from a good 2x1x 6' maple trim board if I use a glue on handle. Good grain is a must ! . I don't like backing unless it is absolutely necessary.
Hickory Longbow being shot by a friend.
Maple Holmgard Board bow, 72" 50# , sadly this one broke.
Last edited by petew; 01-04-2013 at 11:35 PM.
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01-04-2013, 11:44 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 2,824
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This Osage stave shows promise!! I love a snakey bow. The coments from people are great both when they see one, and when they shoot one. If the string lines up in the center they shoot great, and have an awesome cool factor.
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01-05-2013, 12:24 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Stony Plain.
Posts: 2,492
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I love that bow in the 4th picture. I would love to learn how to make bows but it seems complicated.
Andy
__________________
"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
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01-05-2013, 01:36 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 2,824
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Andy, it is not that hard. Start with a floor tillered board stave to learn the basics of tillerring, without breaking the bank.
There are lots of online resources for knowledge and guidance. Tools are simple and you don't need many. A Ferriers rasp, A draw knife, a cabnit scraper, and a Nicholson 49 and a 50 rasp, and a small chain saw file. Add a bit of sandpaper, a bottle of tru oil for finishing.
I prefer working Split staves over boards, but split staves are expensive to cut your teeth on. Board Bows are cheap.
After you make your first shooter then go for the good staves.
Here is a good place to start. http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.ne...ni/archer.html
Another good place is www.rudderbows.com
The Bowyers bench at www.tradgang.com is full of help http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimate...=0;DaysPrune=0
here is a good reference for woods.
https://sites.google.com/site/onemississipp/bowwoods
more info
http://poorfolkbows.com/index.html
http://www.osageorange.com/index.html
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php
Staves in canada
http://www.amwoodinc.com/productDeta...JZ0jifOw%3d%3d
Pete
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01-05-2013, 10:39 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Stony Plain.
Posts: 2,492
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Thanks Pete. Ill have a look at those sites.
Andy
__________________
"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
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01-05-2013, 10:56 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 2,824
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Something to remember is the harder woods like Osage, Hop Hornbeam are much harder to work down, which is good, because a slip on an Osage stave is a very small thing to fix, The same slip on a softer wood is a big mistake to fix.
An easy style to start on is a pyramid limb.It is a straight taper from the fades to the tips. The Maple board bow my granddaughter is shooting in the pictures is a pyramid style limb.
Pete
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01-05-2013, 12:24 PM
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Okotoks
Posts: 22
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Really nice bows Pete. You should consider leading a clinic.
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01-05-2013, 01:19 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 2,824
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Thanks for the compliment, but |I am nowhere good enough to teach others.
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01-05-2013, 02:37 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: rocky Mountain House
Posts: 1,538
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Well this thread got my juices running. I've been thinking about a self bow for a few yrs. Another fellow at work is in the middle of a flat bow made from a locally cut birch stave. I got a cherry tree from an orchard in BC that has been seasoned for about 8 months and going to try my hand at a flat bow. I roughed in the stave today. I'm sending it with my daughter to plane down to A board at the shop she works at. I'm going to practice on this one and build a flat board bow, with laminated handle and tip overlays. I have access to some small pieces of oak and hickory (daughter works at a cabinet shop) would Hickory be good for that use?
Here are a few pics.
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01-05-2013, 02:41 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Back in Lethbridge
Posts: 4,647
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Quote:
Originally Posted by petew
Thanks for the compliment, but |I am nowhere good enough to teach others.
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Modesty makes for a great instructor.
What's the deal with those Holmgard bows? What is the reasoning behind the transition?
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01-05-2013, 04:08 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 2,824
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pudelpointer
Modesty makes for a great instructor.
What's the deal with those Holmgard bows? What is the reasoning behind the transition?
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The design is a few Thousand years old, from the mesolethic period, so I have no idea why they made them that way, but they did and they shoot very nice. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmegaard_bow
Here is a plan for the design.
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/i...ch=42761;image
fatboyz
, I would split that stave into 2 and chase them to a ring and make a bow from there. Make it wide, and it should be fine. You can srtaighten it with heat and or steam after they are roughed out. Oak or Hickory or any hardwood will make overlays, but so will the Cherry.
Last edited by petew; 01-05-2013 at 04:15 PM.
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01-05-2013, 05:23 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: rocky Mountain House
Posts: 1,538
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Thanks Pete. I was thinking that if I cut it wide I would have a wide enough piece that I could cut a straight piece out of the centre and the sweep wouldn't affect it? When you say split the stave do you mean parallel to the flat side so I'd have one on top of the other, or perpendicular to the flat so I'd have two 1/4 sawn side by side? I thought I would just have her plane the top down to one ring, then plane the bottom (flat side) up to a thickness of 7/8". I was planning on 3/4" at the handle tapering to about 3/8" at the tip.
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01-05-2013, 05:33 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 2,824
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Split it with wedges from the bottom to the outside , or top to bottom as it is in the photo on the saw horse. PM me your phone # and I will give you a call.
Pete
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01-06-2013, 02:33 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 2,824
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fatboyz
Well this thread got my juices running. I've been thinking about a self bow for a few yrs. Another fellow at work is in the middle of a flat bow made from a locally cut birch stave. I got a cherry tree from an orchard in BC that has been seasoned for about 8 months and going to try my hand at a flat bow. I roughed in the stave today. I'm sending it with my daughter to plane down to A board at the shop she works at. I'm going to practice on this one and build a flat board bow, with laminated handle and tip overlays. I have access to some small pieces of oak and hickory (daughter works at a cabinet shop) would Hickory be good for that use?
Here are a few pics.
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Seal the ends and back untill it is dry, about 9% moisture.
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01-06-2013, 05:11 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: rocky Mountain House
Posts: 1,538
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Pete those Cherry trunks were dead standing for about a year, then pulled out this last October. Will they still need some drying?
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01-06-2013, 05:33 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 2,824
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Hard to tell without a meter .Slaping on some shelac etc is cheap insurance. The bark can hold a lot of moisture in.
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01-06-2013, 07:07 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: rocky Mountain House
Posts: 1,538
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I shellacked them today. I also have my daughter looking for a piece of 1 X 2 1/4 sawn maple from work. If she can find a nice piece I'll try a board bow to start.
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01-08-2013, 08:50 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: rocky Mountain House
Posts: 1,538
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01-10-2013, 03:00 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 10,229
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Has anybody here tried Western Ash?
This is another local native wood that was used for bows.
Pudel,
You might be able to get your hands on some Buffalo backstrap sinew.
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01-10-2013, 03:01 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 10,229
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Has anybody here tried Western Ash?
This is another local native wood that was used for bows.
Pudel,
You might be able to get your hands on some Buffalo backstrap sinew.
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01-10-2013, 12:52 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Back in Lethbridge
Posts: 4,647
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DOUBLE TAP!
Is that a cleverly veiled offer?
We should talk soon... but not today. I am presently not working on reports that I need to be working on...
I'll call soon.
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01-13-2013, 06:09 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Nanaimo, BC
Posts: 509
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I love it if someone would show me the ways of bow building. If you have any information, let me know!
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01-13-2013, 06:28 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 2,824
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VanIsleGuy
I love it if someone would show me the ways of bow building. If you have any information, let me know!
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Did you go to the links posted above?
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01-13-2013, 08:12 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Nanaimo, BC
Posts: 509
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I did. What I was really hoping was someone to tell me about a local (alberta) shop for bow building or course to take, even if someone was in Edmonton and didn't mind teaching the trade. Thanks
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01-13-2013, 08:39 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 2,824
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There are no formal courses , so the only way is to start reading, and ask questions as you go. There are several forums dedicated to building bows, and they are very helpfull.
Most of us that do it are not on a schedule and build on the spur of the moment when the mood strikes. It is not that hard, and taking the first step is about the hardest part. Start with a floor tillered Hickory stave from Rudderbows and go from there.
Pete
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01-14-2013, 06:44 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: rocky Mountain House
Posts: 1,538
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Hey Pete. I ran out of time yesterday but I did start to work out that heavy side in the upper limb that was causing it to twist. It's still considerably heavier than my target so I have lots of material to work with.
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