Home › Forums › Bows and Equipment › First Successful HBO bow build!

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    • Cameron Unruh
      Member
        November 29, 2014 at 10:22 pm
        Post count: 240
        #7604

        After a number of attempts I got a winner! This is a Hickory backed Osage that I finished up last night and took it out for a stump shooting round this morning. I am loving it!

        60# @ 28″ – 64″ tip to tip.

      • Patrick
        Member
          November 29, 2014 at 10:24 pm
          Post count: 1148
          #63628

          Great job Cameron!

        • jpc
          Member
            November 29, 2014 at 10:29 pm
            Post count: 170
            #63632

            A dream come true

            Congratulations hope next pic will be with the first game got with this bow

            That what I wich for you

          • grumpy
            Member
              November 29, 2014 at 10:41 pm
              Post count: 962
              #63640

              Very, Very happy for you. Hoping you didn’t keep track of how many tries it took or how much it cost.

              Every time you shoot it keep in mind that it could break the next time you pull the string. Not that I want you to be apprehensive, or spoil your enjoyment of your new toy. Just speaking from experience. Besides, no matter how awesome it is now. when you miss a deer, you may feel a little different. Actually when you miss a deer, anything can be blamed. Anything is easier than taking the blame yourself.

              BTW. The bow that I made last summer was awesome… Right now I’m planning something better, and who knows how many tries it will take…

            • Cameron Unruh
              Member
              Member
                November 29, 2014 at 10:54 pm
                Post count: 240
                #63649

                I am a laminated glass bow guy – but I have always wanted to hand tiller a piece of Osage. This was my third attempt the first two were with Bamboo backing and both lifted a splinter. Also the first two attempts were with Hickory and Bamboo backing. This time I went with Osage and I love working with Osage wish I would have started off with that.

                I still want to get a Bamboo backed Osage accomplished at some point – but for now I will just enjoy this success for a bit.

                Grumpy – after the first two I am forever listening for a creaking each time I draw back.

              • Col Mike
                Member
                  November 30, 2014 at 1:33 am
                  Post count: 911
                  #63779

                  That is a beautiful bow:D Congrats Cameron–well done

                • Stephen Graf
                  Moderator
                    November 30, 2014 at 12:08 pm
                    Post count: 2428
                    #7785

                    Looks like you got the tiller about perfect. Good job!

                  • grumpy
                    Member
                      November 30, 2014 at 2:18 pm
                      Post count: 962
                      #7868

                      Listening for that creaking will keep you forever humble. 🙂

                    • William Warren
                      Member
                        December 1, 2014 at 12:56 am
                        Post count: 1384
                        #8405

                        Nice bow Cameron. Have lots of fun shooting it.

                      • David Coulter
                        Member
                          December 1, 2014 at 4:13 pm
                          Post count: 2293
                          #9175

                          That’s a really beautiful bow. Nice work. Congratulations on rewarded persistence. Keep the photos coming. Best, dwc

                        • Bruce Smithhammer
                            December 1, 2014 at 6:18 pm
                            Post count: 2514
                            #9288

                            Nice work, Cameron! And that quiver is pretty sweet, too!

                          • Cameron Unruh
                            Member
                            Member
                              December 2, 2014 at 12:29 am
                              Post count: 240
                              #9559

                              Smithhammer – the quiver is also a first for me. A couple years back I was on my journey for a quiver that worked for me. I ended up tanning this blacktail deer hide and making a very usable back / side quiver with a few added features. I cut a side opening to get to my arrows – then I got the idea to add some deer hide to the front to hold three broad head arrows for easy access. Then I added a front pouch as well. This hide has hair on one side so the inside of the quiver is nice and quiet. I am not sure if I like it so much because it is a great design or just because I put it together myself. Either way it works for me!

                            • handirifle
                                December 2, 2014 at 5:44 am
                                Post count: 409
                                #9878

                                I think you’ll find that hickory backing will make that bow last many thousands of shots. The grain in hickory is so intertwined with itself, it is in my opinion, the absolute best backing material out there for wood bows.

                                Outstanding looking bow. Is that hickory on the belly of the riser also?

                              • Cameron Unruh
                                Member
                                Member
                                  December 2, 2014 at 6:40 am
                                  Post count: 240
                                  #9921

                                  handirifle wrote: Outstanding looking bow. Is that hickory on the belly of the riser also?

                                  The riser piece is Black Locust. Thanks for the insight in regards to the hickory backing.

                                • grumpy
                                  Member
                                    December 4, 2014 at 11:47 pm
                                    Post count: 962
                                    #12943

                                    Using ash right now, and it is working better than the red oak I was using. Hickory sounds interesting, there is a lot of hickory where I hunt.

                                    I would really like to try Elm. I still remember trying to split elm for firewood as a teen. That was before hydraulics, and chain saws. We never did split most of it, and never did get a couple wedges out.

                                  • handirifle
                                      December 5, 2014 at 3:20 am
                                      Post count: 409
                                      #13096

                                      Elm has a lot of the same characteristics as hickory, so I am sure it would work as well. Seems I remember there was some detracting character of elm that kept it slightly below hickory, but it slips the memory.

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