Bow update

[grumpy]

#4733

It has been about year since I managed to build a bow I liked (see BUILDING THE BOW thread) that didn’t break. It is still working, and I practice every day (weather permitting). 48″ long, about 45 lbs @ 22″ draw. At least a dozen arrows, sometimes 2 dozen. Bows I made for the girls are also working, but Audrey’s bow looks weak in the lower limb. She is running with it, often practices twice a day, Arwen isn’t so excited. All you can do is plant the seed and see if it grows.

[James Harvey]

#61931

You’ve done more than most by planting that seed mate. I’m glad the bow is holding up too.

[grumpy]

#30751

Actually I spoke too soon. There is a crack between the riser and the bow. Tried to put glue in there and clamp it together, but it didn’t work. The next “try” is to put a stove bolt and nut on it. Tacky, huh. May get the award for the ugliest bow.

Right now I’m in Salt Lake visiting the other 4 grandchildren. When I get home I’m starting another bow. Over the last year I’m come up with more design changes than I can count. With my luck (or skill?) one of them will go wrong and ruin the bow. Or a combination of 2 (or more) will cause it’s demise. On the other hand if I try to incorporate one change at a time, I won’t live long enough to finish.

Actually I should have said the seed has not germinated…yet. Patience.

[Bernie Clancey]

#34276

Grumpy, I haven’t followed your bow building thread enough to know if you are building primitive bows or fiberglas bows. But since you mentioned you had a crack above the riser I thought I would show you what I did when one of my primitive bows cracked.

The bow pictured has a fishtail splice in the handle joining two short staves into a longer stave. When I glued it up and forced the two have together it developed a crack running up from the handle towards the limb. So I drilled it out at the end of the crack and put a plug in it (wooden dowel). I think this is called a “dutchman”. the crack never went any further.

Shot at a bear with this bow but stuck shoulder blade and never recovered it. Had to retire the bow a couple years after that due to crysals (not sure of spelling). They are cracks running across the limbs due to too much compression in the wood on the belly side of the bow. It would still shoot nice today, but would eventually break so it is a wall hanger now.

[grumpy]

#34999

Neat solution, even looks good. I’ll remember it and may use it some day. My problem is different. The riser is separating from the bow. I didn’t glue it up right, and it took a while to show. Don’t think I can get it apart to try again. If I heat it up enough to loosen the epoxy, I’ll damage the wood.

BUILDING THE BOW is the name of the thread, you have to search for it.

Bow is red oak, with fiberglass cloth on the back side. Not the way you are supposed to do it, but the oak was cheap, and I had the fiberglass. Went thru a lot of trial and error to get it right. Probably would have been cheaper (and a LOT less time) to buy a bow. Unfortunately, I am small, with short arms. 22″ draw. Even with a 60# bow, I would be drawing less than 40#, and that is so much less than the draw the bow was designed for the arrow would be slow.

[Bernie Clancey]

#35383

OK now I understand. Keep on experimenting with it, it’s fun even if they don’t all turn out perfect. It actually seems like an ingenious way to go at it. The Fiberglas cloth is acting like rawhide/sinew/snakeskin backing.

With any stick bow tillering is everything and I think you have already seen that a bow that appears well tillered can change after it is complete

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