Finally back to bow building. (Updated pics)

[wTk]

#3694

Been out with cancer surgery and finally able to do some work on bows. Been slow and hard to twist my wife’s arm to let me in the shop but finally making progress. This is a new short longbow prototype that started as building a set of limbs for Doc Nock’s broken recurve. I’ve copied Doc’s riser and built these limbs as a test for it. I like how it’s turned out so far. It’s 58″ nock to nock and 43# at 28″ draw. Seems to have good manors at the shot. I’ll be trying to get it chrono’d to see how it performs. Should be a good blind hunting bow.
The limb veneers are ambrosia maple that I tried to stain black that ended up more of a blue/brown.

The woods are ambrosia maple with bloodwood accents and I-beam as well as phenolic strips to strengthen the riser.. I had planed on staining the riser black but in tests it was more of a gun metal blue so I hit it with a light brown stain. This is after 2 coats of massey finish. I’ve stippled the grip and need to add some more coats of massey before going over it with a flat poly.

Here’s a profile shot with a 7″ brace height.

Here’s a shot of the nock.

[David Petersen]

#22643

wTk — Well shucks. Very best luck with your continued recovery. My wife is a survivor, 10 years now, with only surgery and no rads or chemo. Sometimes the magic does work and here’s wishing it works for you. I really like the looks of those limbs. Dave

[wTk]

#26163

Updated the pictures since I got the finish done.
I added a bit of brown and black stain to the alcohol I use to thin the 2-part epoxy for the last 2 coats of epoxy finish than put on 2 coats of satin exterior poly. I like how it turned out. I also stippled the grip to cut slippage without covering up the wood grain.
The woods are ambrosia maple with bloodwood accents and I-beam as well as phenolic strips to strengthen the riser.

Here’s a profile shot with a 7″ brace height.

Closeup of the stippling

Here is the belly side of the riser showing the limb bolts.

Unstrung profile

28+” full draw

[wildschwein]

#36955

Very good work on that bow. In particular I like the stippling in the grip.

[William Warren]

#38882

Beautiful work wTk! I like that stipple grip too. I’m also a survivor, since 3/5/01. Lucky all I needed was surgery. Godspeed on your recovery.

Duncan

[bruc]

#38950

Agree with Wildeshein and Duncan ! Beautiful work !
Wondering how you do the stipple on the handle:?:
Bruce

[wTk]

#47187

BRUC wrote: Wondering how you do the stipple on the handle:?: Bruce

Bruce I use a burr cutter with my dremel tool. After the first few coats of finish are cured I mark my pattern on the handle. Then I use the burr to outline that pattern and finally do a random cut with the burr. Once it’s finished I go over it lightly with steel wool and then do the final few coats of finish. My hand’s a little shaky with the sickness so not a clean as I like but it sure beats covering the wood with leather for grip.

[Author]

Posts