Persimmon long bows

[pappy]

#6443

[Stephen Graf]

#51856

Try the picture link thing again…. can’t see the picture.

[Holten101]

#52297

Cant see the picture either.

If the stats are correct then you have pushed the materials to the limit….does it stack beyond 27″

Cheers

[pappy]

#52406

Holten101 wrote: Cant see the picture either.

If the stats are correct then you have pushed the materials to the limit….does it stack beyond 27″

Cheers

Got the picture posted, had a little trouble getting it to download. Doesn’t really seem to stack much at all. Trying to learn something here, why do you think I’ve pushed the materials? Do you think it will end up blowing up in my face? I certainly hope not, so far it’s a sweet shooting little bow.

[William Warren]

#52525

I doubt it will blow up with bamboo backing. If it fails at all it would likely just fold up. Not saying it will, just saying the backing would hold it all together even in failure. I’ve had cloth backing keep the peices from flying back on me.
Enough doom and gloom! That is a pretty little bow. If it has survived a couple hundred shots it should be OK. As with any homemade bow just shoot it and watch for any signs of change. I’m not familiar with persimmon but most fruit woods can make a bow. Good luck with it, and keep on making shavings. You know you can’t stop with just one! 😀

[Clay Hayes]

#52623

The first 5 or 6 bows that I ever made were persimmon selfbows. I never had one blow up even though, back then, I had only a basic knowledge of bow making.

Persimmon is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful hardwoods in North America, and a very dense wood. I think it was once the choice wood for golf clubs (what a terrible ending to a fine piece of wood). Anyway, that’s a fine looking bow. How’s about a pic at full draw?

ch

[Holten101]

#52771

As Duncan says…if has survived so far then there will most likely be no problem:-).

But…having a draw lenght half the length of the bow is normally considered the maximum for natural materials…this goes for bending handle, straight stave longbows. Yours is stiff handle and high poundage too…and brace height looks like it is in the high end too.

When the string angle reach 90 degrees relative to the tip then most wooden bows stack. Most bows will take set before this point…especially if they are not very wide (>2″ at fades).

Everything tells me this bow is strained to the limit (that is when wood frets/chrysals)….but natural materials are wonderfull in that they sometimes act out of the norm…that is when you have made something special:-)

Cheers

Ps: By natural materials I mean wood in this case…using sinew and horn will bend these “rules”.

PPs: Damn me…I forgot the most important part….what an exceptionel first try….its a stunning bow and brace looks awsome:-).

I read up on Persimmon as bow wood and it is highly regarded, especially when backed with boo or Hickory….considder yourself lucky to have access to Persimmon:-)

[pappy]

#53042

Thanks for the compliments and the feedback fellas, much appreciated. I gotta say, after completing the first, I am most definitely hooked already! I’ve just started my second, from ash. Based on the info about the poundage and draw length you gave me, sounds like I should definitely back it. Maybe hickory or bamboo.
I hope to take the bow to Virginia in April and introduce it to Mr. Tom Turkey, and then an Indiana Whitetail this fall. We’ll see…. Clay, I’ll try to get a full draw pic posted soon.
ps My 19 year old son just came home from college a couple days ago and the first thing he wanted do was shoot the new bow (his draw length is shorter than mine so I let him) After his first 2 shots were dead on he looked over at me and said “Dad, you gotta build me one.”
Best compliment I could have gotten!:D

[Holten101]

#53266

Nice Pappy….glad you find it as rewarding as me:-)

Now you can take the following advice…or ignore it as you please;-).

Ash is strong in tension but relativly weak in compression. Hickory and Bamboo are both exstremly strong in tension. Backing a compression weak wood with a tension strong will cause the belly of the bow to be over powered by the much stronger back.

The whole point of making composits are that you can mix different wood types to compliment each other…just like you did with the bow you posted…backed a compression strong wood (Persimmon) with a tension strong wood (bamboo)…hence the good result:-).

Ash will make very good selfbows (no backing)…but if you go for the same stats as the one above, then hickory, yew or Osage will be better choices…alternativly make it longer and wider.

But…one of the most satisfying things about making bows, is to experiment and learning by doing…what im saying is: Dont let me stop you….you might discover something wonderfull;-)

Cheers

[pappy]

#56036

Clay, here’s the full draw pic.

[pappy]

#56041

Chad, here’s the full draw pic.
“In the woods we return to reason and faith.” Emerson

[Clay Hayes]

#60433

looks good, congrats on a beautyfull little bow.

ch

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