Thanks LB. Building a typical flat bow or longbow is ok and fun, but I find some of the more unique and diferent designs are more interesting and challenging. They make good conversation pieces too. One of my favorite choices is a Snakey bow. It is fun to see how surprised people are when they see one shoot.
Pete
Well, I tillered it out as far as I dare. Here it is drawn to 30.5" AMO, pulling 52#. It is 46# at 28", so pretty much right where I wanted to be. Arcs are not 100% symmetrical, but limbs are pulling to the same spot, and I'm at my target weight, so I'm tapping out there! Excercised the limbs 100x to a 30.5" pull, with no signs of stress, and no loss of weight, so I think that is promising. I guess the first couple hundred arrows will give me the real feedback.
Here it is with the finish curing (West System marine finishing epoxy). The stave had this amount of natural deflex, and it does not appear to have increased.
When I am ready to start shooting and before I cut in my shelf I shoot from diferent positions on the string to find where the bow wants the shelf to be. Then I cut in the shelf, or add it on. This way you can find the sweet spot where noise and vibration/shock is the least. On a very narrow handle I make a teardrop of the same wood or a contrasting wood and glue it on if there is not enough material to cut in a shelf.
Well yesterday was great weather for bow building. the cherry bow was in final tillering when the lower limb failed. There was a small insect hole about 6" up and that was the reason I sinew backed it. I'm not sure if the sinew was heavy enough to prevent the failure. Well back to the drawing board. At least I did learn about sinew. Going to the butcher shop tomorrow to see if I can get some longer tendons for the next one. I also floor tillered the last birch stave I started last winter. Going to sinew back this too. Getting practice in before I try a yew stave I hopefully will get this summer.
Invest in a good Osage , Hop Hornbeam or Hickory stave and build a shooter for confidence building.
White woods are easier to learn on , as you don't need to chase a ring. Just peel the bark and the back is done. Both Hop Hornbeam and Hickory will make a great Flatbow and are easy builds, and quite forgiving to small mistakes .
See if there are some other guys that might want to go in on a shipment of a few staves to cut down on costs.
Pete
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