posted
I've heard of someone being a "natural" at building things, but this is taking the term to a whole new level!!
Fascinating to follow these creations along with you, Joe....Thanks!
-------------------- A downed animal is most certainly the object of a hunting trip, but it becomes an anticlimax when compared to the many other pleasures of the hunt. -Fred Bear
TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 863 | From: Dutchess Co., New York | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
I split the staves out like anyone does,,, wedges and pounding tools.
This is osage that was cut and split in Feb. 2005
I selected the osage stave on the left from the logs above for this project. Also to allow for a margin of error, I am also going to make a locust selfbow.
You all are watching as I create all this gear in hopes to see a harvest this fall,,, I want a back up as we go just incase I miss the draw weight or goof one up badly.
The locust on the right was cut in 2005 within a week of the osage being cut. These staves are not the best,,, but neither am I! They are over 70" at this point.
These are the tools I will be using to cut up these not so perfect examples of rough bow staves. Trying to remain as traditional or in my case primitive as possible these will be my only tools durring this build,,, oops I did forget to mention the sand paper! You may also notice the blacksnake skin lying there for backing and the whitetail antler from a earlier harvest of mine that I will use for tip overlay's.
Please let me warn you again,,, you are watching as I go along. I never can tell how much time in a week I'll be able to build and post. I may never use a specific bow patern or style. I may goof up or use some questionable tactics to get the job done. But, I will try my best!
Thanks for all the very nice comments so far, but everyone should disregard any personal resistance to reply with critical criticism. This criticism will only make me more detirmined to complete the goal I set for myself and my homegrown hunting gear.
Besides, the moral to this thread is, you don't have to spend alot of money to have fun and feed the family. It's not about the right way or wrong way, but about making with your own hands and natures materials,,, simple, but effective hunting tools and gear.
-------------------- >>--TGMM--> Family of the Bow Posts: 3836 | From: Ohio, South Point | Registered: Dec 2004
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O Tree, you gotta go to MOJAM next year. I took a half dozen osage staves and some sawn yeller wood for backed bows and traded much of it for yew, backing and knapping supplies. Folks from all over with the build it yourself attitude.
Those radical recurves you saw were by a friend of mine, Brad Merkel (Little Tree Bows) of Wisconsin. He boils the wood to get it to bend that far.
Love your quiver and the whole idea of building a full set from idea to harvest. Keep it coming.
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"Okay I got to finish up a strap so I can carry this thing, but I am almost done."
So what did you use for a strap and how did you attach it? Great thread by the way!
-------------------- "What is written on the scroll of Fate is not visible; but with a sturdy bow, a true shaft, and a stout heart, we journey forth in search of adventure"..... Saxton Pope Posts: 84 | From: West Central Minnesota | Registered: Mar 2003
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O'tree. You're a man after my own heart. Great job so far. I'm doin alot of the same things, but I'm not organized enough to take pics as I went along. I enjoy readin and gettin ideas from guys and gals on here. Lookin forward to the next installment!
-------------------- Kenny
Christ died to save me, this I read and in my heart I find a need of Him to be my Savior By Aaron Shuste
posted
It was only 90 degrees in the building this evening after work so I decided to cut the staves to length. Eyeballing the stave I selected the straightest section and cut off the rest. The locust required two cuts and the osage just one. The locust is now 60 1/2" and the osage is 62 1/2".
With the first victim being osage, the bark is stripped off by using a vise to hold the stave and my draw knife welded upside down. Using the beveled edge down on the draw knife helps prevent me from taking to big of a bite and allows me more control. I do most of the wood removal in this way.
Then I remove the white wood from the stave. If you don't know what white wood is, it is the wood just under the bark.
-------------------- >>--TGMM--> Family of the Bow Posts: 3836 | From: Ohio, South Point | Registered: Dec 2004
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posted
Now I remove the white wood and when I see yellow heart wood I'll try not to go any deeper into the wood.
When all the white wood is gone I'll start chasing a ring for the back of the bow. The rings in this stave are paper thin. I did not realize that when I picked this stave from the wood pile for this project. I had sealed the ends with a white paint sealer/primer and could not see the rings, so I grabbed it because it was the straightest one I have seasoned out.
It took me one hour to saw the osage stave to lenght, de-bark the stave, remove the white wood and chase a single ring end to end with the draw knife. The osage stave has a nice barg prop shape to it, only about 5/8" thick on the limb tips and about 2 1/2" wide. Not muchwood left! But I'll try and make do....
I'm ready to see what's in this locust stave next!
Look,,, free kindling
-------------------- >>--TGMM--> Family of the Bow Posts: 3836 | From: Ohio, South Point | Registered: Dec 2004
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