Take two (Pics)

[Bob Barnes]

I don't see any hinges...

I would be glad to e-mail you instructions for getting there...it's a piece of cake...    Once you are on hwy 65 north you don't get off until you get to Marshall, MO., and then you actually go straight into Marshall rather than following 65 to the left...you head straight into Marshall until you get to Erby street(light)...turn right on Erby and follow it past the park and pool, and just as you are passing the golf course there is the little road to mojam camping on the right...there will be a sign there.  Follow the dirt road down the hill to where we camp and play...  


I will likely head up a couple of days early...Friday and Saturday are big days there for planned events like the long shoot and clout shoot and lots of demos...

My e-mail is [email protected]

[JesuslovinGoose]

Braced at 4 1/2" I've got it 49lbs @ 26.5".  I draw around 28" when I'm doing it correctly and will overdraw near 29" when not.  I drew it back a couple of times and it seems to stack like a pile of books around 25-26".  Anything I can do about that or get a couple of more inches out of it?  I thought about taking the fades in just a bit more but then on the top limb it will run into the cutout for the rest and I didn't know if I could run the bottom fade further back than the top fade?  

 
 

[walkabout]

it looks like its bending a few inches out of the fades and not at the fades to me.as far as reducing the fades more i usually make the fades 1/2 the length of the handle. for example a 5 inch handle should have 2 1/2 inch fades top and bottom.you could push the fades back into the handle a bit more, id say an inch or so. them being close to the arrow shelf wont hurt too much, as long as its in the thicker part of the fade.

[walkabout]

just be careful if you scrape the limbs close to the fades, its easy to take too much and have your handle pop off. i use a hunting knife held straight up and scrape lightly for mine, although a cabinet scraper will work too.

[UnderControl16]

I have to encourage you to listen to what walkabout is saying. I have had a handle pop off because of me fading in to far. I've "made" 16 red oak long bows in two and a half years about. I've had 6 work and they were all 70"+ ranging from 8# to 43# hahaha. It's the bows that are 45#+ that i've had issues with. I've had 5 snap due to my poor tillering or a grain issue. The other 5 i've lost due to compression. I have major issues with red oak and getting it to not develope compression lines in the middle of the limb as i go 45#+. Now i am trying a heat gun to get around that. But i recommend that you check over your limbs each time you pull it father to see if any lines are developing and after the first full day of shooting it.

[walkabout]

ive never had to heat treat a red oak board bow, but i have to admit that they can be a challenge when youre working with questionable grain. the most important thing is careful tillering, and excercising the limbs after scraping. also never pull past your intended draw weight because of set. as long as the fades arent hinged and the fade itself is a good gentle curve they shouldnt try to pop off, the fading angle allows them to accept the forces applied right off the limbs and keep them solid into the main part of the handle.ive had 2 bows crack along the edges of the limbs, and by soaking said cracks and the surrounding wood with superglue then wrapping a one inch section around it ive been able to save both of them and even get one to pull 50# when finished.as always, making sure that the working limbs are sharing all the force applied is key to keeping one area from cracking due to stress building on wood that doesnt want to bend.

[Loren Holland]

just learning how to post photos, hope it turns out the right size...this is one of first bows i made that turned out well and is still shooting. I gave it to a buddy when he came back from Afghanistan.
 
I generally back red oak with hickory/pecan. TBB generic dimensions start at 66" TtT, using osage, and given a 10" riser.  When using oak, I add 2 inches to that and make mine 68", so that i can have a riser long enough to cut a shelf into.  If i need to make the riser shorter than 10", i either shoot off the hand or build up a rest from leather. either way the transition on your fades is very abrupt, almost non-existent.Look on Sam Harpers site, on his board bow build, and there are 3 different pitures of 3 different ways to ensure a riser doesn't seperate. the most common of which fading into the board itself so that there is no pressure on the riser. When you look at the picture above, see how the angle of the fade is continued off the riser into the board
 
JLG, i have done handle overlays on red oak bows. totally unneccassary, but aesthically pleasing, and they can round out the grip a bit. make sure that they stay within the limits of the non bending portion of the bow, and you should be fine
These aren't the best pictures, and not my best bows, just the only pictures i had access too at work (yeah, i snuck a few minutes of Tradgang @ work). Hope it shows the points well enough. I am sure someone else might post a better example  

[JesuslovinGoose]

The pictures help a ton Loren... for sure I'll be finding some time in the next few days to get after it.  I think I was spoiled by the long weekend.