Going to try to get some pictures up here.
Thanks again, mwosborn, for the ash stave. This was my first bow from a stave, first use of a draw knife and my first parallel-limb (non-pyramid) design. It was also my first attempt at heat bending & heat treating. So lots of firsts and, of course, plenty of trial and error.
Here is the original stave (top):
Side profile:
And here is the (mostly) finished bow
The bow finished out 65" NTN after taking it down a few inches from the intended length. It only pulls 30# at 28" so it's going to be a backyard bow. But, over the weekend, I took my last board bow to a 3D shoot and it raised a splinter. So this one came in just in time to replace that one for backyard fun.
Since I did so little scraping on the first half of the limbs (near the fades) after floor tillering, I think that is where I took too much off. Most all my tillering time was on the last half or third of the limbs. Lesson learned: be more conservative on the floor tillering stage.
It still has a sideways crook, even after I steamed the handle a couple of times. Here's a shot of it after roughing out.
But since the string is off to one side a little and I cut a shelf in, it's almost centershot. I shot a mixed group of 11/32" 50# spine and 5/16" 35# spine shafts and they all group together at 20 yards (low shots were me drawing a bit short).
I wanted to experiment with a gray stain since the places I hunt have a lot of weathered wood on the ground. I may do that again next time.
I'll put a little felt on the shelf, add a leather strike plate and finish it with some beeswax later in the week.
Topic: First bow from a stave (Read 1114 times)
