This is a long overdue thank you to Dan Bonner along with some braggin pics!!! A while back, Mr. Bonner contacted me here on TG after seeing a post where I discussed Texas Ebony. This tree is native to my area (Lower Rio Grande Valley) and every now and then I would come across some. Well, him being a bowyer, he was obviously interested so I set about trying to find him some in hopes that I could trade the raw materials for a "finished product". I did in fact locate some trees that needed pruning at my in-laws house so we began planning. I got as many good limbs as I could cut and sealed. Next I had to get them to him. The density and therefore, weight of this wood is something else. This made for a slight dilemna as Dan lives some 5 hours away. I had a friend take the limbs back to Brenham after a visit and it just so happens that Dan's partner comes through there weekly so we solved that problem.
Once Dan was able to inspect the wood, he called me and gave me the great news that he would have no problem setting aside enough to build me a riser...he would supply the rest. Over the course of our conversation, I had a revelation. How about an all-Texas bow? Dan started working on it and I started day dreaming. Back and forth the PM's went over the next year while the wood was drying. I had a box of antlers I had collected and I sent those along. All of them had come from here in my home state. A gracious friend on another site gave me a matched pair of Texas diamondback snake skins, which I sent along. Thankfully Dan chose NOT to use them as you will see in the pics below. I started rounding up snakes myself, although I was not too successful.
Dan next informed me that his longbow form was broken. I consider myself primarily a longbow guy but I love shooting trad bows. It didn't take much persuading to change my mind and opt for one of his new recurve designs. He had been VERY happy with them as were his buddies that had shot them. SOLD!
Now along comes February, which just so happens to be my birthday month, and I get THE PM from Mr. Bonner...the bow is ready and I will get it to you as soon as I can. At that time Dan posted some pics on here, which some of you may have seen. While good, they can in no way reflect the beauty of this bow. When it showed up, my wife and I were in awe. Dan had gone with the Tx Ebony for the riser. The limbs are maple core (may be the only part not from Texas) with stunning cedar lams from the hill country...my favorite part of the state and where I cut my teeth on hunting and bowhunting. All of this is accented with osage from the eastern portion of the state and topped off with a set of antler burr limb bolts from the sheds I provided. What a bow. I took some more pics but they pale in comparison to the actual bow in hand. I did try to capture the beauty of the cedar limb lams in the sunlight. Now you will see why I am glad he didn't skin the limbs!!!
Finally, a HUGE thank you to Dan Bonner. You are a craftsman and an artist. I hope the materials have served you well and allowed you to craft several more risers for others. If there is anything I can ever do, please let me know.
Topic: A big thank you to Dan Bonner for my truly custom bow!!! (Read 880 times)
