40" Pony Bow

[Frank]

Here are a few pics of my latest experiment.  A 40" sinew backed osage twisty, bent, bad tillered, non working recurve pony bow.

Prior to the first sinewing I tillered the bow and slowly worked the draw back to 20".  I figured, if it's going to break then so be it.

 

The first sinewing.
 

Strung after it dried from the second sinewing.
 

Crooked shot.
 

The bow with my 27" arrows.
 

The bow at 20" draw.
 

As you can see, my bottom recurve did not unfold like I had hoped. I could say it's tillered for two under with a stiff lower limb, but it's not.  I screwed up.

My concern was that if I did not wrap the limbs, then an explosion would occur.  I have the typical longitudal cracks running down the limbs due to the sinew and hide glue drying.  I usually just put up with the cracks rather than try to prevent.

I've put the bow on the tillering tree at least 25 times drawing down to 20".

I've shot the bow about 30 times.  First shot was in the high lung on the deer at 15 yards.  Out of all those shots, I only missed the target once and it was right over the back.

It is far from being done.  I will tiller the lower limb a bit more, the limb tips need to be cleaned up, sealed with 7 coats of clear spraypaint, and I will be wrapping on a handle of hemp soaked in hide glue.

Fur string silencers and may wrap the limb tips with rawhide.

Oh yeh, the bow is pulling 60lbs at 20".

Osage is a wonderful wood.

[bjansen]

Wow...nice work Frank..thats awesome.

[Robertfishes]

looks like a fun to shoot bow.

[Frank]

Thanks.

It is fun to shoot.  I will post a pic of it when it is complete.

[Silent Bear]

Nice looking bow frank, these bows are the funnest to shoot

[Frank]

Thanks guys, but the bow is history.

I was shooting it and pulled it back a tad to far and the lower limb exploded.  Kinda cool how it happened but I should have marked my arrows to the 20" mark.

Ah, live and learn.

On to the next bow, 72" lam. D bow.