Converting a maple long bow to a recurve, would like some input

[greenfish13]

Hello,
This is my first post here. I have probably made about 6 bows all of which broke on me for various reasons. It was made about 5 or 6 years ago from a maple board I bought from a lumberyard. It is my first successful bow to have made. The bow casts an arrow pretty slowly I believe because of the tillering and the width of the limbs. The bow specifications are:
Whole length: 72 ¼ inches
Top limb length: 33 inches
Bottom limb length: 33 ½ inches
Top limb width: 3/5  inch
Bottom limb width: 1 ¾ inch
Handle length: 5 ½ inches
Handle width: 1 ¼ inch
  I want to fix this bow by reducing the length, possibly narrowing the limbs, and bending the limbs into a recurve. I don't have access or the tools to build a 'recurve mold'. How can I safely bend the wood without splintering the wood? How much should I bend the limbs? I would like for the bow to be a working recurve. For a recurve bow made from maple how much should I reduce the length and the width of the limbs? I also want to back the recurve with sinew and hide glue. The bow pulls 50 lbs at 30 inches, I would like to make it 60 lbs at 30 inches or so. I would like to post pictures of it, but don't know how, can somebody please tell me how? The link to the sticky on how to post pics is not working. Sorry about all the questions, I’m sure an entire book could written on each of these questions. I have the bowyers bible series but they are packed away as we are trying to sell my house. Any way Happy Fourth of July!

[macbow]

Pictures will be needed.
If you have a photobucket account  put the picture there. Then copy the img info then paste it here.

[greenfish13]

Okay I set up a photo bucket account, see if these links work, if not, can you explain how I can do this better? I tried to show the top limb, the bottom, the bow unstrung and strung,at full draw, and the handle:

  http://s1317.photobucket.com/user/greenfish13/media/0703131904b_0001_zpscb9e4e60.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0  

  http://s1317.photobucket.com/user/greenfish13/media/0703131904a_0001_zps4b054198.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1  

  http://s1317.photobucket.com/user/greenfish13/media/0703131904_0001_zps64bc8de4.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2  

  http://s1317.photobucket.com/user/greenfish13/media/bow12_zps0ee611b1.jpg.html?sort=3&o=3  

  http://s1317.photobucket.com/user/greenfish13/media/0703131909_0001_zpse74e87e1.jpg.html?sort=3&o=4

 http://s1317.photobucket.com/user/greenfish13/media/0703131933_0001_zpsa284300b.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

[macbow]

[macbow]

Now that you have the photo bucket pics.
Open in Photobucket and select the Img code only copy all of it then paste in your post.

[macbow]

 

 

 


Now we need someone who knows maple and can this be converted?

[macbow]

If this can be,accomplished. I'd suggest cutting about 12 inches , 6 on each end. I say this only because you want to add sinew. Leave it as wide,as it is.

Personally I would cut about 2 inches from each end  and check tiller and,leave it a longbow. Then start a new project for the recurve maybe using Osage.

[HugeBull]

Greenfish,

Just my 2 bits, but I think you have two or three choices:
1) Get a good stave and start over.  Your bow looks like the best of my first bows, which I broke trying to "fix" it.  You probably are better starting from scratch, as no matter what you do to this bow it will include some damaged wood fibers hence the string follow.

2) If you are committed to sinew and re-tillering, cut the limbs down (to say a 58 to 62 inch bow) and turn it around.  Now your high string follow bow is a highly reflexed stave, which you do not have to recurve.  Carefully re-tiller to drop weight to a range that is below what you can manage and then sinew it and final tiller.  See the Traditional Bowyers Bibles, an indispensible resource if you are going to keep building wood bows.

3) Yes, you can recurve the bow, but this would be my last choice of the 3.  Cut it down to 60 to 64 inches, build a steam chamber (stove pipe or PVC), and bend the limbs on a form or just eyeball around a glass jar.  Still have to retiller to your weight . . . more steps, more stuff, and probably still not satisfied with outcome.  

JMHO, but if you really want to build a good selfbow, find a teacher and spend time with him while working on your bow.  If you really want a recurve, start building one from the very beginning, and you will probably want a better wood.  I think you will be far more satisfied with your results.

BTW, I am speaking from my own experience that was fraught with more failures than successes trying to "save" bows and make them better.  For this reason, I gave up selfbows (at least for now) and have gone back to glass lams.  I still have some staves and billets saved and am keeping my books and tools, but when I take them up again it will be at the knee of a teacher rather than floundering alone while reading the best books.

Hugh in TN

[k-hat]

Most of us have had the "fixitis" bug early on, and even after many bows it's tempting to "fix" a bow that didn't go as planned.  I've become of the opinion that there's not much fixing a bow once it's done.  Hugh made some good points on that.

My 2 cents:  Learn from these bows you've done and move on to a new one.  As a good friend told me recently..."sinew won't fix design or tiller problems".  Let's learn why this particular bow is slow and not repeat those features:

1.  Most all the work is being done midlimb, esp on the left limb.  the inner thirds and outer thirds aren't doing much.

2.  There is a hinge 1/3 from the left tip, and it looks like a couple of "almost hinges" on the right limb either side of the middle third (it could be the slats playing tricks on the right side).

3.  For the above reasons, this bow looks to have quite a bit of set.  Set is, I believe, the main reason for the poor cast of this bow.  Sinew won't fix these.  In the time you wait for sinew to cure, etc you could have made 3 or 4 bows likely.  

BTW, narrowing the limbs will make matters worse!!!  It probably needed to be more like 2" in width rather than 1 3/4.

That said, it's a great job for a first shooter, and congratulations!!!  Now make another    

If you really want to experiment with sinew, look up some sinew designs here, TBB, and elsewhere and make one that is designed for sinew  

[Roy from Pa]

I agree on starting a new bow. Make yourself a gizmo tool, the link below shows how to make and use it.
 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000075

And this link is very helpful for first time bowyers.
 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000122

[LittleBen]

I agree mainly with what's been said.

That bow has a hinge in the left limb, and two less severe hinges in the right limb. Also the right limb is drastically weaker than the left.

In my opinion, I think you'd be wasting alot of sinew on that one.

Like Roy said, get a tillering gizmo made up. That will aloow you to make a nice clean tilelr next time.

A recurve or a reflexed bow or even just a shorter bow, is going to put alot more stress on the limbs. Without a realy good tiller you're risking it snapping while you're drawing it.

Also sinew will take literally weeks to dry out sufficiently, in that time you can make a number of bows.

I'd recommend getting a nice clean straight grained hickory board, or white oak if you cant find hickory, or red oak if you can't find either.

Use the tillering gizmo and make a really well tillered longbow, the improvement in the speed of the bow will impress you I'm sure. A really well tillered longbow is a deadly and reasonably high performing tool.

[blue_beast_66]

I say just hang it up on the wall say damn I'm proud of that and move on. That's what I did with my first bow she still hangs there and always will no matter how many I make. It's like with a woman she may not have been the prettiest but she will always be your first. Now get out there and make some sawdust!

[Pat B]

Once you adjust the tiller you will be down a few more pounds. Piking and adding recurves would over stress an already overstressed bow. Time to build the recurve you want and give this bow to a neighborhood kid.

[greenfish13]

Hi,

Thank you for the suggestions. I think I will listen to reason and start an entirely different bow. From the opinions expressed here, I think I want to make another longbow and work on my tillering skills. I have one more maple stave that I got the original from. The stave is 72 inches and 2 1/4 inches wide. I think I will loosely follow the old design I made on my first bow, but leave the limbs a little wider closer to the handle. I want to make an arrow rest apart of the handle, any suggestions on that?

In addition I have been eying a kiawe log,Prosopis pallida, for a while. I have never heard of anyone using it in a bow, but it is such a hard wood I would imagine it could make for a nice bow. Problem is that the grain is a little snaky. I am thinking of splitting the log with a hatchet, wedge and sledge hammer. Any suggestions? Have a great week end!