HH bug got me ... Part One!

[stik&string]

Would someone do me a favor and buy that 90# Black Bear Craig has in stock right now!!! I don't think my wife could take 3 Hill bows purchased in the last month  

[Rob DiStefano]

90#?  um, no, i don't think so, but thank you.     :D

Ben, that Wes is downright handsome!

[Ben Maher]

90# ... Maybe if I cut it in half I could get two 45#ers ? lol

Nice going Ben ... I love 'boo under clear glass. glad you like the new grip . I 'll get one myself on my next order .
Speaking of which....

[Rob DiStefano]

70" tembo blank just arrived in da house.  connexion hinge due to arrive next week.  let the games begin ...

[RC]

90#s. I refuse to shot a bow heavier than most pigs I kill. ... RC

I have had a number of the heavy weights, the truth is unless you have a herd of cape buffalo you need to thin out, there really is no need for that much pull.  Besides when you get older, you may regret all of the shooting you did with them when you were younger.

[far rider]

Beautiful Wesley! 90#! .........9 0 # ??? Pass!, but good luck! My old shoulders ache just thinking about it. Pics when you break down and buy it would be appreciated though!

Originally posted by Rob DiStefano:
70" tembo blank just arrived in da house.  connexion hinge due to arrive next week.  let the games begin ...

Games indeed!
   

[Raging Water]

90# Howard Hill Black Bear? What? Huh? How did I miss that on the site?

Where is that Piggy Bank when you need it?

Matt

[stik&string]

Matt, I was hoping I would draw you out of the woodwork with that.    The Robin Hood I ordered pretty much emptied out my bow fund.

Really guys there have been some awesome bows displayed in this thread, keep them coming.

[Rob DiStefano]

tembo connexion td bow blank

i'll chronicle this project on the bowyer's forum, with links to updates over there posted here on the hill thread.  

awaiting the connexion hinge, here's the tembo blank, 70" ntn, 47# @ 29", coco riser, caramelized boo under clear glass, string follow.  i expected to leave the limb tips plain but noticing how narrow and thin they are i might just add limb tip caps.  

at a 6.4" brace height it's currently 54.3# @ 29" - this is as expected, since craig expects there could be lots of finish sanding that will reduce the poundage considerably.  i anticipated this and will not do that much limb sanding, and expect the completed target weight to be about 51#+ @ 29".  

i asked for the handle/riser to be left squared but craig did some initial rounding, which is a concern since the connexion hinge is 5/8" wide - the flat area on the riser's back center is 3/4" so i'm good to go.  

it is NOT recommended to recess the hinge into the glass back.  if recessing is required, the hinge is to be inlaid into a 3/32" or so thick strip of wood or micarta.  since the blank has been rounded at the handle section, there is no room to do that.  so, the hinge will hafta ride on the bare riser back, covered by either a roll-down rubber grip (easy and quick) or separate halves of a laced leather grip.

 

 

 

 

 

[GMASIUK]

Guy's, this is about to get really, really, good. Rob, I'll hold my breath while you cut it in half. You are a daring man!  

[longbowben]

This is going to get fun.Thanks for posting Rob  

[Mudd]

quote:Originally posted by longbowben:
This is going to get fun.Thanks for posting Rob      

[Montauks]

   

[tradlongbow]

I'm enjoying this.
   

Rob- For those of us who never built a bow or finished a bow blank could you take one pic of the tools that you plan on using?
Also, could the part of the hinge that the screws go through be placed on the bottom of the upper limb and on top of the bottom limb, this would be where the cut is made?

Darren

[Rob DiStefano]

trad ganger dick wightman's site has great tutorials on installing the connexion hinge.  he's done it more than once and has paved the wave for easier installations by noting the pitfalls he encountered.  thank you, dick!!!
 
the basic installation concept is ...

cut/grind/sand a 7/8" 'groove' on the bow's back at the centerline.  this is where the hinge recesses and requires about 1/32" or so relief all around to allow the hinge male and female parts to best, er, mate.  this groove needs to be cleaned up and sealed before moving forward - i'll use multiple coats of thin cya.

the hinge is laid down in position, aligned, double stick taped down securely, marked and drilled (5/32") for the 6 hinge titanium screws.  the 5/32" holes are slightly chamfered, and the hinge is laid back on, and screwed down firmly.  the bow is still in one piece and the hinge is never ever removed (thanx dick!!), and would be best to glue in the screws with slow set epoxy.

there are any number of ways to cut the bow in half.  i think the safest is the way dick did it - clamped in a modified miter box and cut with a really good miter or japanese draw blade saw. a thin piece of metal, perhaps a piece of stainless from a feeler gauge, is rounded bent and forced between the riser and the rounded hinge.  tape around the riser completely before cutting, too.    

after the bow is cut in half, one or both riser cut surfaces will need to be thickened with micarta or thin leather to take up the space of the wood lost during the cutting.

as to whether the shelf and handle are shaped prior to the hinge installation, i'm unsure.  i know it's been done both ways.  need to think about that some more ... and query dick!

then on to the final sanding and finishing.

tooling - though it could be done with hand tools for the very most part (no electrics at all), cutting that 7/8" hinge groove will be something i'll tackle with a spindle sander, for accuracy.

looking forward to whacking me a tembo in half.  like the houdini saw-the-lady-in-half trick, i hope mine will go back together again like brandy new.     :D

[stik&string]

Rob Thanks for taking us along on this process. I can't wait!

[Mohawkbows]

Rob,

I use a standard crosscut handsaw that will leave a fifty thou void, a piece of glass on the bottom and automotive cork gasket on the top epoxied into place, if you need any of that stuff let me know and I will send some out. I also wait till the hinge is in place to cut the shelf in but it probably doesn't matter. The first one you cut in half will get the heart rate up a tad!