The Bow Collectors' Tomato Stakes

[Rick P]

Hickory suitable for bows is very difficult to get here in AK, an Osage log cost more than a custom bow due to shipping and I have never even seen lemon wood! Your photo, with all do respect, made me want to puke! Literally an immediate visceral desire to hurl! As an artisan and new bowyer I feel a great sadness for those bows even if they were mass produced. Next time you acquire a "worthless bow" in a group of "valuable ones" send me a PM! If I can I'll pay the shipping and reimburse you for the bow. I cant stand to see an old bow that could be reworked or refinished die from lack of appreciation.

[Wade Phillips]

Rick - I am sorry to hear that you are upset. What I neglected to say in my original post was that the bows I use for Tomato stakes are ones that do not consider shootable any longer.

After mullet submitted his second post, describing how he reworked these old lemonwood bows, I pulled one off the rack, strung it up, partially drew it a few times then put it on the tiller tree. After 15 minutes of fiddling with it, and at about 25 inches.... BANG... It is now a 6-piece take down.

I broke that bow last week and the following day mentioned the incident to a Trad Gang sponsor who remarked, "Those old lemonwood bows always seem to break".

I'm not a bowyer but last month began a project to remake some of Nels Grumley's old bows. With a number of Grumley bows here to use as models, it is a project that I had been thinking of for years.

You are correct, bow wood is expensive. With lots of old non-collectible bows here right under my nose, I'm going to try to rework others until I get one that doesn't break for me.  

After re-reading mullet's second post, I see that I missed the fact that he is backing these old lemonwood bows. The next one I try, I will back before putting it on the tiller tree.

Hopefully your stomach is less upset and you have less desire to hurt, now that you know more of the story...

 

[Rick P]

Thanks Wade. I am just very passionate about bows and other forms of art. I think you'll find backing can help alot of marginal bows find a new life.

Sorry if I was a bit over the top.

[mullet]

Wade, A lot of those bows have dried and also thewood needs retraining. I am shooting an old lemon wood longbow.  Before I pulled it to a full draw, i strung it and let it sit for a few hours, then unstrung it. Then the next day I strung it and puled it at half draw a few times and unstrung it and let it rest again, after all, it's an old girl that hasn't been loved in awhile. I repeated this, increasing the draw length for a few days and leaving it strung for a longer period of time. It shot good, and I've shot a couple of 3-D shoots of 40 targets a couple of times with it.
  RickP, hit those yard sales and Flea Markets.

[Rick P]

Mullet

Not that many finds up here but I keep my eyes open.