Hickory Selfbow Build-Along

[Eric]

Ah, after a good 9 months in wait, I finally am ready to begin work on 1 of my two hickory staves.

For now, I chose the nicer one, with fewer knots and a straighter profile.

I spent a goodly amount of time setting a chalk line, measuring, dividing fractions (       ) and the like, but I finally got the profile drawn up on the back.

After a cumulative effort of 2 hours, I have 3/4 of  the stave cut down to size. All that is left is to trim down one edge, and bring the belly down to snuff.

After that, I plan to back it with something simple, like linen. But here it is to date...

 

 

 
-Eric-

[Madpigslayer]

cool work bench! good luck!

[Dano]

Your off to a great start Eric.

[clintopher]

Lookin good.  Just wondering why you want to back it?

Clint

[Eric]

I want to back it mainly for security, but also I violated a growth ring during my laying out of the profile. It was necessary though! Haha.

Anyway, with my sharp drawknife, I'm a-rip-roarin' through the excess heartwood. It's a shame though, it has a real nice tone to it, and would look good with a linseed oil coat.

I plan to make a purpleheart riser though, so the purple and white should contrast quite nicely.

Another thought: Would it be okay for me to put purpleheart overlays on the tips? I'm not familiar with overlay, and I wanted to know if it would be safe, and if so, how would I go about doing it?

I can see it now...one day I'll be out hunting for  polar bears in a snowstorm, and all you'll see is 2 purple nocks and a purple handle flinging a 4,000 grain arrow at 1,000 fps...

::snorts and wakes up::

I mean uh uh, yea in the expression ax²+bx+c=0, the value of x is equal to polar bear stew!

           


-Eric

[Dano]

The ferret just did a tip overlay pictorial, look for it. They are simple to do and very dependable.

[George Tsoukalas]

Violating a growth ring can be a serious problem. I'd spend time chasing another ring  but that's what i would do. jawge

[Eric]

This violation is at midlimb, and has a surface area of about 1/4". Its on the edge, and may not even make it to the final product...we'll see.

More pix in 30 mins after I finish the very last little part...


-Eric-

[Eric]

Ok, here it is. The sides and ends are all up to snuff, the only thing left is to bring down the belly. I figured it would be easier to use the faceting method with the drawknife on a narrower plane.

You may notice that on the far end, there is a little bit sticking out on the side. That's where a large knot was, and the growth rings grew around it. I've since removed the knot, but my hands are just too tired to deal with the rest of the wood tonight.

 

 

 

 

-Eric-

[Eric]

It even has natural reflex!

[Eric]

Ok here she is all trimmed up nice like. The only problem I've come across are these strips of black material. Im not sure if they're knots or what...but do any of you guys think they are a threat to the structural integrity of the wood? They are on the belly side.

Anyway, the stave has a natural reflex of about 2". From the picture, it looks distorted, but the reflex is even on both limbs.

 

 

 

 

-Eric-

[Buemaker]

Looking good. Eric, may I ask how old you are? Bue--.

[Eric]

I'm 15 years old. I'll be 16 in September.


More pictures to come!


-Eric-

[Madpigslayer]

Hey Eric, I have no idea what the black marks are...but I am watching with interest.

[Buemaker]

I bought a lot of 30 year old Hickory planks from an old ski making factory and it sometimes have those dark "crap" spots or lines, I don`t know what caused it either. Bue--.

[Adam Keiper]

Looks good.  It's great to see a young guy in the game!

[John Cooper]

Man, I wish I was your age when I knew about archery!  (I'm only 25, but I still wish I knew about this earlier!   )

~John

[Luke Vander Vennen]

my first bow had a bunch of those marks running along the limbs. they didn't seem to affect the bow at all.

Good luck!!

[Eric]

Here she is all scraped up and squared away.

I also applied a backing to her. It's linen, and the application went quite well. It was much easier than my previous attempts. I have virtually no bubbles.

Next up is nocks and floor tillering. Though I can already tell that the limb with the dark streaks is going to be a tough one. It has a few small knots, and is less apt to bend.

 

 

 

 

-Eric-

[NEW GUY]

Who's bed sheet you steal Eric?

Can't wait to see your progress!!